Monday, December 28, 2009

Some Advice For Your House And Home...!


With the up coming New Year, it's time for all of us to consider a number of things.

We are all looking forward to the cleaning, the re-arranging, the redecorating and all the things associated with the end of the Christmas season, right?

During this time, we might be aware that there are a lot of "Old Wives" tales and advice about the home. It's always interesting to look back at some of these, and sometimes we may find a nugget or two of true wisdom in them.

Some of these you may have heard in some fashion or another, some of them you may not know! Take a look...

* Scatter Solomon's seal on the floor to banish serpents and venomous creatures from the room.

* To protect your house from lightning, gather hazel tree branches on Palm Sunday and keep them in water.

* Add caraway seeds to chicken feed to keep poultry from wandering. Feed the seeds to homing pigeons to help them find their way back.

* Stuff fennel in your keyhole or hang it over your door to protect against witches.

* Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.

* Never walk under a ladder, which is Satan's territory. If you must do it, cross your fingers or make the sign of the fig (closed fist, with thumb between index and middle fingers).

* If you give a steel blade to a friend, make the recipient pay you a penny to avoid cutting the friendship.

* Never give a knife as a housewarming present, or your new neighbor will become an enemy.

* Never pound a nail after sundown, or you will wake the tree gods.

* Nail an evergreen branch to new rafters to bring good luck. An empty hornets' nest, hung high, also will bring good luck to a house of any age.

* When you move to a new house, always enter first with a loaf of bread and a new broom. Never bring an old broom into the house.



I don't really know if there is any truth in any of these old tales, but they sure are fun to read, don't you think?

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and retire to the kitchen...always the warmest place in the house!

20 comments:

DianeLynn said...

LOL..YAHOOOO I am your very first comment....finally!
Yeppers you are right it was fun reading these old wise tales. Thank you for bringing a smile to me face!

chinasyndrome said...

Walmart doesn't carry solomans seal,I was gonna pick some up.Ha ha! Good one Mr Jim.

Andrea said...

So where do I find hazel tree branches??? We've been lightning-struck twice, and this last time was quite costly.

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One, LOL these sure are fun. The one about putting the tree branch in the roof I have seen, only back east, not here in AZ.
Did you find the magnetic note pads for the fridge?

Momlady said...

Good morning, sir. Isn't amazing what people used to believe? As for me, my house is protected and has been since it was built, thanks to my daughter. I've had a tornado go over it and lightning strike within 15 feet. So far, so good.
You have a lovely day.

HermitJim said...

Hey Diane-Sage...
Glad to help in making you smile this morning...and I am glad you are the first to comment!

Glad that you could drop in this morning, too!


Hey Dan...
Don't know where you could pick some up...sorry to say!

I sure do appreciate you coming by this morning!


Hey Andrea...
OUCH! I don't blame you for wanting to get some extra protection! As far as where to get ome...I really couldn't say! Sorry!

I sure am glad you could come by today!


Hey JoJo...
Happy you enjoyed the post!

Walgreen's has the note pads, but I can't use them 'caue I have no fridge...only a small dorm size!

But, like I said, I pretty much know what I need!

Hey, sweetie, thanks for coming by today...!

HermitJim said...

Hey Momlady...
Good to hear that your house is protected! Tell daughter she did good!

Thanks for coming over today!

Catman said...

* Never carry a hoe into the house. If you do so by mistake, carry it out again, walking backward to avoid bad luck.

I ain't carrying a hoe into the house. I paid good money and she better damn well be able to walk in on her own....hehehe

HermitJim said...

Hey Catman...
I think that maybe this one applies only to folks like "Tiger Woods", ya think?

Somehow I knew this one would get some attention...!

Thanks for coming by!

Kyddryn said...

:::snort::: Mister Hermit, sir, I had the same thought as Catman. Also, I may try the fennel, just to see if it keeps me out of the house. Heh.

I had heard about giving a coin upon receipt of a new blade...but not why. Interesting theory.

Fun stuff, sir!

Shade and Sweetwater,
K

HermitJim said...

Hey K...
be careful! If it works, and you are outside...then what? maybe try it from the inside...!

The ones about the knives, I've heard all my life!

It is interesting, huh? hey, thanks for coming by!

Anonymous said...

Morning Jim;
LOL You sure you spelled hoe right? I can be bad from time to time.

The only one I had heard was about the knife. I like knives as much as guns.

See Ya

Anonymous said...

Thank You for the coffee...always enjoy my morning coffee with you.

HermitJim said...

Hey Tony...
Nothing feels as good in the hand (next to a gun) as a proper fitting knife!

Well, there may be a couple of things...but we won't go there!

Thanks for stopping by today, buddy!


Hey Looking...
Good to see you here this morning! I'm glad you enjoy dropping in for coffee...we always like to have a new friend join us!

I do appreciate you coming by!

murphyfish said...

Hello HermitJim and season’s greetings to you. Nice post to chuckle at and remember some of those sayings.
Best of regards,
John

Gen-IL Homesteader said...

Oh boy, those were too funny! Isn't it interesting to think that somebody probably actually believed them! hehe Catman's comment was pretty funny. It hadn't even crossed my mind!

xox-Missi Mi-xox said...

I wish I knew about the carraway seed before the chickens escaped and boy Im glad no one hangs fennel from their doors Id have to stay away ;-) .... lol.. love reading from the old school, they certainly have some interesting ways about them.

Oh and lmfao! at catman.

Hope your holidays are going well.

Thanks for always greeting us with a fresh cuppa and a great place to feed the brain whether for knowledge or fun.

Look forward to the new year with you.

xox-Missi-xox

HermitJim said...

Hey John...
I hope you had a great Christmas...and that you have a very Happy New Year!

Glad you got a chuckle out of the old sayings...they are always fun to read!

Hey, I appreciate you coming by today!


Hey Gen...
You just KNOW that these were probably taken as gospel at the time they came out! Things can change, for sure!

Yep, you gotta watch ol' Catman...he's pretty quick! Glad you got a chuckle out of these!

Thanks so much for coming by!


Hey Missi...
It is fun reading about some of the older syings, isn't it?

These are actually new for me, except for the one about the knives...

Hey, glad you could come by today!

Gwen said...

Hi Hermit Jim! I love this post. It reminds me of the two or three I still abide by today.

Mom told me that I should only exit a house or building through the same door which I entered. My co-workers are very nice about this as I sometimes have to walk a bit of distance to follow this "rule."

The other one was passed to me by my ex mother-in-law. She said to never move a broom from one house to another. Doing so causes one to take troubles with them. I don't move brooms.

Sounds silly, doesn't it? But the little voice in my head nags if I decide to buck the advice.

Thanks for a great post.

HermitJim said...

Hey Ginger...
I don't know if they are true or not...but I figure why take chances?

The broom one has been around a very long time...so, I figure that we might as well go along with it!

Thanks so much for coming by today!