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My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu

 
Anonymous Coward
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My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My gram was born in 1900 and lived until 2000-she died jus two months short of 100 years old.


I used to ask her all kinds of things, since she'd seen so much happen. She knew so much interesting stuff.


She lived outside of our small town, so was probably safer than those in contact with a lot of people. She said they closed the theatre, and some of the shops. She lost a couple friends to the Spanish flu. She said they wore masks, and you saw people with them on everywhere when you went into town.

I remember her telling me how they made sausage, fried it up in patties, then put a layer in a crock, poured the grease from frying it over the layer, then fried another batch of it, layered that on top the grease, and covered IT with more grease, on and on until the 5gallon crock was full. She said they opened a layer at a time to eat those sausage patties all winter, and it stayed good. They stored it in the cellar/ basement, with no refrigeration.

I remember she told me they had no pesticides--so their solution for ants in the house was, they put a cap from a jar under the sink, filled it with sugar-water. The ants would come to it, fill up, then leave back to their homes. They would never come into the other cupboards or food left out, since they had a steady food source.


So bizarre, but it actually makes perfect sense. LOL

Please shareyour Old-time stories folks, we can learn something from them.
Q33

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10/03/2018 04:11 PM
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Last Edited by Coupes on 10/29/2018 05:46 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
That was great to read :)
 Quoting: Q33


Thanks! I love the old ways, and wish there were more people passing them on to us. It's especially good to hear the personal stories.



She said you could keep eggs for a year just by rubbing them in mineral oil and storing them point side down in a carton, but in a cool place, closet, basement etc, under about 68 degrees. You could check their "goodness" by floating them in water- if they sink they're good, float, they're bad, don't eat them. Flip the carton over once a month or so to keep turning them.
Q33

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Last Edited by Coupes on 10/29/2018 05:46 AM
Q33

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10/03/2018 06:41 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu


Last Edited by Coupes on 10/29/2018 05:46 AM
janedoenut

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10/03/2018 06:56 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Thank you for sharing, pretty cool! but what's even more cool is that you took an interest in learning, listening and sharing with the elders in your family.

With kids thinking they need to escape their families at a very young age, they haven't the respect or interest anymore. So much is being lost and that's sad.

Again, well done.
“If you'll let me tell you what I imagine about myself, you'll find it a lot more interesting” –Anne Shirley


"Seemingly your father nor mother taught you that as a man, it's your job to protect and provide for women and lead strong families. As men, had you done your job, you wouldn't be living in a matriarchal society." - Janedoenut, 2018
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 07:06 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My gram was born in 1900 and lived until 2000-she died jus two months short of 100 years old.


I used to ask her all kinds of things, since she'd seen so much happen. She knew so much interesting stuff.


She lived outside of our small town, so was probably safer than those in contact with a lot of people. She said they closed the theatre, and some of the shops. She lost a couple friends to the Spanish flu. She said they wore masks, and you saw people with them on everywhere when you went into town.

I remember her telling me how they made sausage, fried it up in patties, then put a layer in a crock, poured the grease from frying it over the layer, then fried another batch of it, layered that on top the grease, and covered IT with more grease, on and on until the 5gallon crock was full. She said they opened a layer at a time to eat those sausage patties all winter, and it stayed good. They stored it in the cellar/ basement, with no refrigeration.

I remember she told me they had no pesticides--so their solution for ants in the house was, they put a cap from a jar under the sink, filled it with sugar-water. The ants would come to it, fill up, then leave back to their homes. They would never come into the other cupboards or food left out, since they had a steady food source.


So bizarre, but it actually makes perfect sense. LOL

Please shareyour Old-time stories folks, we can learn something from them.
 Quoting: Mother May I


My ol gdad died of this flu. Though I have read of this Spanish flu not really being Spanish only but in name. He of course was in his mid 20's and had a lung shot out in the 14 war..

His mammy O'course used to do as you describe as to preserving food. Long tradition really as I make my own lard for frying.......Givez it to friends also as I'm a nice sorta pilgrim..

Aye indeed there frendz, (I use the term frendz with caution on here though.)

Aye Opie. Good fookin thread if you could get older fartz or not to fart on here and pass on some old info...

Wish ye well.Good idea if I haven't fooked it up by postin........Thread killerz are a pain.......
catnahalf
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
bump

For knowledge great thread OP
Anonymous Coward
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10/03/2018 07:34 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
The good ol days!



[link to youtu.be (secure)]

:bugs:
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 07:35 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
That was great to read :)
 Quoting: Q33


Thanks! I love the old ways, and wish there were more people passing them on to us. It's especially good to hear the personal stories.



She said you could keep eggs for a year just by rubbing them in mineral oil and storing them point side down in a carton, but in a cool place, closet, basement etc, under about 68 degrees. You could check their "goodness" by floating them in water- if they sink they're good, float, they're bad, don't eat them. Flip the carton over once a month or so to keep turning them.
 Quoting: Mother May I


Never heard of the oil thingy, but hey, gran had her way.

I kept a lot of chooks an ducks one time. I used always preserve eggs by placing them in ash from the fire. Wood ash sieved and place the eggs apart from each other.

Friends and family were using six month old eggs and knew nothing as to how old the were....

Look up hundred year old eggs....

Aye. Treat that with great caution........
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/03/2018 07:42 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Wow, ashes. That's interesting.

With the mineral oil, I understand it's because the shells allow air in--so if you clog up or cover the porous shell so air can't get in, they will be safe.


I'd like to get some old ways to preserve meat-like sugaring and salting. Even drying. I know it can be done, but how exactly? LOL


How much salt or how much sugar? what are the steps and amounts, that sort of thing.
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 07:51 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Wow, ashes. That's interesting.

With the mineral oil, I understand it's because the shells allow air in--so if you clog up or cover the porous shell so air can't get in, they will be safe.


I'd like to get some old ways to preserve meat-like sugaring and salting. Even drying. I know it can be done, but how exactly? LOL


How much salt or how much sugar? what are the steps and amounts, that sort of thing.
 Quoting: Mother May I


The reason for ash is as you say, breathing. Breath of life perhaps.

I have dried lamb, chicken is to be avoided unless you have an old family recipe. Which brings to mind of brewing. So many fruits are there to be harvested, (rhubarb is poisonous unless you have a family recipe.), and also brewing is a part of preservation.

Actually now I think on it I tried looking up old cures with the Bible..

Aye.. Makes ya think.
tcs

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10/03/2018 07:59 PM

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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My gram was born in 1900 and lived until 2000-she died jus two months short of 100 years old.


I used to ask her all kinds of things, since she'd seen so much happen. She knew so much interesting stuff.


She lived outside of our small town, so was probably safer than those in contact with a lot of people. She said they closed the theatre, and some of the shops. She lost a couple friends to the Spanish flu. She said they wore masks, and you saw people with them on everywhere when you went into town.

I remember her telling me how they made sausage, fried it up in patties, then put a layer in a crock, poured the grease from frying it over the layer, then fried another batch of it, layered that on top the grease, and covered IT with more grease, on and on until the 5gallon crock was full. She said they opened a layer at a time to eat those sausage patties all winter, and it stayed good. They stored it in the cellar/ basement, with no refrigeration.

I remember she told me they had no pesticides--so their solution for ants in the house was, they put a cap from a jar under the sink, filled it with sugar-water. The ants would come to it, fill up, then leave back to their homes. They would never come into the other cupboards or food left out, since they had a steady food source.


So bizarre, but it actually makes perfect sense. LOL

Please shareyour Old-time stories folks, we can learn something from them.
 Quoting: Mother May I



Good stuff!
I had a great grandmother that lost her 20 year old daughter to the Spanish flu. My great grandmother lived most of her life in the house that her husband built for her. They never did have electricity installed. They had kerosene lanterns for light and a wood stove for heat. They made their own bread every week and salted cod fish was their staple food. She lived into her early 80's and was all of 4 foot 9" and topped out at 80 lbs. Nevertheless, she had 8 children and raised them herself as her husband was a military man.

Today, there are single mothers that can't seem to be able to raise one child... even though, compared to back in the old days, they have it made in the shade - Washing machines/dryers, refrigerators, electricity, indoor plumbing, microwave ovens, on and on! People today are just lazy and way too much time on their hands. Back in the days of my great grand parents and even my grand parents, people had to work from sun up to sun down just to scrape by. If you didn't work, you didn't eat.
" Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." ~ Jer. 17:5

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 08:12 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
If you didn't work, you didn't eat.

Aye....Dat made me laff.

One of my earliest memories is of an old oil lamp on the wall. The fire light flicking on the ceiling.......

Fook gottit good on state payments.
chasity

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10/03/2018 08:31 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
i love granny stories!
grass fed sardines
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 08:37 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
i love granny stories!
 Quoting: chasity


Dats fookin sexist sez gdad.. Broad sense an Bristol fashion O'course.

Aye...........at least I'm old enough to allow some chivalry..........hf
chasity

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10/03/2018 08:41 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
i love granny stories!
 Quoting: chasity


Dats fookin sexist sez gdad.. Broad sense an Bristol fashion O'course.

Aye...........at least I'm old enough to allow some chivalry..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


my grand-dad used to get drunk and spit on dollar bills and slap them on all the foreheads of us grandkids. that's all I got.
grass fed sardines
Mental Case

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10/03/2018 08:49 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
They stored it in the cellar/ basement, with no refrigeration.

-------

That worked because they had a wood stove & not central heating.

Basements wouldn't get warm...but they wouldn't freeze either.

There is a book that my mom and uncle (her brother) swore by.

The encyclopedia of country living...by Carla Emery.

It's got all the old time tricks/tips written in it.

It's not something you would read cover to cover...you use it to look something up.

I keep a copy in my SHTF stash.
If I am going to be damned...I am going to be damned for who I really am!
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 08:50 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
i love granny stories!
 Quoting: chasity


Dats fookin sexist sez gdad.. Broad sense an Bristol fashion O'course.

Aye...........at least I'm old enough to allow some chivalry..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


my grand-dad used to get drunk and spit on dollar bills and slap them on all the foreheads of us grandkids. that's all I got.
 Quoting: chasity


If I was lucky I would get a ten bob note for my weeks labour. That of course was the equivalent of about half dollar in Americay..

Aye..........hf
chasity

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10/03/2018 08:53 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
i love granny stories!
 Quoting: chasity


Dats fookin sexist sez gdad.. Broad sense an Bristol fashion O'course.

Aye...........at least I'm old enough to allow some chivalry..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


my grand-dad used to get drunk and spit on dollar bills and slap them on all the foreheads of us grandkids. that's all I got.
 Quoting: chasity


If I was lucky I would get a ten bob note for my weeks labour. That of course was the equivalent of about half dollar in Americay..

Aye..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


huh, you mentioned being old once before. what kind of child labour was it?
grass fed sardines
Eilonwy

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10/03/2018 08:57 PM

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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My grandmother lived in a mill town and said that there were piles of bodies down by the river because of the flu that the soldiers brought back.

She said every house was affected.

Mine was a bit younger than yours. I think she was actually too young to remember herself, and was repeating what others told her. Though she did live through it.
“A grower of turnips or shaper of clay, a commot Farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.”
Lloyd Alexander, The Castle of Llyr
Aye. Dot

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10/03/2018 08:58 PM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
...


Dats fookin sexist sez gdad.. Broad sense an Bristol fashion O'course.

Aye...........at least I'm old enough to allow some chivalry..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


my grand-dad used to get drunk and spit on dollar bills and slap them on all the foreheads of us grandkids. that's all I got.
 Quoting: chasity


If I was lucky I would get a ten bob note for my weeks labour. That of course was the equivalent of about half dollar in Americay..

Aye..........hf
 Quoting: Aye. Dot


huh, you mentioned being old once before. what kind of child labour was it?
 Quoting: chasity


Dear geebuz but I'm not that old........

Aye well jus mebee.. Late 50's early 60's..

Thankee welly welly a lot............

Old as the woman I feelz I daresay...........hiding
Mkjeep

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10/03/2018 08:59 PM

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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Crap, I misread title , Thought it said Grandma Told me about Spanish Fly.

grinning

Thread was good anyway!!
dasbier
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Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/04/2018 01:47 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
hahahaha some funny answers on here. Your grandpa spitting on dollar bills and sticking them on your forehead...I laughed hard.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Some other interesting stuff--


Did you know you can eat ANY kind of Hostas? Like, you know those green striped plants that grown in everyone's yards? There are the striped ones with lavender colored flower spikes, and wide leafed ones with big white flowers that smell delicious, and so many different kinds.

You can eat them all, roots, stems leaves etc. if you wait til spring, they come up in a pointy cone-shape, wait ti the get 4-6 incheshigh before they unfurl into leaves and cut some off. Fry them in butter. Totally delicious.


Also, cut some random ones, as you don't want to kill the plant by cutting too many.


You can also dig up the roots/tubers of the good old daylily flower--the orange ones that grow wild by the roads,and in our yards sometimes. They are little tubers, like the size of your little finger. Bake them with olive oil and salt--tastes a lot like a potato/radish combo.

if you're starving, it's good to know these things.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/04/2018 03:04 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
Another thing that happened with the Spanish Flu is they all drowned, because they were younger with very strong immune systems. Your white cells (fighter cells) rushed to kill the flu germs and ended up drowning you.

So the young and middle aged died more than the old and very young.


You also must be careful with flu remedies--when its this kind of flu, some suppress the immune response, some heighten it. Don't take anything that heightens it or you'll drown for sure.

elderberry is one of the dangerous ones, from what I remember-because it heightens the effect of the white cells. I need to look all this up again sinceI think this year may be bad again.

The homeopathic drs had like a 10% death rate and hospitals had 40%. So using Oxycoccinium and gelsemium are what they used with good outcomes.
ol' scratch

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10/04/2018 03:30 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My father was born in 1933 in Bremerton Washington. There was a big Naval shipyard there.

He said that everyone had a big garden. His mom and sisters would put up preserves all summer long, cherries, blackberries , rhubarb, pears, apples, potato, corn, snap peas, pole beans...

He said that it was tough to get good fabric for clothing, so his mother made everyone underwear out of the silk feed bags that the chicken feed came in.

they had ration cards for gasoline and some meats, that is why they kept chicken and goats. They could get milk and cheese from the goats and etc. He said that they were able to catch salmon a few times a year and would smoke it and it saved for a long time... they also put it in jars.


It sounded like it was a good time to be alive, people were a part of the world they lived in, not just reading about it on a screen.

He said that there were barrage baloons with long cables hanging down in case the Japs tried to bomb the naval yard, and that there was an antiaircraft gun station at erlands point. Sometimes dad would go down and see the soldiers there, and they'd have contests blindfolded to see who could disassemble and reassemble their rifles fastest.


The government offered bounties on Cougar $75 and seals (50)

Dad said he blasted a cougar at his scout camp that he saw up in a fir tree... He only had a .22, and when his dad found out about it, he was furious, because a wounded cat could tear up a 10 yr old boy pretty quick.

I recall there was a bit of clam digging and duck hunting as well.

Last Edited by ol' scratch on 10/04/2018 03:32 AM
This is the real deal, not a rehearsal. Do your best and don't screw it up.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/04/2018 05:01 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
My father was born in 1933 in Bremerton Washington. There was a big Naval shipyard there.

He said that everyone had a big garden. His mom and sisters would put up preserves all summer long, cherries, blackberries , rhubarb, pears, apples, potato, corn, snap peas, pole beans...

He said that it was tough to get good fabric for clothing, so his mother made everyone underwear out of the silk feed bags that the chicken feed came in.

they had ration cards for gasoline and some meats, that is why they kept chicken and goats. They could get milk and cheese from the goats and etc. He said that they were able to catch salmon a few times a year and would smoke it and it saved for a long time... they also put it in jars.


It sounded like it was a good time to be alive, people were a part of the world they lived in, not just reading about it on a screen.

He said that there were barrage baloons with long cables hanging down in case the Japs tried to bomb the naval yard, and that there was an antiaircraft gun station at erlands point. Sometimes dad would go down and see the soldiers there, and they'd have contests blindfolded to see who could disassemble and reassemble their rifles fastest.


The government offered bounties on Cougar $75 and seals (50)

Dad said he blasted a cougar at his scout camp that he saw up in a fir tree... He only had a .22, and when his dad found out about it, he was furious, because a wounded cat could tear up a 10 yr old boy pretty quick.

I recall there was a bit of clam digging and duck hunting as well.
 Quoting: ol' scratch


Great stories!
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/04/2018 05:08 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
I remember some other stuff about my grandparents.

We'd all go out there, they lived outside of town, used to own may many acres until the strip mines and lumber companies showed up dangling money.it was too hard to resist I guess, so they sold most of it. Too hard to keep paying the taxes on it.

Grandma would havre us all out for big dinners in the summer, and all us cousins loved it. But we were all city kids, and some of the goings on freaked me out.

Grandma was a great cook and made those homemade noodles. She had a kitchen in the basement too, for making candy and other stuff you needed to keep cool. The house was on a hillside, so around back, it was a walk-out basement.

Anyway, she'd make those noodles, laying them out, cutting in strips, and then she'd hang them around to dry. Then boil them in broth in a big pot. All the windows and doors were open of course--there was no AC in those days in a house. LOL


So, by the time we sat down to eat, there were always those tiny little gnats that got in the noodles. Those noodles were my favorite too! Really freaked me out, I just wasn't used to "country" life, which included BUGS. LOL
danjan

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10/04/2018 05:10 AM
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I live across from a very old cemetery. There is a whole section populated with those having died within days of each other. Spanish Flu victims.
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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10/04/2018 05:13 AM
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Re: My Grandma Told Me Bout the Spanish Flu
I live across from a very old cemetery. There is a whole section populated with those having died within days of each other. Spanish Flu victims.
 Quoting: danjan


Wow. That's so sad. Young people in the prime of life I bet.
You know they say nearly 50 million died of that. They were never really even sure because it was early in recordkeeping for that sort of thing, and like someone mentioned, an older person who got flu and died would be listed as pneumonia.





GLP