Old house, unusual weather, in old Searcy Arkansas. Yarnell house?

May I answer Ruth, for Barbara:   Clabber Girl was a baking powder.   Before I started buying Wal-Mart's brand, I think I would still buy Clabber Girl.

Anita Fuller

Barbara, not only are we to take you driving all over Searcy and showing you who lived WHERE and WHEN, but after that, I need to take you with me to Harp's....and we'll stroll up and down the aisles .  YES, people still use baking powder - I actually used some last night when I made cornbread FROM SCRATCH!!!  Also used baking soda - do you know what that is?    I"m sure Clabber Girl will be on the shelf, and remember - in the days that Clabber Girl was advertised on that truck, there were NO cake mixes and all this pre-mixed stuff.

I have spoken to the Searcy Oracle, Dorothy Yarnell Warden.  That beautiful Yarnell house was torn down, along with about 4 others, to accomodate the West Arch Church of Christ.  I knew they had torn the Sandford house (past blog feature) but didn't realize the Yarnell home was razed, too. for that reason.  It was 700 W. Arch, phone 102.  It was "catty cornered" across the street from the Grammer home, which is still standing, but just barely: Miss Clarice Grammer, 608 W. Arch, phone 1591-J.

Anita Fuller

Thanks for the picture of Miss Clarice Grammer's house.....I never noticed how similiar it is to my old house, before Mother started all her remodelings.  I can't believe that house is still standing and occupied, but I"m glad it is.

I honestly can't say I know the nuances between baking POWDER and baking SODA but there are differences. Sometimes you use one or the other, at other times you use them both - as in my to die for cornbread recipe.  I also keep baking soda in my frig. (but no charcoal)...

Anita Fuller

I don't exactly know the differences between the two, but we always have both and in my cabinet, it is Clabber Girl baking powder. 

One thing, I think, is baking soda tones down the taste of buttermilk.

When I was a kid, baking soda was used to clean our teeth.

The oldtimers used baking soda and water for heartburn.

And, yes, I keep a box of baking soda in the refrigerator, too.

I don't know that was the reason, I was just guessing.

Now, here is a recipe that I found awhile back for cleaning sluggish drains.  1/4 cup soda followed by 1/3 cup vinegar.  Allow to bubble for 30 seconds, pour in 1 cup hot water.  I did try this and it worked for for my sluggish drain problem.

Anita, I would appreciate your recipe for cornbread, if you please.

Oh, yeah, I remember Black Draught.  We didn't take a lot of bought medicine.  My grandmother usually had a home remedy if you were sick.  It was better to just go on to school or whatever and forget about being sick.  Ah, the good old days!!!!!

My mother made me take, regularly:  Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin.  It was awful:  black in color and grainy.  It's logo was "Even finicky children love it".....so I used to declare that I was evidently not finicky, because I HATED it.

Oh the things we remember from childhood.

Ludean, I'm sending the cornbread recipe by email.

Anita Fuller

You girls need to learn how to spell  mercurichrome....or it can be mercurochrome.  It's so named because it contains mercury, and has been taken off the market for that reason.   But my mother used it on all my cuts and scrapes, too.

There is a bag of charcoal on my deck, as I write.  When my son comes, he's big on grilling:  steaks, hamburger, you name it.   Barbara, I can't believe Dude doesn't grill a mean steak on your patio. 

Anita Fuller