The phrase KNOCK ON WOOD – Traditionally, when you speak of your own good fortune, you follow up with a quick knock on a piece of wood to keep your luck from going bad. 
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Before Christianity and Islam, many pagan groups and other cultures—from Ireland to India to elsewhere in the world—worshipped or mythologized trees. Some peoples used trees as oracles, some incorporated them into worship rituals and some, like the ancient Celts, regarded them as the homes of certain spirits and gods. It used to be considered good luck to tap trees to let the wood spirits within know you were there. Traditions of this sort still persist in Ireland.
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Vinegar of the Four Thieves: Recipes & Curious Tips from the Past
Have you heard excessive brain labor causes baldness or the cure for wrinkles is a tepid bath in bran?Do you want to know Thomas Jefferson’s recipe for Vinegar of the Four Thieves or how to make Ox Tail Soup?Have you ever had ‘blueberry pickles’, ‘batallia pie’ or ‘snow birds’? You will learn all this and more in “Vinegar of the Four Thieves.”Our ancestors had to be resilient when they faced obstacles in daily life, from dealing with pests, medical emergencies, caring for clothing, and cleaning shortcuts. Almost everything they used in daily life was homemade. Some ideas were great but some were very strange.This book is a collection of household tips, medical cures, clothing care, and old recipes from the 1800s and 1900s. Many of the tips, such as the household cleaners, cooking tips, and ways to control pests, still work and are helpful in today’s ‘green’ environment while others such as ‘how to cure a dog of eating eggs’ will make you laugh. Either way, this book will help you appreciate the difficult life your grandparents endured.With Bonus: First two chapters of novel Ribbon of Love
