Thursday, April 12, 2012
Skunk Oil
I have some advice. If you are a fool, just move along as I don't want you reading this, as the moment this starts, you like the dumbass you are, are going to be rolling your eyes. So just head it down the road and be road kill as you deserve it, and it will just leave more resources for the remnant who survives the abyss.
I had great respect for my Grandfathers. They were immigrants or the children of immigrants. Both by necessity had a wolf stare as it requires that in life to survive. Both were shrewd and gentlemen.
They married prudish women, who combined never spoke more than 10 words to me. To be fair Grandma Lydia lost her voice from cancer and stress when my sister died, but Grandma Sarah was just about as conversational as a rock.
They though produced 13 children between them.
Grandpa Bill told me numerous stories. Most of them a hundred times over and I cherished ever one of them. They were real life and always interested me.
He was a real American, in his livelihood was that of trapper, hunter, fisherman, gardener, orchardman, farmer, rancher and whatever it took from moonshine maker to fur buyer to feed his family.
I don't know if I told this story here, but it deems retelling for million dollar knowledge as I ponder it to this day.
Grandpa always told two stories about skunk oil. Yes, you road kill assholes can move it along now as you wrinkle your noses and think you know some damn thing, as I don't have time for idiots.
Skunk grease or oil is a produce from the American striped skunk. It is not the scent glands by the anus, but is like hog lard, in the rendered fat of the skunk.
Grandpa used to render it in the sun, by nailing strips to the south side of the barn in winter, but it can also be made by cooking the fat slowly to removing the oil and leaving the cracklings.
I was testing some oils this past week, and was smelling castor oil, and I noticed that it has a similar heavy scent to it like skunk oil. So if you ever care to smell castor oil, you will have something similar to what I'm teaching you about.
Skunk oil is a pretty yellow color, that is in the 30 weight of oil viscosity. The purpose of it is medicincal, and I have two stories which are true to ponder over.
During a plains blizzard, a man showed up at my Grandparents door asking for skunk oil. He explained he had ridden around 20 miles in that storm as his child was deathly ill, and he needed that oil.
Grandpa tried to get him to stay, but the guy was adamant in leaving as the child needed that oil.
Grandpa provided the oil and off into the night he went in that blizzard.
When my uncle was a baby, he turned blue one evening as be was sick. Grandma was bawling and just knew the kid was going to die before morning.
Nothing could be done, so Grandpa greased the kid up from top to bottom with skunk grease, wrapped him up, and put it into God's hands.
Next morning, the kid was playing and happy as could be. Grandpa did note that the stools he passed were a horrid green color. He deemed that the sickness had passed through the bowels.
I have had skunk oil put on me as a child. It does have a warming effect, but I never was deathly ill in using it.
In speaking with our old well man, he knew of skunk oil and said his Mother would dose them down the throat with it too when they were ill.
I do not know what is in skunk oil, but one can find examples in history of coon and bear grease used as medicinals. Vapo rubs are all petroleum greases with things to heat the skin and open sinus cavities.
There are many things in this life in oils and aromatics which people used to employ, as that is all they had. As a doctor informed my brother long ago in saying, "People get well or they die. Medicine most times just fills in the time between.
When my Beloved Uncle died, his cache of skunk oil is the one thing I made certain to obtain. I shared like an idiot with my brother and cousin, as I have a flaw of being Christian, but I still have that yellow liquid which I would not trade for gold.
There are things you children had better get your heads out of your asses in understanding, because your life and others you care about or need, are going to depend on it, and Obama, Romney or some doctor or police are not going to save your ass when the abyss starts caving in on you.
That is million dollar knowledge in the above, and you got it for free again. The time to be laying in stocks of dumbass things like peroxide, alcohol, vinegar, clay, soda, salt, oils, lysol and pine tar is before they disappear.
When eggs were cheap on the farm, Grandma Lydia used to crack an egg and use the white membrane as a band aid.
Never knew that now did you smart ass?
You children really do have shit for brains and need someone to tell you that, as if it doesn't come from a store, you have no idea what it is.
Yeah, I didn't run from my elders as I listened to them. That is the reason I'm prepared, as I have been in preparation my entire life.
agtG