Blue Sky Farm

My blogging posts and photos are part of me . I think of this as a scrapbook of my life. The names have not been changed.. they are real people who have crossed my path along my journey. Some I know intimately, my family and friends. If their names are mentioned it's a sure sign they are special to me and I love them dearly...come along see for yourself, perhaps you know some of them too..

March 16, 2009

Pucker up!... Suck on a lemon



Last week, I experienced a swelling in my jaw and down my neck below my right ear. You know, like when you have the mumps? Although not really painful my face was just swollen and a bit tender. Reluctently I went to the Dr to have it checked. He examined my jaw and ears ruled out all the horrible case senarios and diseases that I had suspected as the problem.
He said, he thought that I had a salivary gland plugged. Apparently sometimes small crystalized stones develope & they plug the gland.
Now I had never heard of this happening and felt a bit silly to have made an appointment for this...but his suggestion was to suck on Lemon drops and that would activate the salivary gland to disolve the stone. Gee, just thinking about sucking on a lemon, my tongue and mouth starts to pucker but I tried it and sure enough, It worked. Within a single day and probably after 30 juicy lemon drops melting in my mouth the swelling totally disappeared. Now that was the first time my Dr. prescribed candy for medicine. I'm sure eating chocolate really is good for me , and ice cream & cake & cookies. These are "good things!"



I have been blogging a lot about food lately, so for today I am focusing on the uses of Lemons. I was reading an article in this months Martha Stewart Living Magazine about a twist on lemons.



These are a few of the suggested tips I thought interesting, to share.

  • Simmer 1/2 dozen lemon slices and a handfulof cloves to make a very pleasant air freshener.
  • If you squeeze lemon over and apple or avacado it will help maintain their color.
  • Dip a 1/2 lemon in a small dish of salt and rub it on tarnished copper it will remove the tarnish.
  • It makes a great Household cleanser. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with liquid dish soap to make a paste. Spread it on a 1/2 lemon and use it to scrub basins, bathtubs,and stainless steel sinks.
  • Here is a very useful hint: Biting into a lemon may cure hiccups; the tartness is said to interupt the nerve impulse that causes diaphram spasms.