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Hi Sharon,
You are an incredible writer, and I hope that you will someday publish a book.
I wish I could have met your Aunt Bett!
How lucky you were to have spent so much time with her to learn her inner thinking about nature and plants.
Keep writing!!!
I'll be reading all you submit to Dave's garden.
I am not quite sure what an 'asphidity bag' is - and have followed a link of yours t uncover the answer (to no avail). I even tried a dictionary.
Sounds like it may have been something that Aunt Bett created for some very logical purpose.
Is it to help with breathing (as in asphyxiation)??
Jill
I did have some incredibly strong women in my life, and they left their footprints on my soul. It has taken me many years to understand what they taught me, because often their teachings were very subtle.
The asphidity bag...well, it was a sort of folk remedy that was most common probably in the Appalachian region around the 18th century. I've studied ancient cultures, though, and know there have been traces of them from thousands of years ago found in other countries.
It was a little bag of strong scented herbs, and those ingredients changed with the culture, I think, or maybe changed with the one who made it. The vapors from the herb mixture were supposed to ward off colds or fevers, perhaps other diseases.
It was my own imagination that turned it into something magical...I thought it would ward off evil, too, and protect me from scary creatures, whether they be man or beast.
Again, thank you. I guess as long as I am able to remember, I'll keep on writing.
Best to you!
Sharon
