Monday, September 5, 2011

Empty

Here three empty bottles sit on a windowsill, having been drained many years ago. That one on the right reminds of a Father John's Medicine bottle. Growing up , it seemed to be the cure for any ill. If the tall brown bottle was out in plain view, you knew one of the kids was sick. It was a cough medicine that, for some reason, I always connected with Nana and her Canadian roots, but truth be known it had its birth in Lowell, Massachusetts way back in 1855. It was creamy and gave me the shivers going down. And yes, there really was a Father John. If you're a big fan of cod liver oil and licorice flavoring, this stuff is for you! What were you forced to endure for the common cold, fever, flu, headaches? Wow! When comes to illness, the power parents wield.

20 comments:

  1. just the mention of cod liver oil makes me shudder. yuck.

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  2. de tres belles bouteilles , maintenant il faut les remplitr

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  3. I guess we all have the same opinion of the dreaded cod liver oil!

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  4. Love the bottles. As for medicine - nothing! Odd, I don't remember being sick except for one bad bout with flu.

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  5. no cod liver oil for me. just mashed up aspirin in a spoon with sugar water... :)

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  6. I wasn't allowed to get sick, except for a sore throat and then it was honey...yum!! I have three bottles like these on my kitchen window sill filled with colored marbles.

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  7. This is a great post. Love the bottles.

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  8. I don't recall ever having cod liver oil. Of course, we were much more cosmopolitan down in Massachusetts.

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  9. Nice one. I like the one in the middle.

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  10. No cod liver oil for me. My mom would put camphor oil on my chest when I had a cold. Disgusting.

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  11. Yes I have memories of 'cod liver oil' ewwww! Love Kate's comment 'I wasn't allowed to get sick' haha! sounds like me, until it happens TO ME!!

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  12. I love to photograph old bottles and jars too. That reminds me, I might have to post one just for you Bird! Down the hatch!!!
    V

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  13. Ugh....My Mom made me gag down Cod Liver Oil when I was little. I can still taste that stuff!!!!!

    Happy Labor Day.
    Betsy

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  14. I love finding old bottles and jars like these. Cod liver oil? My mom used to talk about having it as a child in New York but I know that she never gave it to us... yuck!

    Bises,
    Genie

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  15. Old bottles were meant to rest on window sills. This post flashed back some fond memories of Father John's. My mother had to hide it from me because I loved the licorice flavor and I do to this day. Give me a shot of Sambucca or a bag of black nibs and I am a happy camper.

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  16. It looks like this cod liver oil is very strong weapon)).
    The bottles are so beautiful.
    My childhood pleasure were cupping glasses, you needed to cough strongly to get then onto the back. I do not remember any cod liver oil equivalent..

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  17. These look like something straight out of the prohibition years...

    Never had to swallow cod liver oil but I love cod liver. Lovely on a piece of brown bread with a liberal sprinkling of fresh lemon juice...

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  18. Birdman -- I like old bottles no matter what they held. A lot of our past can be told through bottles -- sickness, beverages, farm animal remedies etc. Sharp photo -- barbara

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  19. My mom has a couple of bottle like these, but I am not sure what their content was. Not sure mom remember it either...

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