That column about leg cramps I wrote a few months ago continues to get feedback here lately.

If you remember, I told you of my placing a bar of soap in the bed each night and my cramps totally stopped. A man told me this week it worked for him too, but his bar of soap is now used up. I told him to unwrap a brand new bar and keep up his “treatment.”

He said he has already done this, but he told me he has learned of another treatment that was given to him by a merchant seaman.

The seaman, he said, buys a bottle of Schweppes tonic and drinks a glass of it mixed with three teaspoons of pickle juice. You see, quinine, which is contained in the tonic, keeps the cramps away.

Quinine, which, was taken off the shelves a few years ago, has always been known to help cramps. And, by the way, don’t use any alcohol in the tonic.

A lady recently emailed me her remedy for leg cramps. She said take a clothes pin and place in on the left finger next to the thumb. But always put a small piece of cloth between the pin and the finger to prevent any circulation problems.

Now, I am somewhat reluctant to try this remedy because of the mentioned circulation problems it could cause. So, I don’t recommend this method.

I have saved the most unusual remedy until last. While my wife and I were having a meal out a few nights ago a good friend came by our table and we talked for a few minutes. He told me he had tried the soap method and it did “pretty well,” but he said he has found a new remedy and “Boy, this really works!”

I said tell me what it is so I can put it in my column. Reluctantly, he said before you get into bed each night take off your shoes place your shoes against the wall with the toes facing the ceiling.

After a few nights you will discover your cramps are “all gone.” Well, I am just now into my second night using his remedy. I believe his method combined with my soap method is really working together very well.

You may want to give it a try. I’ll give you a report on it two weeks from now.

For you Alabama football fans, former Bama coach Dennis Franchione has been hired at Texas State University, a small college in the state of Texas.

This is the same coach that left the Tide for Texas A&M during the night without telling his players goodbye. Little did he know, he was sailing down the path of failure because he was later tossed out of A&M for not mustering up enough wins. Actually, he should have stayed at TCU where he was coaching before taking the Alabama job.

Look what that school has accomplished since he left. Now, he regrets his leaving the Capstone in a “fly by night manner.” It will be a long way back to a “big school” with a track record like that.

Speaking of football, did you read today how teammates, writers and fans of the Chicago Bears treated former Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler? The poor guy took a massive hit and had to leave the game Sunday due to injury.

They claimed he was not tough enough. To me, this is typical of this city which is filled with corrupt politics. It gave me a great deal of pleasure seeing this team bite the dust in this pre-Super bowl game.

I am sure next month, when a decision is made on the tanker contract, we will get a taste of Chicago’s influence possibly sending the contract to Boeing. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed.

Now, for a little news from 1954.

ECHS principal R.E. Hodnette announced his retirement after serving here since 1924. He was feted with a gala celebration by former students and teachers.

Four hundred eight moonshine stills were destroyed in the state. Ironically, most of those stills were located in northern Alabama.

Not a one was found in southern counties.

(Whew……..Baldwin County………what a narrow miss.)

The 1954 census resulted in Atmore’s population growth. Six thousand six hundred eighteen residents lived here that year, an increase of one thousand from the 1950 census.

Atmore General Hospital became Green Lawn Hospital and Doctors J.O. Lisenby and C.P. St Amant renovated their offices to accommodate more patients. I don’t remember all those on the staff of Dr. Lisenby, but I do recall some of those who worked for Dr. C P.

They included his wife, and Ruth Brock, Margaret Kennedy and Bertha Nelson. Margaret would frequently call us at WATM and ask us to play some “real pretty music today.” Margaret made available WATM for patients waiting to see the doctor.

That was the year that Bernie Salter and his family moved to Atmore where he assumed the duties of hospital administrator. I remember his young boys and their friends coming by the station standing outside by the windows and watching us spin records in the control room very well.

I know you have been reading and watching the news about the severe snow and ice storms occurring in northern and mid western states. The Accuweather forecasting Web site believes this will go down as one of the worst winters on record.

But, we also had a bad winter in 1954. It was nothing like the north is having right now. One to two inches of snow fell here and snowmen and snow skidding were seen throughout our entire area.

Aren’t you glad you don’t live up there where all this is going on. And, Accuweather says those northern states will have to suffer off and on until early April.

One other thing you want to keep your eyes on is the gas pump. As some of you probably know, I write quite a bit of oil news which requires my keeping in touch with “the oil people.”

Some are telling me that $4 a gallon for gasoline will be common later this year. And oil is expected to reach $140-$150 per barrel this year.

Yet, I still see people buying those big autos and pickups.(Now this is really none of my business.) For me, give me a mid size auto with good gas mileage, no TVs in the back seat and no electronic map on my dashboard. The fewer extras I have in my car the less costly it is to work on if I break down.

Next week I’ll have more news from 1954.

“….yes, it always whispers to me…those days of long ago….”

Lowell McGill is a historical columnist for The Atmore Advance. He can be reached at exam@frontiernet.net