The editors of "Yankee" magazine scoured scores of vintage books, magazines, journals, and memoirs to find the very best old-time secrets for preparing meals, cleaning, doing laundry, decorating, repairing the home, treating common ailments, caring for pets, celebrating the holidays, and gardening outdoors and indoors. Throughout this treasury, the editors suggest ways to adapt yesteryear's methods using today's technology and materials, giving readers the best of both the old and the new. As readers explore these pages, they'll discover: how to mix a stain for wood furniture from coffee and salt; how to air condition a hot, stale room without relying on electricity; and how to fashion a beautiful garden trellis from twigs. With this book by their side, readers will always be in the good company of an old-timer who is set to dispense a helpful hint, encouraging word, or sage secret at the turn of a page.