A little "humor" for your Friday…

This one came in over the transom from another ‘old fart’…

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
   
    That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were  recycled. 

(I can remember checking the ditches on the way to and from school , hoping to find a bottle or three; lots of times I found enough to get a coke for 6 cents out of the machine)
   
    But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.
   
    In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

(And we walked to school even as elementary students (2nd grade on), probably 3/4 of a mile each way. I knew kids that walked at least 2 miles each way, rain or shine)
   
    But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day. 
   
    Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. 

(And the washing machine was one with a hang wringer on top, no spin cycle or anything else.)
   
    But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
     
    Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

(Our first TV was in 1957 or 8, black and white, and had a 12 inch screen; no toaster oven, no microwave, just a gas stove and oven. And none of the houses I lived in growing up had air conditioning either)
   
    Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. 

(BTDT)
   
    But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
   
    They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.


(They were called ‘fountain pens’, because occasionally they would leak a ‘fountain’ of ink on your brand new shirt; which you STILL had to wear, even with the ink stain. And another reason for pocket protectors you see in all the old pictures.)
   
    But they didn’t have the green thing back then.   

    Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.


(Even up through junior high in the mid-60s I don’t remember seeing parents driving kids to school other than one boy that was in a wheelchair. And we could get unrestricted driver’s licenses at 15 back in those days…)
   
    But they didn’t have the green thing back then!


Life was not perfect by any means, but the kids didn’t sit glued to the TV/boombox/video games all day; we were outside, traipsing around the neighborhoods, out in the woods (with .22s), and generally out of the house all day until dark (and you learned how to interact with other people face to face, from your peers, to adults to the elderly).  And ANY parent that caught you screwing up was gonna beat your butt, then call your parents, which would get your butt beaten again…

And I never screamed child abuse, or threatened to call the cops on my parents (hell, the COPS would have joined in on the butt beating)… 

I’m glad I grew up then, rather than now. At least I know how to do things, I can interact with people, I know what work ethic is, and I know about winning and losing…

Comments

A little "humor" for your Friday… — 26 Comments

  1. Oh. The diaper thing is no comparison. Modern day diapers are worlds away better than clothe diapers. Much more sanitary, and those old diapers required a lot of water and chlorine. Not to mention baby powder, which is virtually non-existent today.

  2. I grew up then too. And yes, I had the very same experiences. Collecting throw-away soda bottles was a cottage industry for both me and my friends. Sometimes we’d find a trove of half a dozen and it would support all of our wants.

  3. My grandma had a drawer of recycled aluminum foil. She wiped it clean, folded it neatly and stored it until a piece was needed again. She never used a Ziploc or similar bag, she saved bread bags. Even as plastics became more common place, she saved margarine tubs and Cool Whip containers for a multitude of uses. My family was just discussing how un-resourceful our society has become.

  4. I must be older than Harper. All the things her grandma did, my mother did. When Mom passed there were drawers full of used and cleaned tin foil, plastic bags, and margarine tubs.

    And twist-ties. Good Lord, the twist-ties…

  5. My great-grandmother, who lived in northern Maine where the winters are long and cold, made quilts out of old clothes and sheets. My grandmother had a garden and would put up vegetables and jams (the jars were used again the following year). People were a lot more self sufficient, things were fixed around the house, rather than being tossed out and buying new.

    I shake my head at products I see in the grocery store – for example “Booger Wipes” pre-moistened towelettes for wiping the snot out of your baby’s nose! Isn’t that what warm wash clothes are for?

    My husband and I don’t buy each other gifts, unless we spot something we know the other person will truly love – because how much “stuff” do you really need? Instead we make cards for each other for birthdays, our anniversary and Valentine’s Day. We’ve been together for 18 years, so we’ve amassed quite a collection. The cards we’ve made have much more meaning and will be around longer than a sweater or the latest and greatest piece of electronic equipment.

    Although a pair of diamond earrings would be pretty sweet…

  6. Yep. I lived out in the country and rode my bike four miles to school. I frequently got caught out in the weather and arrived at school soaked. My teacher wrapped me in an old wool army surplus blanket while my clothes dried on the steam radiators (or in warm weather before the school’s only electric fan.)

    Because my mother, older sister were teachers, and my father was on the school board of our country school, every teacher in the county knew me, my mother, sister and father. I couldn’t get away with anything that wouldn’t get reported home.

    Even the game warden was our neighbor down the road—no out of season squirrel or rabbit hunting for me except on our farm.

    I didn’t wear a helmet on my bike. I drove our tractor at age 10, plowed, disc’d, harrowed and planted alone in the fields when I got home from school.

    We had more personal freedom but we also had more responsibility. It evened out.

  7. Hubby says I was born in the wrong era. I love my gizmo’s and tech but I like things simple. As we have bought things as luxuries it has always been hard for me to do because it feels so wasteful. Meh.

    Wonderful post!!

  8. You just brought back alot of memories of when I was young.
    I remember those wringer washers,with 10 kids Mom was washing everyday and us girls had to help…Not bragging but my hand got caught in that thing a couple of times. :-)~OUCH

    BTW~ Good Luck this Weekend.

  9. I still hang my clothes on the line. The airconditioner is off and the fan is running ( I live in the deep south). My washing machine is 21 years old and is still working. My summer garden has enough to feed me and four other families. I can the extra tomatoes, beans and peppers. I own my own software business and I still bring my lunch everyday so I don’t have to leave the office. I budget about $20 per week for food and often have money left over. I can afford the luxuries now but why bother. I’ve happily become accustomed to my lifestyle.

    Lois

  10. One winter’s day, the bus couldn’t make the trip down our road safely so they let the bunch of us out at the highway and we walked the mile-plus back home.

    Nowadays the driver and the school district would be sued.

    We had a blast and didn’t think anything about it. There was hot chocolate and Gilligan’s Island on TV once we walked in the door.

  11. PE- Yep! 🙂

    Andy- True and the damn things were SCRATCHY!!!

    LL- Agree

    Harper- So did my mother, and when she moved in with me, she brought ALL of the aluminum foil and containers… (come to think of it, I STILL have a couple)

    Tim- I had forgotten the damn twist ties… had a DRAWER full!

    Mrs. C- Y’all are smart! 🙂

    Crucis- Yep, you were screwed! LOL

    Fuzzy- Yep

    Lila- Thanks

    SS- Thanks

    Lois- Must be nice, and you’re a LOT smarter than most of the folks I see up here!

  12. Yep, life was sooooo hard back then!
    I built my first radio transmitter out of a junked TV set, and the neighbors were always giving me stuff to “fix”.
    “If you fix it, you can have it” was the saying.
    Oh, so if I can’t fix it, you want it back broke?
    I never said that, and was always grateful to get stuff that I could salvage all kinds of good (and expen$ive) parts from.

  13. I remember one winter in N. Illinois, my mother wanted to go to the store and buy some soda, but didn’t have the money. (We weren’t poor, she just didn’t have the cash.) So my sister and I had a discussion, grabbed the snow shovel and shoveled neigbor’s walks until we had enough money for the soda. She almost cried when we gave her the money. We did it because we wanted to do something nice for Mom…it just made sense…”Need Money…must work. No job…create one.”

    Wonder what kids today would do.

  14. Oh, and a cute story about my grandmother shooting a pheasant in Minnesota during the depression with a double barreled 12 gauge…and shooting it from the kitchen window. They did do things differently in those days. As a kid, I remember the same tin cups to drink out of, the same kitchen table…but they had everything they needed, but without all the toys.

  15. Pushed an old, dull lawn mower for the neighbors yards for three dollors, front and back.
    Made enough to buy a Model A coupe.
    [$75.00].
    Crank start only, I parked it on a hill to second gear get it going in the morning. Drove that thing [with a chickenwire headliner] to the seventh grade school.
    I would bet a football player that he couldn’t crank it to start at the school [a soda, 5 cents] to get home.
    Had to back up the hill at home ’cause reverse was the lowest gear.
    Started out with a shovel at 16, five years of Unca’ Sam at 17, came back to the world, went to JC for two years majoring in finance until I saw brokers jumping outa windows, got into the trades [construction], worked up to VP at a large co., opened my co. at 40, made some bucks, got screwed by not doing due diligence, lost the company, went out as a consultant, made good bucks, and retired.
    They still call, and I still advise.
    All a person has to do is work. Listen, not talk, learn, not bitch,
    Talent will rise.
    Now, if I may be excused, I am repairing to the loading bench.
    Sorry for the rant.

  16. I remember milk delivery when I was really small. My family still re-uses, or finds new uses, little is thrown out and almost nothing goes to waste.

    I purchased some ancient bulk ammo for the Garand that came in fabric pouches. I was able to rip the stitching out and unfold it into squares of good usable canvass, that was then sewn into a tote, after washing, to carry stuff while hunting.

  17. drjim- I didn’t even get into the Heathkits and the other stuff…LOL

    Josh- Yep

    Joseph- Good stories, and oh so true… My grandmother (late 80s) was still shooting deer and rabbits off the back porch (she HATED them getting into her garden)!!!

    DT- You’re welcome

    Trail- I think so 🙂

    Skip- Not a rant, just a statement of fact… Kids today would be whining it was somebody else fault and pouting in the corner.

    Brigid- If it works, there is NOTHING wrong with that 🙂

  18. I built a Heathkit alarm clock during my ’75 deployment on FID (CVA-59). It still wakes me every morning at 0345.

  19. Mikey- And I’m SURE it had no extra parts, right 🙂 And I can believe it’s still working!

    DT- Agree!