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Across the Fence:  The "Green Thing"  |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 09:11:59 AM
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Hi girls!
A dear friend sent this email to me this morning, and I just loved it - SO true! I thought all of you might appreciate it, too. :)
Hugs -
Nini
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Being Green
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the
much older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags
because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this 'green
thing' back in my earlier days."
The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your
generation did not care enough to save our environment for future
generations."
She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in
its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer
bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be
washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same
bottles over and over.
So they really were recycled.
But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we
reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household
garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for
our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the
books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our
scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the
brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every
store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and
didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to
go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have
the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an
energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar
power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got
hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always
brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing"
back in our day.
Back then, we 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
handkerchief(remember them?), not a screen the size of the state
of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand
because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used
wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble
wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline
just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human
power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a
health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a
cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We
refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and
we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away
the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn't have the "green thing" back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their
bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a
24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which
cost what a whole house did before the "green thing." We had one
electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to
power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized
gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles
out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we
old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back
then?
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Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Sep 06 2013 09:12:41 AM |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9324 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9324 Posts |
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shanda
True Blue Farmgirl
522 Posts
Shanda
Broken Bow
OK
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 11:43:55 AM
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Wow! That will make you stop and think.
Shanda
Farmgirl #4233 |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 12:40:59 PM
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am I aging myself by saying I remember all of that, and did a huge portion of that, was never in the house, except to eat/sleep and do chores/homework, did my Momma drive us all over hell and back, lol, no we walked to friends (some were a few miles away), we walked to school, unless the weather was a blizzard, and we got a snow day, but stayed inside and played with gadgets, not ever...even now I have "dial-up service for my computer, and thats just fine with me, and my cellphone has only a phone, no camera, texting or anything else, no fancy gadgets for me, nor did my kids have them either...I think if kids today, did not have all of this, they would be better students and better humans also...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 2:38:25 PM
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Perfect Nini! Thanks for posting :) I remember as a child toting glass bottles in my wagon to the local mom & pop store for cash back. I also remember getting soda from a bottling company. Our family would choose different flavors of soda and fill a crate with a couple dozen glass bottles. When we finished them we would bring back the crate and bottles and switch them out for more soda. That's when I first discovered Birch Beer soda, yum!
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
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lovinRchickens
True Blue Farmgirl
3440 Posts
Kelly
Pipe Creek
Texas
USA
3440 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 5:01:36 PM
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Nini
I could not love that more. Great post and wow it sure could make a few stop and think.
Farmgirl #5111
Blessings
~Kelly~ |
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laurzgot
True Blue Farmgirl
1669 Posts
Laurie
Alvin
Texas
USA
1669 Posts |
Posted - Sep 06 2013 : 8:20:17 PM
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Just love it. I remember doing all of that. And when the weather was bad our washed clothes were hung on a line in the basement. We walked to school and to the store. I even made brown paper bag book covers for all of my children who are now grown. Rode our bikes everywhere. Thanks for sharing.
Laurie
"Smile and be yourself everyday"
Country girl at heart
Laurie
Aprons and More by Laurie is on my FB page. www.facebook.com Aprons and More by Laurie/2487022
www.etsy.com/people/Aprons And Home Decor |
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fille de ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
2344 Posts
Madeline
Meadow Lands
Pa.
USA
2344 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2013 : 5:18:17 PM
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This is really good & I remember many of the things listed. We need to bring a lot of them back.Thanks for sharing Nini.
KEEP A SMILE IN YOUR HEART... |
Edited by - fille de ferme on Sep 09 2013 5:19:10 PM |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2013 : 09:23:03 AM
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I'm so glad you all enjoy this as much as I do! I remember a lot of these things, too. I remember how my parents had a big rusty rain barrel in the back of the house to catch water for the garden, too. Every time I hear that song, "Oh Jolly Playmate..." I smile and remember the old rain barrel and simpler times. Whodathunkit back then: they were actually green! LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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AmethystRose
True Blue Farmgirl
254 Posts
Rosemary
Huntingdon
PA
USA
254 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2013 : 12:13:59 PM
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I also remember that the grocery stores put the empty shipping cartons near the checkout for you to pack your purchases instead of bags.
I know that it is not politically correct, but I resent the attitude on plastic bags. I do not live near the ocean. I reuse the bags, save them for my library book sale, return them to the store. I would much rather use the FREE plastic bags made in my state than be shamed into BUYING a plastic tote bag made in China. |
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marlee
True Blue Farmgirl
1650 Posts
Marlene
DeRidder
Louisiana
1650 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2013 : 5:28:16 PM
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Love it!
Marlee
God is the painter, he paints the picture. And his son builds it, for he is the Master Carpenter!
Silly Boys Trucks Are For Girls |
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2013 : 01:46:27 AM
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And most homes did not have dishwashing machines and few clothes ever needed dry cleaning. Most homes did not have air conditioning and one car was the norm which was driven until it fell apart or passed onto the new driver licensed older teenager in the home. Most people just had less clothing, furniture and belongings than they do now. Games were made from what we had laying around i.e. drop the clothespin in the bottle, jump rope, hop scotch, pantomime, string games. I remember even in the 60's we used empty cans to make huge rollers for our hair so it would be smooth with some body to it aka Jean Shrimpton, or cut it all off and short like Twiggy. Thanks for memory lane! Annie
"The turnings of life seldom show a sign-post; or rather, though the sign is always there, it is usually placed some distance back, like the notices that give warning of a bad hill or a level railway-crossing." Edith Wharton, 1913 from 'The Custom of the Country'. |
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fille de ferme
True Blue Farmgirl
2344 Posts
Madeline
Meadow Lands
Pa.
USA
2344 Posts |
Posted - Sep 12 2013 : 02:26:35 AM
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Oh ! My gosh Annie, I remember my sister using cans in her hair. I told that to someone once & they thought I was joking. LOL Heck, they recently had a soup commercial with cans as rollers ;-)
Believe or not I have always had a dishwasher in my home, built in, I have NEVER used it, except for storing extra can goods LOL. I also reuse my plastic bags for many purposes & they have come to my rescue, long story. I think it's all up to how one per sees something. Unfortunately for me I see so many possibilities to reuse stuff for my crafting, my house is bursting at the seams.
KEEP A SMILE IN YOUR HEART... |
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Across the Fence: The "Green Thing" |
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The "Green Thing"
