Thursday, May 12, 2011

The Green Thing

I was at the grocery store and the woman in front of me had all of her reusable bags.  Maybe I was being overly sensitive but I detected an aura of self righteousness oozing off of her and a look from the youngster at the register that I took as an attempt to invoke guilt since I had no such bags.  Imagine my delight when I received this in my email later in the day. 

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, We didn't have the green thing back in my day.  The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."


She was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, they returned their 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 they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's 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.


But she was 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, sisters, cousins or their mom's friends, not always brand-new clothing.



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 handkerchief, 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 a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.



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.


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 aplastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing 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.


But they 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 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.



But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

Monday, May 09, 2011

Link to a Laugh

Hope everyone had a joyous Mothers Day.  We went out with a couple as we do every Mothers Day for a while now.  None of us have mothers nor are we mothers so we gather to honor our mothers and mothers everywhere.  We call our outing, now don't take offense or be horror struck, the Dead Mothers Day Brunch.  Every year since the last of our mothers passed away we have gathered.  We toast each of our moms and have a fabulous meal, usually at a new place each year.  We alternate the power to choose.  Last year it was our turn and this year the other couple's. 

Following the meal we depart for our respective abodes and fall on our respective couches and call it a day.  This year I ventured onto the computer before my full bellied exhaustion struck and found this.  Funniest ever and have to share.  Hope you had a good day yesterday and hope you get a good laugh from this...later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw&feature=youtu.be

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The Long Way Back

You may or may not know that since November we have been living through a BIG renovation and I mean living through since we lived in the house as it was torn apart and put back together again.  Before the construction we had to pack up everything in the sitting room, kitchen and bathroom upstairs and one of the bedrooms since those were the rooms being torn up and put back together again in a bigger and better way.  Well, it's over and now, since the beginning of April we have been unpacking everything that we packed and now we are wondering where it will all go.  Sigh.

While this has been going on I have of course been indulging in myself because, why not?  My indulgences amount to going out to eat and eating at home and drinking some fine wine and some not so fine wine and eating while having a glass of wine.  Now all of this must cease and desist.  It's approaching warm weather time and you know what that means.  No coats.  Shorts.  Sleeveless things.  OMG.  How can this be?  I am on the return trip to sensibility and it is a very rocky road.
Can that really be true?

And I think that she is correct in that salad thing.
Yes.  It is going to be a rocky road.  Did someone mention ice cream?

Monday, May 02, 2011

Daffodil Days Again!

It was Daffodil Weekend folks....off to Nantucket and the annual viewing of the antique car parade:


Check out the decorated dogs:


And in general having  a swell day enjoying a spectacular island.  Love the Ferry too!  Next year.  Same time.  Same place!