MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

 Today, for something different (and because I haven't done much that's creative to show you) I thought I'd share something I came across on my travels around the internet.  There's much food for thought in this one and I hope you enjoy it...

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older lady that she should bring her own grocery bags, because plastic bags are not good for the environment,.
The woman apologized to the young girl 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."
The older lady said that she was right our generation didn't have the "green thing" in its day.
The older lady went on to explain: 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 school books. 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 throw away 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 blade 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?


Unfortunately I don't know the original author.  If you do, let me know and I'll happily give credit.

Actually, I DID start a new project that is likely going to take me awhile.   See?.....



The pattern can be found HERE and if you want to see a better example of what I'm creating have a peek HERE.  I'm using 'Sugar and Cream' yarn.

Today the quote is from Mother Teresa..."I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things"


18 comments:

  1. Yep, we were pretty green all right. I love the popcorn garland - what a great project.

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    1. And the current generation likes to think they're the ones that came up with being 'green'! I love that garland too - not sure what I'm going to do with mine but I can't resist it.

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  2. Wow, that piece you posted was GREAT!! Thanks for sharing ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it! There was so much food for thought in that one and I had to share.

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  3. The crochet popcorn is precious! If I start now, then by December there should be a good bit of garland ready. The tissue box covers are darling! Not alone in this, the design of tissue boxes has been a major issue for as long as I remember. I only take less time than picking out shoes because tissue boxes have fewer (mostly silly) designs to chose from.
    Thank you for more fantastic links

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    1. I like the popcorn too - fun to make and the pattern is easy to memorize so it can be picked up and worked on when there's a few minutes of time. My kind of project!! I think there might be some tissue covers in my future too - just because I can.

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  4. On the subject of that green thing: when I first came to the US and Canada from Europe, I was shocked by the wastefulness of giving every customer in the grocery store their own, new, paper grocery bags. I was so used to carrying my own shopping bags for bringing home groceries. I'm doing it still.

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    1. Brown paper bags in our household were always used for other things, even if it was only to line the garbage can (and even that was deemed as being wasteful). At the moment, due to virus restrictions, we aren't allowed to bring our own bags to the stores so we are pretty much forced to use plastic. Once things go back to 'normal' people will have to retrain themselves to bring their own.

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    2. Here people are using their own, but store clerks don't pack them.

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    3. There are a few stores doing the same here now but it's hit and miss and you don't know until you get to the check out which is the case.

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  5. I had seen that little story before and I couldn't agree more. I am so tired of being blamed for a myriad of problems by the younger generation. Everything wrong is not our fault and yes, we have done plenty right! But I'm sure their children and grandchildren will blame them for all their problems too......I remember making a popcorn chain once....about 40 years ago and that was enough for me! hahaha......BTW I really love the way your header landscape turned out. I especially like how you do the little added whimsical touches in the corners! Well done, my friend.

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    1. Each generation seems to blame the ones that went before for all their troubles. Must be a rule!
      I tried making a 'real' popcorn chain once too and it was certainly a lesson beyond frustration and I didn't repeat it. This one is much more my style!

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  6. 'In The Southern Tradition' reminded me of one of your earliest fabric landscapes for a friend. The 'no using' cloth bags sounds crazy as they can be washed while plastic is an earth problem. I loved the reminder of how recycling was the norm -way back. Still recycling hand me downs LOL.

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    1. Talking about plastic being an earth problem, I read an article the other day saying that face masks are now showing up in droves in our oceans. Very sad. I imagine disposable gloves are the same and will do nothing but contaminate our environment even further.

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  7. What a great quote and a great essay! Happy snow day ❄️

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    1. Glad you enjoyed them - certainly food for thought!

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  8. You're crocheting popcorn!?! That is terrific. I got a kick out of the youtuber laughing at herself as she introduced her project. lol

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    1. Yes, I'm crocheting popcorn and yes I know I need to get a life!! It's fun though and that's what counts.

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Thank you so much for leaving comments! I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy life to talk to me. It's wonderful to know that someone is actually reading my mumblings and even more fun if I can connect with you and visit your blog.