Foil And Strings

My Mom grew up 'poor'.  I say that, but her Dad, my Grandpa, made sure they ate and had a roof over their heads.  They survived before and during the depression. 

Sadly she was an only child, technically.  My Grandmother had a stillbirth and a couple of miscarriages.  One baby, a son, lived only a year. 

Mom did have cousins near her though.  They weathered life's storms and made do.

Being poor is a whole topic itself.  Seems a big gap between 20s-30s poor and now.  Then they were just beginning collectivist 'social reforms'.  Folks relied on themselves and one another.

One of her curious habits I noticed as a kid, was to save string, foil, things she said could be reused. 

Indeed, that whole generation was raised to save.  WW2 reinforced the practice spurred by the Great Depression.  That, btw, is an interesting time.  Lotta people suffered.  Lotta people didn't.  At least they pulled together and weathered storms.

I've been made aware that many young ones don't have skills to repair, to reuse.  We live in a very throwaway society.

I wager many who come here do have skills, however.  I probably don't have to tell you to pass them on.

My ex's dad just died recently.  He was multitalented, an artist and could manufacture things seemingly out of what most could call nothing.

No doubt this inability to 'make do' has been conditioned out of many.

Mom could bake from scratch.  So can I.  I've passed that onto the kids.

So on this New Years Eve, it may be well to reflect on that.

Pass on what you know and what you can do.  Inspire others to learn, to figure out what makes things tick.

As for saving things, we would do well to emulate my Mom.  I've found stuff handy and reduced the cost of living as it were. 

That everything drawer just might be at least a partial answer to what we can do to save the future.