Sep 23, 2014

Just had to share this

Good morning.  I received an email from a friend with this message and found it interesting.  True, and interesting.  We get blamed for a lot but when you look at the power used by later generations, no comparison. 
Fat Budman and Skinny Squeak are happy the ridiculous cold night will turn into a warm day.
No surgery for Carole tomorrow.  We will find out more with the second opinion today.


 
The message that made me smile this morning. (my nut twisty donut helped too)
*****************************
 
In a checkout 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?

Please forward this on to another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smartass young person...

We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off... especially from a tattooed, multiple pierced smartass who can't make change without the cash register telling them how much.

We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.--Benjamin Franklin.
 
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26 comments:

Barbara said...

Oh Marly you just made my day. This will be posted on my facebook page immediately. And I remember my father cutting the grass with a sickle. We were too poor for a lawn mower....even a push one.
Blessings, Barbara

Mary said...

That is wonderful....I always looked forward to putting the brown paper on my school books...Thanks for the memory.....My children now in their thirties were cloth diaper babies. I was sad when the last diaper was too worn for a rag, they were the best. I am proud to say my daughters are cloth diaper parents and still dry diapers on the back porch..... I do bring my own bags to grocery store I am surprised everyone doesn't.

Justine said...

Very true! But I am thankful for the Internet and the power it uses as I have made some wonderful friends through blogging.
Still praying for your family xx

village folk art said...

BRAVO ! ! !

Lee Morrison said...

Well done Marly!! Well done! Life was so much simpler back then...they truly were the "good old days." Take care!

joelle france said...

Oui, j'aime beaucoup!

Robin in Virginia said...

Marly, I am glad your friend sent this to you and then you sharing it with us! Things were simpler, but I also appreciate the knowledge of new things like the internet which has created far away friendships.

Thinking of you and your sister as you wait on the 2nd opinion.

Robin in Virginia

diamondc said...

Amen to all you had to say, I am saddened by the fact young people are taught by a hand held machine to do math, in Perocial Schools they are taught by hand and mind, oh my what have we created, now young people want a pay check but not work for it there goes our country how sad.
Thank-you for a super duper wonderful post today.

Catherine

Anonymous said...

Haha, true story. Good to see Budman and Squeak.

SR

Anonymous said...

Oh, so well stated!
HMZ

msmartello said...

I wish things were as simple as they were back then. Thanks for sharing this. Have a great day!

Maureen

Vickie said...

How very, very true. Can I say, I purposely do NOT bring my own bags?! I have two dogs. I am the official poop-picker-upper around here. I NEED plastic bags!

Annie said...

Ain't it the truth!

C M Designs said...

Nice picture of Bud and Squeak.. I'm glad they are enjoying the nice, warm sun.
I'm 73 and remember all of the things mentioned in your friend's e-mail. Our one and only TV screen was the size of a dinner plate. I squeezed a plastic bag of margarine with a red tablet to make the margarine yellow.. Flour and sugar were rationed.. My Mom had to have coupons to get what she needed. My Dad had the "automatic by push mower" to cut our grass.
Sure wish we could have some of the "good old days" back..
I, too, need the plastic bags for kitty litter..
Am glad Carole's surgery has been put on hold.. She will continue to be in my prayers.
Blessings,
Charlotte in Virginia

C M Designs said...

Nice picture of Bud and Squeak.. I'm glad they are enjoying the nice, warm sun.
I'm 73 and remember all of the things mentioned in your friend's e-mail. Our one and only TV screen was the size of a dinner plate. I squeezed a plastic bag of margarine with a red tablet to make the margarine yellow.. Flour and sugar were rationed.. My Mom had to have coupons to get what she needed. My Dad had the "automatic by push mower" to cut our grass.
Sure wish we could have some of the "good old days" back..
I, too, need the plastic bags for kitty litter..
Am glad Carole's surgery has been put on hold.. She will continue to be in my prayers.
Blessings,
Charlotte in Virginia

C M Designs said...

Sorry about the duplication of my comment. Charlotte

Margaret said...

Ok. I liked that email. lol! Very true!! And very good point! I'm a bit young for the email -- but we did use a diaper service with our first child.

Glad you are getting a second opinion on your sister's surgery. Hope it's helpful.

Anonymous said...

Love it!
I hope things go well at the doctor's tomorrow!
SF

Rugs and Pugs said...

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

susan hemann said...

Well done!! I shared.

Ele said...

So well stated! Love it, thank you!!

quiltygirl1 said...

I laughed and really enjoyed that!! A young man I knew asked me to help him make his college town green. He added, that I should think about how wasteful I may be. I sent him a full page answer about what I do as a wife and mother and reminded him of what we do versus what he and his friends do. He de- friended me on Facebook. So I was sad for a little while, but I got over it. Why do they think what they do is new and trendy when we are already just being frugal and careful with what we own.
I ask for paper bags because I do use them and I don't care to buy their store bag with their logo.
So funny!!

celkalee said...

Priceless! made my day.

Jeanne said...

Sure enjoyed your post today Marly. A few of those things are a bit before my time but I can relate! Lately I'm feeling like an old curmudgeon but mostly because of stress I think. I have reusable grocery bags in my trunk but darn I most always forget to take them in to the store with me.

I hope things with your sister get better. I'm sure this is very stressful on all of you. Sending prayers and hoping for a positive outcome.

Kelly said...

Well said! I do love some of modern conveniences though. I recycle everything I can & take my own bags to the grocery store. Thanks for sharing your e-mail!

Melody said...

So true!

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