Make Do And Mend

[poliphilo]

My mother won't throw anything away if it can be salvaged- I guess it has to do with having lived through the war- and her cupboards are full of cups and glasses that have been glued back together after suffering mishap. Yesterday an already mended teapot lid flew out of my hands and broke into several more pieces than it had done before. If we'd have been at home I'd have put the shards in the bin; probably followed by the pot itself; since I'm here I went and fetched the araldite.

Comments

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

That sounds so much like my mother...she would glue everything together and then never use it again. When she died we spent months throwing away broken cups and plates and chipped figurines. It had a lot to do with the Great Depression mentality she grew up with.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

My mom grew up during The Depression also. She was much the same. When she died, I spent a day going through her sewing box, throwing away bits of thread that she had collected... some strands no more than a few inches long.

At the time, I thought it was a bit nuts, but now, having gone through some of the things that I have got through, I kind of see it.

Yesterday one of the women at the church was selling chocolate bars. She was dismayed that two of them had been nibbled on by mice, and were, therefore, un-sellable. She looked at me and said "I guess we have to just throw these away." Then, she handed one to me and put the other one in her purse.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to be said for their way of thinking. We're too ready to throw things away and buy new. A patched-up teapot may not look wonderful, but it still works.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure whether there was rationing when I was a kid but the wartime mentality still existed. One didn't waste things- and especially one didn't waste food. It is, I think, a respectful way of living.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

A couple of weeks ago, one of my FB friends said that Amazon delivered a box of food to their house, but there was no indication of who sent it. After a couple of hours of anxiety about it, the person decided to just throw it away.

I was beyond appalled.

Several months ago, I found a box of fresh fruits & vegetables on my doorstep, again with no indication as to who sent it.

I used every bit of it, and was very, very thankful.

[basefinder.livejournal.com]

I can relate to this! My mother was a saver / fixer / re-user. Born 1933 in a working class family, that's how she was raised.

When she was on her deathbed, her instructions to my dad were to "check every pocket" in her clothes before giving them to charity, and "check every nook and cranny" in her crafts room. She had stashed away a few thousand dollars over the years, slipping any "extra" bills into hiding places.

The same with non-perishables like toilet tissue, toothpaste, etc. A closet was full of these supplies -- front to back and top to bottom -- enough to serve a small army. "You never know when the money might run out" I once heard her say.

As a youngster, I remember having favorite toys that were actually such "trash" as a broken sparkling wine bottle stopper, a broken three-hook dishtowel holder, etc. With imagination, these bits and pieces became whatever the mind wanted.

I could use more of Mom's depression-era sensibilities in my life today!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

All donations gratefully received.

I'd have been a little unsettled by an anonymous gift of food but I wouldn't have thrown it away.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I like her style.

We've grown too used to prosperity- and knowing where the next meal is coming from. If disaster struck we'd be reeling.