THE LULU CHRONICLES
I’m wondering…
Does anyone fry chicken anymore? I mean, cut it up, dip it in milk, dip it in flour, salt and pepper, and place it into a hot fry pan of oil?
Does anyone darn socks anymore? You know, sit down with needle and thread and a darning knob and seal up those little holes in the toes and heel?
Does anyone really wash their windows with vinegar and water anymore or has Windex made that obsolete?
Does anyone sprinkle their cottons anymore, roll them up, place them back into the laundry basket and then iron them?
Does anyone crochet those little orange and red house slippers anymore?
Does anyone ever sit on their front porch with a bowl placed between their knees and snap beans while waving to their passing neighbors?
Does anyone still wear a ‘house dress’?
Does anyone wear an apron anymore—while frying chicken?
Life has changed since my grandmother and mother’s day. Some changes have been good. I haven’t sprinkled my cottons since....well...I’m not sure I ever did. I haven’t fried chicken since the Colonel introduced his secret recipe. I swore never to own a ‘house dress’ (however, I do own and wear the house dress’s first cousin—sweat pants). I bought my first apron two years ago; I’ve worn it once.
Some changes have been good, others not so much. Some practices of everyday family life that we’ve left by the wayside have left us yearning for what they brought into our lives—like front porches and waving to our neighbors and simplicity.
With today’s economy it might not be a bad idea to reinstate some of those practices from yesteryear, like darn instead of throw away. Don’t get me wrong progress and invention are good. I, for one, am so thankful I do not have to chase a chicken around the hen house, wring it’s neck, chop off it’s head, pluck it’s feathers, cut it into parts like a crazed serial killer and… you get the picture. Let’s just keep a watch on invention and convenience. Okay? Make sure we don’t allow them to rob us of important things—like self- sufficiency, the practice of ‘making do’, and the appreciation of where we’ve been. Maybe that’s why I love riding a pink bike these days. It’s simple, it saves gas, it offers exercise, and I get to wave at my neighbors.
See you next week,
deb
3 comments:
Mom, you make me laugh and smile you know!!!
Thanks, Matty! I read your blog last night and laughed out loud. You're one talented dude. I like to think you get that from me! love you...
We're home from Phoenix....I love to iron. I sprinkle clothes, roll them up (have been known to put them in the freezer)- mostly Jim's white shirts and lots and lots of table linens. Re aprons - when in Phoenix my niece was trying to solve a mystery of why all her knit shirts had tiny holes at the middle. Her husband went to the Internet asking if anyone else had experienced this - the answer is granite counter tops - there was a rough seam and she rubbed against it when reaching into cabinets, etc. He went right out to Williams Sonoma and bought her an apron! Jim wears an apron more frequently than I do which is why my "house sweatshirt" has permanent dots.
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