I hear many people talking about how bad things are these days, if I ask the question do you remember a good time in your life what would you say? Many people enjoy talking about the good old days, some lived in a time when life was hard work or they were poor but often they find good times in those hard times.
In the south you hear people talking about family living close by, shelling peas and butter beans, children playing outside.
About two years ago during a thanksgiving meal the main conversation was about Corn dodgers and the eldest family members started talking about how they were made. Each having their own memories of how their mother made them. You could see in their eyes they saw this as good times. This conversation turned into pleasant memories of things in the past and brought on laughter and a very happy time.
I believe if we miss the old days then we should just continue to live those good parts if that is what makes us happy. We don't have to change just because everyone else does, for some reason we think we have to keep up but that is only because we are being led this way by those that want us to purchase things.
We can take that beautiful handmade quilt out of the trunk and enjoy using it. Go outside and see animals and shapes in the clouds. Bake a cake for someone and just show up at their doorstep so people can get used to it again. Start an old days revolution!
If food funds are tight make some tomato gravy and biscuits, or corn dodgers and greens. If it was good enough then it is still good now.
A big part of our memories is the food we ate, the traditional meals. Many have gotten away from making things homemade. Some of the most simple meals can be very nutritious.
I remember the whole house attic fan that kept our house cool on hot days. The fan was large, it pulled the air from inside the house up into the attic and out the side vents of the attic. It was located in the ceiling in the middle of our hallway. My mother would lift the windows about 8 inches or so and a steady air would flow from the windows into the house and the hot air was drawn into the attic fan. Why did they ever stop installing these fans? They just made sense to me.
There were clothing styles that were so much prettier in the past and people dressed proper. We can still do that by sewing our own clothes just like we did in the past. Often we feel we are stuck with what is sold in the stores but we are not and it is only a matter of sewing our own clothes or have someone make it for us because that is what we did in the past. Why did we become so dependent on store bought? I am not sure when that happened.
While things seem all wrong, turn off the television and put on an apron so you have something handy to wipe your hands on while you take charge of your new old life. Grandma Donna
