Old Fashioned Living

I know I am getting old.  Maybe that old adage "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is really  true.  I always thought I was on the cutting edge but now I am not so sure. 

I have been reading blogs written by women who enjoy living in a different era.  Some do it to the extreme and on purpose, others just don't see any reason to change the way they do things -- "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" sort of mindset.

I have sort of been drifting backward to the days of my youth. Now, don't get me wrong, I have no intention of giving up my electric lights, my indoor plumbing, my television, dishwasher, computer, etc.  However, there are some things that we have/do today that I think are detrimental to our health and planet and those things are things I would like to find an alternative for.

I had just about gone "paper-free" in the kitchen although I will never train my family to use cloth napkins rather than paper.  However, after a recent eye infection and the yuck factor that comes from that, I went back to paper in the kitchen and the bathrooms.

However, with that said, my sensibilities are sending me right back to regular towels -- I just can't stand the waste of the paper.

Another thing that has gotten my attention lately is plastic -- again.  My house is almost plastic free but I do still buy plastic food bags of the zip lock variety.  I made a bunch of cookies last week and stored some in a Hefty zipper bag.  The next morning I opened the bag and was met with a horrible, toxic plastic smell.  Out went the cookies and off I went to buy some glass jars to store leftovers and such in.  Last night I was thinking about it and checked the brand and decided that I won't buy Hefty anymore but will continue to buy Ziploc brand.  I have never had any problem with Ziploc products but I am going to move toward glass as often as I can.

I was thinking about all the plastic in our homes as I was wrangling a bunch of coat hangers -- wire and plastic alike.  Then, my eyes landed on a coat hanger that I have had in my closet forever.  It was "made" by my cousin's grandmother who was like another grandmother to me.  She lived with my cousin, aunt and uncle and they lived right across the street from me so she was a grandmotherly figure to me as well.  She used to sit and cover these coat hangers with strips from old sheeting.  She would make them by the dozens.  Everybody in the family wanted some. 

 She would cut worn out sheets into long strips and then use a larks head knot to cover the entire hanger.  You can tell they are old because the hanger is much heavier than metal hangers today and the sheeting hasn't fallen apart and these are at least 60 years old.  I wish I had more because they are a wonderful alternative to the plastic ones in the closet now.  I might have to try my hand at it.

Another thing that has been changed around here are the plastic cups I schlep to school for Bean to have a drink after school in the car.  I have a couple of these

but have become increasingly concerned about them.  I know they are BPA free but the straw mechanism is complicated and I forget to get them out of the car and I am never sure that I get them clean enough and I don't like the idea of leaving them in a hot car, BPA or no.  So, I have made a change from these to these

Yes, Bean will be drinking from a humble mason jar with a BPA free lid adapter and a straw -- straight forward and easy to clean.

And, last but not least, we have a new creature in the back garden.  It is the biggest pigeon I have ever seen.  He lets the sparrows throw the seed out of the feeder (out of sight here) and then he forages food from the patio.  He is huge. He is really gorgeous.  Love having him around,

These are the earth shattering, life changing things that have been on my mind this week.  Now I guess I will get back to the laundry and sweeping and I am going to try a rice pudding recipe I received yesterday (thank you Mary).  I will let you know how it turns out!