Broken Things

There is a broken heater by the back door that hubby will take to the dump.  I was looking at it and thinking "what a waste".  Why don't we fix things anymore?  I asked him this question and he said that it would cost more to fix something like that than to buy a new one.  I know that's true.  But, why?  I'm glad that things are affordable.  But, it sure seems to me that we throw away a lot of things.  My computer monitor stopped working.  I will have to get rid of the broken one.  Even if I wanted to get it fixed, I wouldn't even know who to call for something like that.  And, if I were able to find someone, it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one.

I was trying to think of things that you would repair.  Cars. Major appliances?  Geez.  Are we the throw away society or what?  I've had 3 laptops and I still have the first two (that are broken).  I don't even know why I am keeping them.  If your camera breaks, will you try to get it fixed or buy a new one.  Mine is a very inexpensive one, so I'm sure I would have to replace it.  If your cellphone stops working, will you try to find someone to repair it or will you replace it?  My computer is running really slow lately.  That is one thing that still has repair shops.  I think I just need a tune up.  But the last time I took a computer to the shop, they told me it was dead.  Argh.

It wasn't always this way.  My Mother in Law keeps everything and will find a way to fix it if it breaks.  She still had a rotary phone until recently.  I don't think that you can even have one of those anymore, for compatibility reasons.

I seem  to remember there being more "repairmen" when I was a kid.  Do you remember the "lonely" repairman commercial for Maytag?

So many people are all about recycling and protecting the environment.  But, I don't hear a lot about the sheer amount of things that we get rid of.  Surely this is filling up some landfill somewhere.

What if we started fixing broken things again.

What if things were made to last.

What if.

Always a parent

I was so young when I became a Mother.  I loved my little baby so much!  And, each one thereafter....I loved all three of them more than my own life.  I've loved every age and every stage.  And, now they are all grown.  But, for me they are still my "babies".  Once you become a parent, you are always a parent.  

Time marches on and our kids grow up.   When they were little, did you think about how they would interpret their lives after they grew up?  I never really did think about it, if I had, I wouldn't have ever yelled at them (or would I?).  I just did the best I could do.  I used to say to my oldest "I'm not going to therapy with you when you grow up!".  What I meant by that is that it always seemed to me that the therapists in the movies would begin with, "tell me about your Mother."  Why always the Mother?  Well, he turned out wonderful and didn't need therapy after all.  Sigh of relief.  

My kids are all grown ups.  They all have lives of their own.  They have made lots of choices that I completely agree with and there were choices that I did not agree with.  Sometimes I was right and sometimes they were right.  And, through it all I continued to love them with all my heart.  Even in anger, I love them.  (whether the anger was mine or theirs)  

Don't even get me started on WORRY.  I don't think I will ever stop worrying about them.  Whenever anything seems wrong, I worry.  When my daughter was 17, she told me that she wasn't going to live a long life.  Shocked, I asked her why she would say such a thing.  She told me she had a dream that she died in a car crash at 27.  Well, guess what.  Ten years later, I remembered those words that she had long forgotten.  I worried for an entire year when she was 27.  (she's 31 now and still kicking).  In fact, I acted like a crazy lady insisting that they didn't drive to San Francisco for New Year's Eve.  It was rainy and it was so close to the end of that miserable year.  Well the "year" wasn't miserable, but I kept that "weight" of worry all the time.  It seems really silly to me now.

I talk to my friends and it seems the same for them.  We are still parents.  Forever.  Maybe we can't tell them what to do anymore, but we still care about every little thing.  My granddaughters are convinced that their Dad still has to do what I say...but, believe me, it's not true.  

When our kids have hard times, it takes a real toll on us.  A dear friend of mine has had a really tough time of late.  She has had to stand by helplessly as her own child, now also a parent, has struggled with some tough decisions.  I'm not sure that her daughter even realizes how hard it's been on her.  Our hearts can still be broken.  

And, then there is joy.  My daughter came over today.  For no reason whatsoever.  She has moved away (she used to live next door to me until just a few weeks ago).  It was the first really sunny day in a long time and we just sat out on the deck and let the sun beat down on us.  I made her lunch and we talked about little things.  I showed her the crafts I am working on and she says that she wants to make them too (the best compliment ever).  And, now, my precious girl is going to be a Mommy.  I bought her a little outfit that says "I love my Mommy" for the baby.  It was hanging on the back of the front door in their house.  And, now it hangs in the hallway of their new house.  

Yes. Time marches on.  And now, she will be a parent....forever.

The Princess Phone

I want one of these!!  

This one sold for only $12!

When I was a little girl, my mom had a Princess phone beside her bed.  It was adorable.  I'm pretty sure hers was blue.  

And, she had it on a nifty little stand just like this one. 

Back then, so many people had the exact same phone.  And, the exact same stand.  

Today there are so many more choices.  

With all the modern technology and the great phones we have these days, why aren't they cuter?

 

We all choose different decor themes, I like cottage and shabby, my daughter likes bohemian and modern.  But, our phone are almost the same.  What?  How does that work? Why aren't there more decorative phones available?  When you talked on a Princess phone you felt like a princess.  

This is my current phone. It speaks the number or name of the person who is calling, it can take a message, it can show me the phone number of who is calling or a history of who called, it has a list of commonly dialed numbers and soooo much more.  BUT..... What do you feel like on this phone?

Here are a few vintage ads for Princess phones....don't they make you want one right now?

If I do find a vintage Princess phone, will it even work?  Can you still use a rotary phone any more?

Appreciating technology...or being frustrated by it?

I'm writing this blog post from my laptop.  That should be amazing, right?  But, no.  I am frustrated because my main computer has some kind of issue with the internet and it's running really slow.   This frustrates me.  I just want it to WORK.  I told my husband that it was a slow as dial up. Who even remembers "dial up" anymore?  Remember that series of sounds that you would hear as the computer connected to the internet?  And, I remember being amazed by the internet.  In the beginning, it didn't matter that it was slow, because that was all we knew.  And, it was so cool to even have an internet connection.

Our rural phone company had DSL before some of the major cities in our area.  Wow.  That high speed connection literally changed our lives.  We used to have to drive to deliver large files that we can now just upload via the internet.  So, when things aren't working the way I want them to, why would I be frustrated?  Why wouldn't I just be grateful for all of the wonderful things that technology has made possible in my life?

If my computer doesn't work, I can switch to my laptop.  I can check my email on MY PHONE!  I can go online with my Iphone.  I have never been more in touch with the world that I am at this very moment.  And, I need that capability to find out what my Facebook friends are up to, play words with friends and other trivial things.  I need to  check the headlines to see what's happening.  Why do I NEED this?    I guess I don't.  But, I have become accustomed to it.  And, I like it.  And, I need to find out what the heck is wrong with my computer.  

This guy says it all.  It's comedian C.K. Louis on Conan O'Brien, talking about how "everything is amazing and nobody's happy".   I laugh every time I watch it.  Enjoy:

Touring this old building is like Time Travel

I interviewed a really nice person to day, Debbie Dunn.  She has taken over a very cool store in the town of Volcano in a very old historic building.  She says that the building has had a general store in it since 1852.  It has something in it from every generation.  I took a few pictures to share with you.  Let's take a time travel tour of the Country Store in Volcano California.

From the outside it really doesn't look like much.  In fact, I can tell you that I have, in fact, walked past this store many many times and never once went inside.  I was truly missing out!

Right outside there are brick wall and rock walls.

Up the street....

Down the street....

Old plank wood floors that creak delightfully as you walk on them.  Do you see the wooden bar stools?  

On the right is a restaurant.  Look at the old vintage counter.  

The eating area surrounded by rock walls and lit by a skylight above.  There are vintage pictures of the store and the town all around.  

Same room, other side.  

 This brick oven is very old and is used currently to cook on.

These iron doors were there to protect the building from fires.  A fire back in the 1800's could destroy a whole town before they could put it out.  The rock walls were great protection against fire.  The iron doors would keep the fire from entering.  Debbie told me something I did not know.  They put a layer of dirt on top of the ceiling.  If the roof burned, it would get to the dirt and stop (hopefully), once again preventing the fire from spreading. 

The place is a veritable treasure trove of cool stuff in every nook and cranny.  This vintage light up sign was stuck in the storage room behind the iron doors.  I hope that Debbie resurrects it somehow.

This the the same room looking back from the iron doorway.

I love this vintage cigarette dispenser that is still in use in this store. From this vantage point you can see the two separate areas, on the left is the store and on the right is the restaurant.

This candy rack is vintage and makes me think of my childhood.  Debbie has added the candy bowls at the top for "penny" candy.

This store has served many generations.  You can almost see any one of them shopping here.  And, it's stocked right now with current inventory.

Debbie features local Amador County wines in the store.

Cool old meat display.  She plans to get it back in use.

What's back here?  It's fenced in....must be important.

Yep.  It's the old safe.

I can remember using a vintage/antique cash register like this one.  Or something like it anyway.  Aren't you just dying to start punching those buttons to make the drawer open?

Another storage room with an eclectic mix of stuff.  And, these interesting lamps just hanging over nothing in a corner.  What's the story here?

The storeroom ladder looks pretty old and vintage. 

I imagine these spikes were meant to keep the ladder from sliding.  But, I didn't see any holes for it.  Must go back for further inspection!!

This sign was for a pool that used to be where the park is now.  It was filled in long ago.  My husband has told me about swimming in that pool when he was little.  It was fun to see the sign that is the last proof that a community pool existed.  Debbie remembers swimming in it too.  This is the perfect final resting place for this nostalgic sign of a time gone by.

This is the picture that I sent to the paper to use with my article.  I like it because it shows both stores and Debbie.  She is so passionate about the building and the history.  I see her as a caretaker of a little piece of history and she takes it seriously.  She is eager to share her knowledge about the building and what it's been used for.  I really appreciate Debbie for giving me the tour, even the secret hidey places!  I was charmed by the building and by her enthusiasm.  I definitely plan to return to hang out and enjoy the ambiance.  I'm looking forward to a burger cooked in the brick oven. 

Monkees, Davey Jones death and memories

I was so sad to hear that Davey Jones died today.  

Davey Jones of the Monkees

Just thinking about the Monkees takes me back to my childhood.  I remember having my girlfriends over to my house and we would dance to my record player.  

I had this album:

I watched the tv show.  Do you remember how we used to ask each other which Monkee was our favorite?  Mine was Peter Tork.  I liked his shyness.  My sister always said Davey Jones.  

I remember when Marsha Brady got to have her dream date with Davey Jones on the Brady Bunch.  What a dream come true that would have been for any girl in those days.  And, he came to her school dance.  Woo Hoo.  Lucky girl.  Marsha Marsha Marsha.

Just look at them.  Doesn't that take you back?  Things just seem so different now.  What innocence.  Was it really like that? 

When I watched the Monkees, I loved the slapstick comedy.  They were just so wacky.  Each one of them was fun to watch.  Davey Jones was sweet and always had the girls chasing him.  Not just on the show, but in real life too.  I have heard on my Facebook page that many of my friends have seen him in concert recently.  He had a very long career.  

I'm feeling old today, just hearing this news.  I think, wow, this is just going to keep happening from here on out.  I'm over 50 now.  It's not like I think my life is over or anything like that.  But, I know that my mother in law is always talking about movie stars that have been dead for a really long time and that I have never heard of.  I'll bet if I ask my kids who Davey Jones is, none of them will know.  But, I know.  And, I will remember.

.

The best tool in life is.......

Being nice!  Who wouldn't want to be nice?

Someone was mean to me today.  This was not a personal situation, it was a business situation.  I was offering to do something that I did not have to do for someone.  This person not only wanted what I was offering, this person made demands and wanted me to do more.  Things that were not even within my power to grant.

That reminds me of how important it is to be nice.  I don't think that we all need to be sugary sweet all the time, but being rude should never be an option.  What does it get you, really?  I think that the power of persuasion will win over aggression any time.  

Who wants to be yelled at?   Who wants to be argued with?  Who wants to be told what to do?  I don't.  

I would rather try to figure out a way to get people to cooperate with me.  I'm not saying it's easy, but it's way more effective.  

I've learned that when dealing with angry people, if they get an angry response, the anger just grows.  What can they say or do when their angry diatribe is responded with kindness?  Being kind and nice can be a weapon of it's own.  

I think that the one who can keep their cool and react with grace is the most powerful one.  

I was born with a temper.  It's just always been there.  Over the years, I have learned that if I lose my cool, I will also lose what ever battle I'm in.  

It's funny.  Being nice under pressure can take a situation in to a whole new direction.  One that I am often surprised at.  Pleasantly.  

If YOU are the mean person, (and I have been this person myself...believe me....just ask my kids!), you can't possibly feel good about yourself for that.  Find a way to take a breath, take a moment and change course.  The more you do this, the more it becomes natural.  

So, the next time someone is treating you in a mean and rude way.  Try wielding the most powerful tool there is, kindness. They won't know what to do. Ask questions.  When I'm at my wits end with someone, I like to say "what would you like for me to do?".  Sometimes that makes them realize that they are being unreasonable. It may frustrate the aggressor, but in the end you will diffuse the situation and come out being the better person.  

I remember a time when people (for the most part) always had the filter on.  You had to have manners. It was expected for you to be polite.  If you watched a news show on tv and the people disagreed, they didn't yell at each other.  They didn't interupt each other.  They took turns talking and tried to make their points.  Compare that to news and politics shows today, where they talk loudly right over each other.  It's hard to even listen to. 

The people in the movies and on television back then also had manners. You would be embarrassed if you or someone you knew "acted badly".  It just wasn't done.  Being nice wasn't a charactaristic, it was how everyone acted!

Just because everyone on tv is yelling at each other and being rude, doesn't mean that we have to live like that, does it?  Let's all try being a little bit nicer to each other. It's what I'm striving for.