tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post7442022621043334742..comments2024-01-03T01:40:26.911-08:00Comments on Life Drawings: 27 September 1956 “They Don’t Make Things Like They Used To”50sgalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-88171930579556205242010-10-03T16:24:17.430-07:002010-10-03T16:24:17.430-07:00My mother collected many dish sets, buying them a ...My mother collected many dish sets, buying them a few at a time, not all at once. I thought that was fun and exciting, to wait for the next set to buy.<br /><br />My mom owns MANY things from when she first got married, all working just as well as when they were bought. Her microwave, stove and refridgerator lasted almost 30 years, which is long for somehting I guess made in the 70's, but it is a lot better then the 8-10 years of todays products.<br />You get a product, pay more and it lasts a few years. Its a sahme.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10629792680417438724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-84411129025168129052010-09-28T21:29:56.518-07:002010-09-28T21:29:56.518-07:00Love your bike!
SarahLove your bike!<br /><br />SarahSarah H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-34141355635944729232010-09-28T17:00:44.527-07:002010-09-28T17:00:44.527-07:00You know, I love my 1920's sofa! She's in ...You know, I love my 1920's sofa! She's in beautiful condition and I use her comfortably everyday. I take care of her (clean the upholstery, oil the wood trim, etc.) I love her and she's had so much love for so long, spanning all the way back to the hands that manufactured her in the last century!Renee of the Faehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13081022805749169331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-42661767136956513652010-09-28T14:18:23.049-07:002010-09-28T14:18:23.049-07:00Reminds me of a cartoon I saw in Mad Magazine year...Reminds me of a cartoon I saw in Mad Magazine years ago when I used to read it: This woman tells her fiance that she wants this expensive wedding gown, and he questions the wisdom of spending so much on a garment that would only be worn once. She answered with, "Well, I will wear it, and then my daughter will wear it, and then HER daughter will wear it...it will be an heirloom!"<br /><br />The finance said, "So, why don't you wear YOUR mother's wedding gown?"<br /><br />She said, "Who wants to wear that old thing?"<br /><br />Everything is tossed out and few modern things are heirloom quality today, sadly.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03816096081381689162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-21395562621079487742010-09-28T14:12:27.081-07:002010-09-28T14:12:27.081-07:00TWUS here again. Have you read Alvin Toffler'...TWUS here again. Have you read Alvin Toffler's 1970's book, "Future Shock"? It is about our every-changing society and planned obselescense.<br />A very good read -- reads quickly. It was a societal classic in its day. Worth a read. Wonder if libraries still have it?Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03816096081381689162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-51935123358077329492010-09-28T11:31:31.169-07:002010-09-28T11:31:31.169-07:00What a great birthday gift – something you loved a...What a great birthday gift – something you loved and needed! Great friends! :)<br /><br />It also irritates me that nothing lasts today, I always think when I buy something that I have it for years, but I don’t. It is really annoying, but if things were made to last many years, the shops would go out of business. Nowadays I sometimes think that things are made to break as soon as possible.<br /><br />The pink set is darling. I have a pink tea cup set from a flea market I love. It is used when I have girlfriends for tea. I think the tradition of collection china, glasses, and cutlery is dead today. I don’t think any young girls would do this. I collected plain white china before I moved together with DH 28 years ago, then I painted blue berries on it. Very nice indeed. And for 20 years I collected a quite expensive cutlery named Pantry (http://www.inspiration.dk/produkt/97782/pantry-mat-bestik-i-aeske-med-16-dele), I hated opening all those long gifts for Christmas and birthdays for SO MANY years! ;) And today it is way too simple for my taste, I wish I had collected something else, much more elegant and vintage styled, but alas.<br /><br />You are not an idiot and you are not alone! You know that! The Apron Revolution will spread, and one day you will lean back and think “I started this!”. :)<br /><br />The US influences the Danes a lot, and it frightens me, since we still have most of the good ole values here in Denmark, but I suppose many Danes say that this is only for the “silly Americans” (my mum’s words).SANNEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12973437247117000140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-68632236512346444682010-09-28T10:47:08.314-07:002010-09-28T10:47:08.314-07:00It does seem we are fine with 'low prices'...It does seem we are fine with 'low prices' without realizing what we are actually getting for them. We have come so many generations from those who expected or were willing to pay (or pay off with store credit NOT credit cards) something that would last and be passed on. It only takes a generation, it seems, to be removed from a way of thinking, so we are easily swayed today. There are many young people who may not even understand the concept of something lasting, it just isn't in their realm of reality. That is sad.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-52130012688388985082010-09-28T10:18:34.737-07:002010-09-28T10:18:34.737-07:00Barbara - that is funny you should mention baby cr...Barbara - that is funny you should mention baby cribs. Thirteen years ago, when we were expecting #1, we purchased a baby crib second hand. It was older, however it was cute and I really liked it. Money was an issue, so second hand it was. I think I spent $50 on it. Anyways, that crib lasted through the original child it had been bought new for, then three of my kids before it got drenched in a basement flood we had and had to be tossed. I greived. Then came baby #4. We looked for a used crib, but couldn't find one so bought a new one. $130 later, we put it together. That was 2 years ago. That crib fell to pieces around 6 months ago. It didn't last a year anda half. 'E' was in the bassinet for 6 months, then into his crib. The side rails broke, the vertical rails popped out, we wound up removing a side and duct taping it together as a toddler bed. Then it caved in on itself. 'E' now sleeps with his brother and my hubby (who does woodworking as a hobby) is just going to build him a bed.<br /><br />SAD....Lorie Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14406168168009117387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-5861113810165507572010-09-28T06:55:25.486-07:002010-09-28T06:55:25.486-07:00Barbara-Isn't it nice to know we are not alone...Barbara-Isn't it nice to know we are not alone. I sometimes worry when I go off on a rant if it will be well received or just thought, 'Oh, here we go again, kookie 50sgal on another tangent'. Yet, I almost always see others also see what I see. And, of course, many have seen it long before me. I was one of those mindless shoppers. I shudder when I think of my trips to IKEA, because they are the pressed wood/laminate throw-away kings! It is so true that we haven't really a style or quality to our present day. In 60 years if some crazy lady, such as myself, wants to do 'My Year 2010' what will she see as our furniture, decor, and ideals?<br />That is SO interesting about the UL symbol. I love how we always learn so much more from one another. So, there are companies who simply don't care about the safety. That is hilarious. Especially since the main tactic used to get us to buy buy buy is often fear. We were thinking how deeply this goes into every aspect of our society. We have a friend who has diabetes and we were talking about how he has to literally use and throw away five needles a day! How, since he is the only one using it, it is NOT unsanitary to actually have a good needle he could simply sterilize and use again. It isn't as if he is sharing it and sterilizing it would be easy enough. Yet, the system is set up (also tack that onto healthcare costs! Yikes)to simply toss everything away. Everything is sealed and tossed, sealed and tossed. Even the hand sanitizer craze, which, as many know through actual studies done, that it increases your likelihood of becoming ill because you don't build up antibodies. Yet, everywhere I go I see little sanitizer dispensers, even at the grocery store! We don't ask why, we just take up the new concept, through fear and move on. No one considers how this increase in 'caution' actually just makes a bigger market to sell more needles and plastic and sanitizer. I just wish we could all be more aware of our world around us and ask why. I sometimes think we are on the verge of some big historical event around the corner and we will be the people who, 'Just didn't know, we had no idea what was going on'.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-78123952152199258622010-09-28T06:22:29.526-07:002010-09-28T06:22:29.526-07:00What an AWESOME post! I couldn't agree with y...What an AWESOME post! I couldn't agree with you more. I was just thinking about the same things over the weekend. Hubby and I were out on Sunday night and it was trash night in our neighborhood and we saw soooo many things in the trash..large things too like furniture ets... 90% of it was not salvageable, that pressed wood stuff that was damaged. Hubby said they make things "not" to last anymore. I got to wondering what we will pass on to our future generations? You know, the beautiful 100% wood antiques that we can still find and are in decent condition or if not,they can be refinished etc...We will not have anything to pass on to our children! Nothing to be considered an heirloom for future family members. My mom still has my crib! Has anyone seen the "new" cribs today? You would be lucky to get use from one or 2 chldren and even if it does survive, (babies don't apply much wear), lol, but I doubt seriously that it would survive storage over time. Even sitting in the basement it would probably just simply disintegrate for a lack of a better word. Anyway, my husband works for UL (underwriters Labs) and he is an inspector for companies who want to use the UL mark in their manufacturing and we are losing so many accounts due to the fact that not only are things being manufactured in China but...and here is the BIG one...ready??? These big manufacturers do not want to PAY for a safety certification. They want cheap, cheap, cheap!!! They don't care if your house burns down while using their product, they don't care if this will end up in a landfill next year. You will just buy another one! No acountabilty here folks! <br /><br />One more thing. I think it is the tv, internet etc that is keeping people away from home duties and keeping them from not appreciating quality . The tv is sending them to the shopping malls, box stores and strip malls. If you watch alot of tv, how can you have time to do things around the house and appreciate what you have? You need everything faster just so you can run home to watch tv. The tv somehow make it seem like you are fitting in by shopping at these box stores and cheap clothing stores and it is cool to wear their store name on the front of your shirt! What a concept, you buy their shirt and then you give them free advertising!!!!! Furthermore, who has the time to refinish a piece of furniture when it is faster and easier to run to the box stores and buy a pressed wood piece! After all, if I spend all night re finishing a chair, I will not have time to watch my favorite tv show! <br /><br />Just my 2 cents here and as always, I thoroughly enjoy your posts and your blog. I guess I am not alone in my thoughts in this world... Keep up the good work!<br /><br />BarbaraBarbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15376067365270455326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-19670194486083630792010-09-27T21:21:42.823-07:002010-09-27T21:21:42.823-07:00Yes, 50's Gal, you made a good point. Because...Yes, 50's Gal, you made a good point. Because today we have so much that is impersonal, like mega-department stores and the internet, we are more cruel to one another. Years ago, people were forced to be more polite because they had to deal with each other, like it or not. Now, we don't have to because there are other alternatives, but now we are more cruel. Very good observation.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03816096081381689162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-61977240124373795182010-09-27T17:36:19.837-07:002010-09-27T17:36:19.837-07:00very sad about the dishes...being from ohio, i kno...very sad about the dishes...being from ohio, i know there are many pottery companies that made lovely things right here. they are highly collectible. one of the reasons i stick w/my fiestaware is the same "made in america and made to last" mentality. i love that they are almost impossible to break :) <br />i don't know how to turn the tide of outsourced goods, but i know that as much as it depends on me, i try not to purchase junk. <br />good points all.kellynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-12922081838118835642010-09-27T17:12:59.639-07:002010-09-27T17:12:59.639-07:00It's very hard to find items made in North Ame...It's very hard to find items made in North America, but if one looks hard enough you can find such items at the dollar store, I usually by sterilite plastic storage containers they are made in Canada, I even bought Crayola crayons made in Canada, found bubbles made in the USA etc.<br /><br />To find larger items it's darn near impossible and very frustrating....I actually found shirts made in Canada at Giant Tiger (a discount shop), and at Mark's Warehouse they do sell jeans made in Canada.<br /><br />I really try, if I can just save one job it would be worth it, I keep thinking if someone has just bought one more car manufactured in North America my hubby would still be working:(<br /><br />Mom in CanadaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-11631975233853242752010-09-27T14:20:52.815-07:002010-09-27T14:20:52.815-07:00Lorie B-Well said. And a great point from that are...Lorie B-Well said. And a great point from that area of the country whose livelihood depends upon the production that once existed in our country. Other's don't want to see the connection that buying that toaster for only 10 dollars at a big box store in CA really does affect others states away, as we continually say with our dollars "Yes cheaper is MORE important" than companies will continue to exploit the cheap Communist labor at our own peril. <br />What frightens me is, when China gets stronger (it now has a growing middle class) and suddenly ALSO wants to call in its debts to us what shall we do? We will have very little production here, many of our products come from there and the money we get from them, as well as other countries, pays into the system we have so that we won't 'feel a Depression' as they did in the 1930s. But, when the money we borrow to make the welfare state to protect us from that contingency is gone, and we are also a nation not familar with hard work or even how production and food growing/prep/processing exists, how will we care for ourselves. I hate to even contemplate the level at which a REAL depression could hit our country. Sad, indeed, and even those with more money in the bank shall be poor when the American doll becomes even more devalued. All of our actions DO affect each and everyone of us and I hope we can begin to see that and start working towards an America that is about each other and the respect of our fellow man and not worry about who is what political party or religion or lifestyle and realize these are merely used as tools to keep us separate and to not see the REAL writing on the walls. I do feel we ladies, we little apron revolution, can cross all those political, religious, any lines and see that to make our country, state, town, family and personal lives better far out weighs being able to buy a 3 dollar shirt on sale at Forever 21.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-9936741771758875102010-09-27T13:52:09.600-07:002010-09-27T13:52:09.600-07:00We (my family) have been bemoaning this very topic...We (my family) have been bemoaning this very topic for a long time now. Our government has very slowly implented a series of laws which have made it more affordable for a company to import their 'pieces and parts' for their products from China than to have them produced in the US. It wasn't just one president, it was several of them, from both politcal parties. <br /><br />My dad worked for a company that built air compressors. When he started there in 1977, their motto was 'Crafted with Pride in the USA!'...now (he retired a few years ago) they import the majority of their componants from China and only assemble the final piece here. My Dad said they would have to toss 16 out of every 20 pieces for they had been machined wrong, or were bent, or cracked or what have you. They were scrapping 75% of the parts they purchased, and yet it was still cheaper!!!????!!!!<br /><br />Mind you, at the same time they began importing these parts, they started eliminating jobs. My Dad got out luckily just before they eliminated his machining posiion. He would have had to take a job in assembly (at a MASSIVE pay cut) or lose his job, which he had had for nearly 30 years. He accepted a retirement package before that happened, Thank God. Still, alot of men he worked with had those same options presented. <br /><br />WHO is going to buy all of this 'Made in China' stuff when no one in the USA has a job anymore execpt the 'rich executives' who are choosing this route???<br /><br /><br />Not EVERYONE can work at fast food chains or Wal-Mart....Lorie Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14406168168009117387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-31886706314027040432010-09-27T13:33:32.047-07:002010-09-27T13:33:32.047-07:00mom in canada-Well, now it has two new whitewall t...mom in canada-Well, now it has two new whitewall tires, I was just frustrated that they may last 5 years while my old tires that came with my bike lasted 60 years!<br />TWUS that was a good point, and I hadn't considered that. The 'I won't shop at sally's shop because she did so and so' but what was GOOD about this in the past is it did FORCE the community to deal with it, Sally would have to make ammends or the injured parties would have to work it out, because there were no other options and in the end it brought people closer and also continued the community shops. Now, it is just so easy to say, "forget it" go to walmart or say who cares what you think, and go online more often and not have to actually deal with anyone in person. And yet, look at the level of insult and meaness perpetrated to one another online, as people are not face to face they tend to become even more cruel.50sgalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09250940806307766624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-53009270356262231252010-09-27T13:28:41.186-07:002010-09-27T13:28:41.186-07:00TWUS HERE: I remember having an old Columbia bike ...TWUS HERE: I remember having an old Columbia bike similar to that. They were called "truck bikes" as opposed to "English racers" that had hand-brakes. They were heavy-duty and had foot brakes.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm glad that you said all that you said. It is so, so true. It is hard to find ANYTHING made in America any more. Same is true in England, where we used to live. You could find novelty souvineer items like David Winter cottages that were made there, but everyday goods, like here, seemed to be made elsewhere.<br /><br />I live in very small towns now, under 2,000 people. Lots of the businesses are closed. Sometimes it is because the moms & pops don't have the business skills to compete with the WalMarts. They don't keep the stores stocked with the things people want. I worked for a local general grocery store. The older woman who ran it never had the things the people wanted and asked for, however, she would stock all kinds of weird stuff like orthopedic ice packs for the knee, which nobody ever bought, forcing them to go to the bigger city for necessities.<br /><br />Also, because small store buy in small quantities, they cannot buy at the same low price that a big conglomerate like WalMart can, and nobody is going to pay twice the price for something. The manufacturers should sell to every merchant for the same price, imo.<br /><br />My employer would have to pay $2 per head of lettuce (selling it for $3 to make a profit) while WalMart could buy the same head of lettuce for fifty cents and sell it for a dollar. This is a big problem.<br /><br />Also, I have learned that things get very personal in a little town. People would refuse to shop in my employer's store because of some small slight from years ago (her kid was mean to my kid back in 1964... or whatever), so they go to another town to shop.<br /><br />I have found myself slipping into this mentality. I don't like to shop at the local home improvement store that is locally run, because (you got it!) their kid was mean to ours 15 years ago and when I went to the mom about it, she was snotty to me! I guess years ago, I wouldn't have the luxury of shopping at Menards instead if I wanted to do that...I'd have to get over it. (I DO shop at the local store, btw, don't worry, if they have what I need...I check there first, because we're shooting ourselves in the foot if we don't -- businesses closed, people laid off, etc.)<br /><br />Years ago, I think, people had to get over such silliness, because there were no WalMarts to shop at or alternative stores, unless you wanted to travel miles and miles, and years ago, people were less willing to do that.<br />Mary R. (TWUS).Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03816096081381689162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-51785308647887512802010-09-27T12:44:48.313-07:002010-09-27T12:44:48.313-07:00I Wouldn`t worry about your bike 50`s Gal, my hubb...I Wouldn`t worry about your bike 50`s Gal, my hubby bought an expensive bike a few years back and it continuously has a flat tire.<br /><br />He finds it ever so frustrating........rather than take it to anymore bike shops, he said if it happens again he will just replace the whole tire.<br /><br />Love your bike by the way ;)<br /><br />Mom in CanadaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6960946442922071473.post-32487682239138615142010-09-27T10:57:58.903-07:002010-09-27T10:57:58.903-07:00You can't see me way across the country, but I...You can't see me way across the country, but I'm standing and applauding every point you've made!!<br /><br />I've been saying for years that 24 hour TV was a bad thing for the country. Poeple will sit in front of it all day, rather than do housework, or go for a walk even.<br /><br />Viva la revolution!(Apron!!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com