Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day



On my way home from the grocery store this weekend, I saw a pile of stuff curbside waiting for the trash and this table caught my eye. I thought it would be perfect as an extra table for my art/craft room, but it needed some repair. I dragged my repairman/husband down to take a look. He thought I should just go buy one from Ikea or Target. But these days $50 adds up and I'm definitely more conscious of our landfills and my part in perpetuating our throw-away culture. After some prodding, he agreed to fix it, hauled it home, and now I have a new table.

As a teenager, I was constantly irritated by my grandparents depression-era ways. They reused plastic bottles, containers and bags, wore down vests in a chilly living room to save heat, and bought new things as only a last resort. I pleaded with my grandfather to get with the times and spend money. This was the 80s after all! But the only place he'd spend freely was to indulge me with a new school wardrobe every fall and, of course, a college education.

I wish he were here today, so I could hear him say, "I was ahead of my time."

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