My morning began in the garage painting the storm windows to replace them before the winter cold returns. We live in an old farmhouse in rural Indiana where sharp winds blow across the open fields. All the windows except these last 4 we replaced with modern, high-efficiency vinyl ones. I love the huge casement windows on our front porch with their vintage panes containing swirls in the glass. The wood frames are of native white oak so tough that it’s difficult to hammer a nail into them. I’ve come to cherish the old ways and will do whatever it takes to repair rather than replace.
But this goes against the tantalizing lure of consumerism that baits us through nonstop advertising. It’s impossible to avoid it. America has become known as the throw away society. Unless a building is considered historic, it is torn down and built new rather than renovated. It’s very sad. We are sending items to our landfills and recycling centers that never should be thrown away in the first place. If only we took the time to maintain what we have.
In the past, the knowledge of the old ways to repair and reuse was passed down from parents to children. During the depression, these skills were vital to survival. My mother often speaks of picking out cloth from the animal feed sacks for my great-grandmother Naftzger to sew dresses for the girls in the family. These sacks were colorful cotton, not the rough brown burlap I imagined. They also canned hundreds of jars of vegetables and meat from butchered hogs to get them through the winter months. They didn’t waste anything.
Maybe I’m an old soul but I long to pass along to my children the self-sustaining skills taught to me when I was young. There’s something satisfying about growing my own vegetables and canning them, cooking from scratch, and sewing, even if it’s just hemming slacks or replacing a button. My children learned many of these skills and more, as I did from my family and from our local 4-H club. I realized the success of these efforts recently when my daughter, Rozie repaired her own lawnmower when a belt broke. She bought the replacement belt and installed it herself. I imagine there are many men who have no idea how to even start this kind of project. Way to go, Roz!
As a modern society, we focus more on training our children to play team sports than we concentrate on training them in basic life skills. This is a huge mistake that needs correcting. But how do we go about doing this?
First, we must support programs within our schools that teach these life skills. I remember Home Ec classes when I was in school that taught cooking and sewing. My husband took Shop classes to learn basic automobile maintenance. These have virtually disappeared now from most of our local school.
Next, we must realize that not every child is college bound but everyone needs skills to support themselves in the marketplace. We have great technical schools in my state such as Ivy Tech that train students in the trades. Hundreds of good paying jobs remain unfilled because people lack the training to work in areas like Heating and Air Conditioning, Welding and Plumbing. Indiana is now offering grants for individuals to learn these skills.
Lastly, we must be willing to teach our young people the skills that we personally possess. Can we start mentoring programs in our schools, community centers and local churches to train kids in basic life skills? I’m very willing to teach gardening and canning to anyone who wants to learn. I challenge you to do the same. Find a place that needs a mentor who has your knowledge set and volunteer. The time spent will bless you as much as it does the person you mentor.
The old ways are good ways. Let us not lose them because we fail to pass them on to the next generation.
