Straddled Between the 20th and 21st Century

I'm turning into one of Them.
Them being people who are holding on to things that have become obsolete or heading down that path.
I know of someone whose grandmother didn't trust banks so she hid her life savings at home. (Maybe she had visions of Occupy Wall Street in the future)

rotary telephone



My mother enjoyed talking on the phone to her friends.  When her phone finally died she didn't want a phone with push buttons she wanted a rotary phone.  Bell South, South Central Bell *or whatever name they were going by no longer had those, so she had to use the push button phone. She soon got used to it and later graduated to a cordless phone.
*SIDEBAR: During this time telephones had to be purchased or rented from a Bell South store. You would turn in your old phone for a new one.

It makes no sense to have a cell phone AND a land line. I admit that. But I can't let it g-o-o-o-ooo. I'm having a problem accepting that this will someday be the norm.


My home phone



My home phone #2



My home phone #3



My home phone #4









Yet, there's just something comforting about seeing a telephone plugged into a wall. Truth be told,  during stormy weather, the lights may go out but, the phone usually stays on.  Still, it's extra money I'm paying out when I could be using it for other things.

Unlike many people, I don't keep a cell phone tethered to my body. I don't turn it on unless I'm expecting a call  or I'm in my car, which means I don't check it for messages everyday. I abhor people who walk around in public talking on a cell just because they can. I don't need to go into this. You've heard my cell phone rants before.
I don't want to be available all the time. I don't want telemarketers and the like calling me on my cell. Using a cell as a primary phone will eventually lead to this.
I only give my home number unless it's someone  I really want to hear from or I deem it as important.


I've had this phone less than a year and I was happy with it.

Generation Y has embraced this as a way of life. No sooner than I learn to use one phone another comes out.

Maybe I'm headed on the right path. I changed carriers and I have another phone that has taken me three weeks to learn to do the basics.   One of my young friends was kind enough to show me how. I've become a little more relaxed with it.

As far as breaking it in, I've literally done that, dropping it on the concrete porch and getting a crack in it.

Why don't mobile phones and other transported small technology have a  place where you can attach a wrist strap to it  like cameras do. Is it because the carrier wants you to drop it and have to buy another one? Right now I'm keeping mine inside of a sock.

THAT'S IT***

Birthday

I had a birthday a few weeks ago. This one doesn't actually count since I only celebrate every leap year in October. (Figure it out). In my mind I'm still 44 though my mirror and the government  has me in a different decade.

I'd signed up a couple years ago for the FREE Ruby Tuesday's birthday burger. I downloaded my online coupon and went to my closest Ruby Tuesday's.  It was Classic Weekend so the place was pretty empty.
 When I went to Ruby Tuesday's two years ago, I had a burger and fries. This time was even better. I was offered my choice of burger and choice of two sides. I chose the bleu cheese burger, salad bar and baked potato.  By any account that is a lot of food.   On top of that the waitress  forgot to ask me if I'd like to try the shrimp fondue appetizer. If she forgets, I get it free. She forgot but,  I told her I didn't want the appetizer. That would be downright gluttony.

This is the time I should have made like a little old lady and pilfered some of that food in a ziplock bag and stashed it in my purse.

Here's my downloaded coupon

And here is my meal.

The burger was delicious. I didn't eat the bun. I wrapped it up and put it in my purse.
In the past I've also had a coupon to Coldstone's Creamery but I forfeited that one this year.

A friend e-mailed me a list of businesses that grant senior citizen's discounts. Some I qualify for now according to my government age and some I'll qualify for in the next few years. I'm keeping the list handy.

 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!

That's a lot of territory to cover but, somebody has got to do it, why not me.

THAT'S IT***

"Good Scents" sachets

Maybe there are some things that shouldn't be recycled but dryer sheets? They're clean to me. I came across this craft in The Big Green book of recycled crafts.

 It was titled Good Scents. Below is my craft experience.

Click on the photos to enlarge them

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 I tweak my crafts to fit my materials and circumstances. If I have something that will do, why go out and buy extra stuff?  What's the point of recycling if you're just gonna buy more stuff?

  I had an old greeting card that I used as cardstock, potpourri from the Dollar Store and used dryer sheets from my own laundry room.

I ironed the dryer dryer sheets as instructed .

 I cut the cardstock/greeting card so that it would fit as a flap over the opening of the sachet. The problem here was that once it's folded over , one side will have the picture upside down. If you don't want that problem, use cardstock with a pattern that can go either way or a plain piece of cardstock.(Although, I think plain is kind of blah :(

 

 

I used OK To Wash-It glue, though I don't plan to wash it. This just happens to be the glue I had that came out in a line without me fighting with it. I like Tacky Glue but it has to be prepped and primed like a 1950's Chevy before it'll come out of the bottle. I folded the sheet on itself crimping the sides to make a pocket.

After the sides had dried I took some of the potpourri and filled the pocket half way. Don't fill it to the top or else you won't be able to close it.





The directions were to glue the cardstock to the sachet ,fold it over the top and glue the back.
Did I do that?

NOT!

Instead, I stapled the top closed, folding it over a bit so that the card stock would fit and then I stapled it again.  Below you see my finished results. One for hanging and one to go into a drawer.

I placed this one inside my buffet drawer where I keep my cloth napkins and letter opener. I'll check it out tomorrow to see if it gives the drawer a pleasant fragrance.

I used a piece of knit T-shirt string that I'd been using for another craft to hang the other sachet in my closet with my winter clothes.

NOTE:

1. I would do a neater job  ( no stapling) if I were giving this as a gift and I wouldn't use dryer sheets unless the person I was making it for was heavy into recycling, carbon footprinting and being green. I'd probably use a  sheer fabric of some sort ie. organdy, tulle.

2. I would caution against allowing the potpourri  sachet to rest against clothing or any other item you don't want to become discolored.  Sometimes the oils that are used in potpourri can harm fabrics.

3. Many potpourris can be revived after time with a few drops of essential oil of the original fragrance.

    * Purchased cedar chips or blocks would work in the sachet bags also. To revive a cedar chest or block of cedar, sand it lightly. (I learned that from The Furniture Guys back when I had cable TV)

The Big Green Book of Recycled  Crafts has numerous projects I plan to try.  The projects cater more to adults than children which I like. They are simple and useful. I'm into useful crafts not cutesy stuff.

That's It***