Fixing stuff

 I have often thought I was born just a little late. I should have been earlier in the twentieth century. Now I wouldn't want to have had to live through the great depression, that was certainly a rough time, but on the plus side, things were a lot simpler then. A man could breathe free and make his way on his own terms. I realize some of this thinking is just daydreaming and a bit of a romantic notion. Still, I can't help but think I would have enjoyed that period in time. All kinds of new inventions showing up, lots of technological advances. Labor saving devices is what I'm thinking about. A time when being a repairman took real skill and craftmanship. You really did repair whatever was broken, not just replace the part. Replacing parts isn't what I find challenging, repairing the broken part is. Sadly most parts can't be repaired today.

 I think I should have been Mr. Fix-It. You know the guy at the fix it shop. I do enjoy working on all that stuff. In years past I would attempt to repair just about anything. Most of the time it wasn't worth the time or effort as the item could be replaced easily enough. It was the challenge of making it work again that interested me. I suspect a lot of that came from my childhood. My dad was a man that could fix anything. He was also a man that built a lot of the things he wanted. Houses, boats, an airplane (never completed) all sorts of things. Not one to buy much of anything new, used was the way he went. I'm certain that was not a choice however, economics being what it was. So, I was accustomed to fixing it yourself. The only repairman I ever saw at out house was the TV repairman, that was the only thing Dad didn't fix. He would check the fuse, check the tubes, and that was that. 

 I was thinking about jobs that you don't see much of today. A shoemaker? There are a few around that put new heels on boots and resole them. I don't think many people even consider that much anymore, throw'em out and get a new pair. How about a clock repairman? We had one in Greensboro but following covid I don't think he is in business anymore. He told me of the time he would go house to house repairing and adjusting clocks, like the man coming by to sharpen your scissors. I never saw one but a Tinker was a thing at one time. Mom bought a "tinkers dam" at the hardware store when I was young. I remember dad putting it on the pot. 

 Back then a lot of things were made to last. It wasn't a conscious decision, it was based on the material available. As our machinery improved we could manufacture products lighter, quicker, and using less material. Lumber and steel got thinner and lighter. Then plastics were introduced. The products are functional, get the job done, but they aren't very durable. They aren't designed to be repaired. They are intended to be replaced. We have reached the point were "recycling" is a business! Think about that. In the past things weren't recycled because they were still being used. In that way things became familiar to us. Our parents used them, we used them and they kept on going. A sentiment could be developed. I have some of Dads old tools. I will use them sometimes and think of him. I've got a sweater Mom knitted too. That's why people fixed things too, like to work with the familiar, and there is a bit of sentiment involved. I think we are missing that today.