I like that

The older I get the more I realize the old ways were so much better. I find myself wanting to go back to those days and methods. I use an electric percolator because perc'd coffee is the best. One scoop for each cup brewed and one for the pot. Grandmother Bennett taught me that. She kept a fresh pot on all day, every day, in case of company or if a salesman stopped by. The only polite thing to do being offering them a cup. She drank tea. But the pot was always on, ready to welcome anyone at all.

 My wife has used the new non-stick bake ware with mixed results. But when baking the family recipe Apple cake, you have to grease that pan with lard and sprinkle that with flour. That's what works! And forget about those fancy non-stick pans you see advertised, new and improved every year for the last twenty years, seasoned cast iron is still the best. It is what we use and yes, it is well seasoned and heavy. Not one pan has warped, chipped, or needed replacing in the last twenty-five to thirty years!

 Hand written letters and post cards are still the best form of communication to show that you care. "When you care enough to send the very best" is the slogan for Hallmark cards but I disagree. Get a piece of paper and a pen and write a note, card or letter, that is caring enough to send the very best. It is sending others a bit of your time, they knowing you were thinking of them while you wrote. Like homemade gifts, it is the thought that counts. Phone calls are always nice, and appreciated, but handwritten is still the most personal. 

 I still open the door for those directly behind me, stand aside and allow them to pass. I don't just do that for the ladies, I do it for everyone. Most times I open the car door for my wife, unless she beats me to the car. I say excuse me when walking in front of someone shopping. I put the shopping cart in the corral, pick trash up off the ground and do not park in the handicapped spaces! I try to make casual conversation with the checkers, the stockers and the other shoppers. I call that being cordial. It's an old-fashioned thing many misconstrue today.

 I enjoy my wind-up pendulum clock that strikes on the hour and the half hour. I wind it every Sunday and think about Grandfather Lester when doing so. That clock came from his home. I can see it sitting on the shelf. It was covered in dust and tarnished a bit as he didn't use it, but he admired it, nonetheless. I love my old photographs of ancestors I never knew. Somehow, I feel connected to them through those images. 

 I have never been one much for fad and fashion. Even when I was a kid that wasn't a big concern of mine. Oh, sure there were things I wanted that were cool. A new Spider Bike with a T-handle shifter and five speeds! The T handle shifter has since been banned by the government for safety reasons. Well, I did have that bike and later children, so no harm done. Later when I was a teenager and had earned my own money, I purchased a pair of Pro-Keds with the split leather uppers. Cost thirty-five dollars! That was over half my pay, but they were cool. I have never bought another pair since, having learned, they weren't that cool. Generic sneakers are just fine. Leather shoes and boots are still the best. 

 Yeah, there is nothing quite as satisfying as doing it yourself. I still make or repair whatever I can. It's ironic that it often costs more to do that than to simply buy whatever it is from some Chinese warehouse! But I am from the old school. I balk at hiring anyone else to do something I can do myself. I prescribe to the old adage, if you want something done right, do it yourself. I've found that even if you don't do it exactly right, it is still a satisfying feeling. I'll do better the next time. I don't feel the need to be a professional at everything, nor have professional grade tools and equipment. Good quality tools are a necessity I won't deny that, but an entire inventory isn't necessary either. Using hand chisels to make a mortise is far more satisfying than using a router. Craftsmanship is what I'm talking about. Good old fashioned craftmanship. That is learned by trial and error, over a lifetime. The old-fashioned way. 

 I think that some of this is because doing things the old way usually takes longer. We are all in a hurry these days. When you are young you are in a hurry. Always something new, always something exciting. When you reach a certain age, you begin to realize that time is limited. It's a harsh reality, hard to swallow at times. That's when we begin to want to slow things down. Not so fast. I have learned that doing things the old way often extends the time you get to enjoy doing whatever it is you are doing. Time creates anticipation. Anticipation is often times better than the reality. Works that way with lots of things. I enjoy listening to that coffee pot as it perks that coffee. I'm anticipating how good it will be. The smell and the sound combine to take me on a journey every morning. I'm back in Grandma's kitchen. Old things and our memories are time machines. They take us back. I like that.