Stuck in the past or favoring the old ways.

[Marlowe]

My wife, kids, and grandkids say that I'm digitally challenged. Maybe so, but I'm the only one of the group with a college degree which includes computer programming. I know how the danged things are supposed to work, but is it too much to ask that an "on" button actually turn the equipment on? And while I'm asking, is it too much trouble for the play button to make the danged thing play? I hate DVD's. They may be great, but the machines we put them in are an incarnation from the devil himself, placed here to make our life **** on earth. Another thing I wonder about is the remote. Actually I say "the remote" with tongue in cheek. How many of you really have a single remote? My great room TV has a remote for the DVD, (God only knows how that thing works), another for the TV, and another for the digital cable box, OH, and one for the volume. God forbid the grandson wake up before I get out the door to go to work in the morning. He usually asks that I turn on some movie for him before I leave. That's when I need to call in late to work. I need the extra time to first find the movie, then the remote, then turn on the TV, then the DVD player, then figure out the cable box setting, then hit play over and over on the DVD player, then go wake his mom up and tell her to go figure out those blankety blanked controllers and get that son of a so and so movie playing. She stumbles out of bed as I'm sure I hear the Impossible Mission music playing in the background. Before I can get my coffee for the road she has the movie going and the little guy's breakfast ready. I knew I was in trouble years ago when I found out I needed to go to the start button on my computer to turn the danged thing off!

 

[rdln]

"is it too much trouble for the play button to make the danged thing play"

I solve this by burning my back-up copy with the extra features, subtitles and all that garbage removed..It will work just like dem ol' fasheened VCRs

 

[Bird]

I'm with you, Marlowe. Three remotes for the TV, VCR/DVD, and cable box in the living room. Three more in the bedroom. Lots of "buttons" on each of them, and I know what 2 or 3 of the buttons are for.

Stuck in the past or favoring the old ways? Well, let's see now . . .

1) I don't know what a Blackberry is, but I do have a cell phone,
2) I don't know what Blue Ray is,
3) I don't know what MP3 is, but I do have a few music CDs and stereos that will play them,
4) I don't even pretend to understand computers; just use them,
5) Why would anyone want Sirius radio, whatever it is?
6) Navigation stuff and GPS in cars? I use a map.

On the other hand, I'm old enough to have had some experience with the "old ways" and much prefer the new ways . . .

1) I love this newfangled running water in the house instead of having to go out to the well and pull that bucket up with a rope and pulley,
2) A bathroom right in the house instead of the outhouse 50 yards out back. It was bad enough in good weather; terrible in cold, rainy weather.
3) A tub or shower right in the house, instead of a #2 washtub in the kitchen floor.
4) Just open a valve (faucet) and get hot water instead of having to heat it in a pan on the stove.
5) No more getting up at 5:30 a.m., rain or shine, hot or cold, to go milk that cow and feed those hogs and chickens.
6) Heating and air-conditioning 24 hours a day sure beats getting out of bed in the winter and hurrying to get some clothes on and a fire going. Or trying to sleep when it's so hot you sweat and get the bed wet.
7) Cars and trucks with automatic transmissions, air-conditioning, power steering, power disk brakes, power windows, power seat, power door locks, remote entry, fuel injection instead of manual or even automatic choke. Sure beats my 1946 Chevy, or even our 1964-67 police sedans.
8) A cookstove that gets hot just by turning a knob or touching the right buttons . . . don't have to build a fire with wood or even light a burner with a match.
9) Microwave oven that heats stuff in seconds that used to take 30 minutes or more to heat.
10) Lights everywhere, inside and out, with a flick of a switch; no more kerosene lanterns and candles.
11) Telephones everywhere, cordless, cell, etc. No more "party line" and no "long distance" charges that we couldn't afford.
12) Computers for instant weather, news, information, and Tractorbynet.

And lots of other things. I'm one who doesn't want to go back to the "good old days."

 

[scott_vt]

So how about you all? Any tried and true methods you prefer to the modern ways? I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Phil

Good Mornin Phil,
We heat with wood and I did split all my own cordwood up until about 1 1/2 years ago, I weakened with a great buy on a splitter !

Honestly I favored my grandparents way of life, other than less than ideal medical care ! Their way of life was much simpler, but IMO better in many ways. They were totally self sufficient on the farm, and if I could live that way now I would love it.

We grow our own vegetables in our little garden and do some freezing for the winter months.

I enjoy building my own furniture, although I do use power tools , if I ever really get a chance, I would like to do some pieces just using hand tools !

I am kind of glad that I dont have to haul buckets of water from the brook out back ! Electricity does have some perks !

 

[jinman]

On the other hand, I'm old enough to have had some experience with the "old ways" and much prefer the new ways . . .

1) I love this newfangled running water in the house instead of having to go out to the well and pull that bucket up with a rope and pulley,
2) A bathroom right in the house instead of the outhouse 50 yards out back. It was bad enough in good weather; terrible in cold, rainy weather.
3) A tub or shower right in the house, instead of a #2 washtub in the kitchen floor.
4) Just open a valve (faucet) and get hot water instead of having to heat it in a pan on the stove.
5) No more getting up at 5:30 a.m., rain or shine, hot or cold, to go milk that cow and feed those hogs and chickens.
6) Heating and air-conditioning 24 hours a day sure beats getting out of bed in the winter and hurrying to get some clothes on and a fire going. Or trying to sleep when it's so hot you sweat and get the bed wet.
7) Cars and trucks with automatic transmissions, air-conditioning, power steering, power disk brakes, power windows, power seat, power door locks, remote entry, fuel injection instead of manual or even automatic choke. Sure beats my 1946 Chevy, or even our 1964-67 police sedans.
8) A cookstove that gets hot just by turning a knob or touching the right buttons . . . don't have to build a fire with wood or even light a burner with a match.
9) Microwave oven that heats stuff in seconds that used to take 30 minutes or more to heat.
10) Lights everywhere, inside and out, with a flick of a switch; no more kerosene lanterns and candles.
11) Telephones everywhere, cordless, cell, etc. No more "party line" and no "long distance" charges that we couldn't afford.
12) Computers for instant weather, news, information, and Tractorbynet.

And lots of other things. I'm one who doesn't want to go back to the "good old days."

Oh my! You and I are thinking just alike. That's scary. I was going to respond with most of the same things, but I figured my list would be too long and I had to get going to the in-law's house.

Let me add a few:
13) A tractor that starts right up using the key instead of having to twist two wires together, pull the choke out and put a closepin on it to hold it, go around front with a handcrank and turn the engine over and over while hoping it will start before it floods.
14) Parking one car on a hill to let it roll off and start. Then, hope it doesn't die somewhere on flat ground so you have to push it by hand to get it started. Or, having a fancy automatic transmission car with no reverse that you have to always park so you never have to back up.
15) Living in a house where the wallpaper would peel off the wall in a windstorm because the cheesecloth to which it was glued was tacked to boards with gaps between them so big you could see daylight.
16) Stuffing balled up newspaper between the window frame and the screen of every window pane that was broken or missing.
17) Looking up at the ceiling and knowing exactly which ones of those stained circles to sit buckets under during a rainstorm. Also, that dripping water into a bucket can drive you crazy when you are trying to sleep. And knowing that putting a towel into the bottom of the bucket will reduce the noise each drop makes.
18) Having to carry the "honey bucket" out to the outhouse to empty it every morning.
19) Cleaning out the outhouse.
20) Wrapping pipes under the house. Scooting under there with all the spiders and snakes to wrap pipes with newspapers while knowing that this has historically never worked. Each year the pipes would freeze and we just had to clean up the newspaper mess before we could fix the pipes.

Okay, I'm done. . .

 

[Bird]

Oh my! You and I are thinking just alike. That's scary. I was going to respond with most of the same things, but I figured my list would be too long and I had to get going to the in-law's house.

Let me add a few:
13) A tractor that starts right up using the key instead of having to twist two wires together, pull the choke out and put a closepin on it to hold it, go around front with a handcrank and turn the engine over and over while hoping it will start before it floods.
14) Parking one car on a hill to let it roll off and start. Then, hope it doesn't die somewhere on flat ground so you have to push it by hand to get it started. Or, having a fancy automatic transmission car with no reverse that you have to always park so you never have to back up.
15) Living in a house where the wallpaper would peel off the wall in a windstorm because the cheesecloth to which it was glued was tacked to boards with gaps between them so big you could see daylight.
16) Stuffing balled up newspaper between the window frame and the screen of every window pane that was broken or missing.
17) Looking up at the ceiling and knowing exactly which ones of those stained circles to sit buckets under during a rainstorm. Also, that dripping water into a bucket can drive you crazy when you are trying to sleep. And knowing that putting a towel into the bottom of the bucket will reduce the noise each drop makes.
18) Having to carry the "honey bucket" out to the outhouse to empty it every morning.
19) Cleaning out the outhouse.
20) Wrapping pipes under the house. Scooting under there with all the spiders and snakes to wrap pipes with newspapers while knowing that this has historically never worked. Each year the pipes would freeze and we just had to clean up the newspaper mess before we could fix the pipes.

Okay, I'm done. . .

13) Yep, the old John Deere L had the crank in the front; lots of fun.
14) Parked on a hill so it would roll and start, and I carried 2 spare tires, and still had to call my Dad one night to bring me another one.
15) As far as I know, they hadn't invented that "glue" to stick the wallpaper on. We just mixed a little flour and water for glue.
18) Wonder how many of our memebers, besides you and me, knew what a "honey bucket" was.
20) Had to get all that old newspaper off before you could thaw the pipes with a "blow torch" and not burn the house down.


And we didn't know about that idea of blocking the clutch pedal down on the John Deere L so it wouldn't stick, so we made sure it was parked where there was nothing in front of it for quite a ways. If you got it started in neutral, the clutch would not release, so you could not get it in gear. So by setting the choke and throttle, I'd crank it to start it in neutral and get it warmed up, then shut it off, shift the gear lever into first (lowest gear), go around in front, turn the crank, and get out of the way. Then as it went by, I'd climb on the back, get into the driver's seat, step on the clutch pedal, pull the throttle wide open, and stand on the brake pedals until the clutch popped loose. That always worked and it's probably only by sheer luck that I never got hurt doing that.

 

[jinman]

Bird, I celebrate every day just being alive. The things we did. . .

I also never forget how lucky I am now and how good my life has been to me. I understand what Phil meant with his original post. I agree with him completely and don't want to take away from the intent of his thread. I could give you a long list of the things I love to preserve from my youth too. My uncle's sugar cane syrup mill comes to mind as one of the great pleasures of my teens.

 

[scott_vt]

.
12) Computers for instant weather, news, information, and Tractorbynet.

Good Mornin Bird,
Yeah there are some advantages to having all these new fangled gadgets !

Wow 4000 posts, Im catchin up to you guys !

 

[Tig]

I love to ice fish with just a line, hook and bait. No rod, no reel, no gaff.

 

[Egon]

[And lots of other things. I'm one who doesn't want to go back to the "good old days."/QUOTE]

I'll echo that statement.

I do know what a honey bucket is and a slop pail and how the crank on the cream separator work and the handle on a pump that you darned near had to chin yourself on to move down and on and on.

And woolen Long Johns!

But I do like Brandywine Tomatoes!