Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[fastiller]

Wouldn't that be heartCOLDing, @emma675?  You know,, coz it's snow? 😁😁😁

[oliviabenson]

On 1/18/2025 at 7:00 AM, shapeshifter said:

It's been close to record-breaking cold here, my condo is too big for me and too drafty, the heating system is poorly designed and over 20 years old (the poorly designed venting is from 1973), and I'm retired so I'm home most of the time, otherwise this would be half as high:

 

i know people who pay $600-700 for heat. electric and gas companies are horrible in NYC. pure predators.

I rely on my landlord for heat and he is stingy. I bought 2 space heaters and am scared to open my next electric bill.

Hope you are warm! can you go to the library during the day to be warm?

[oliviabenson]

On 1/18/2025 at 2:48 PM, Dimity said:

Discussion in the Feels thread about Tradwives made me think of a talk show I saw recently where some 20 somethings were jealous that their grandparents didn't have to go out to work and could "sit around the house all day" doing whatever they wanted. 

No one pushed back on this and as usual I end up thinking up all sorts of things I would like to have said to these people.  The biggest one being if you are VERY LUCKY you get to live to see retirement age and also have enough savings plus a decent pension - that you EARNED while you worked for 40 years - so that you can live comfortably.

The entitlement of it the 'we deserve to retire after working all of 5 years' - wow. -

the grandparents didn't have washing machines or any of the modern kitchen small appliances or even air conditioners or disposable diapers or formula etc. these young trad wives are useless and brain dead. 

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

the grandparents didn't have washing machines or any of the modern kitchen small appliances or even air conditioners or disposable diapers or formula etc. these young trad wives are useless and brain dead. 

I'm not sure how my maternal grandmother did it.  She grew up with (indentured) servants!  My great-grandmother's dowry included one.  The girl who went with her "earned" her freedom only to become a concubine.  But my grandmother had to learn how to do housework after she married my grandfather.  

Edited Friday at 06:33 PM by PRgal

[oliviabenson]

19 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’ve started a rewatch of ER. I’m in the first season and am just beginning episode 20. Nowadays it seems as though if they can get 8-12 episodes of a show that’s it for the season. It can’t be because the other shows are more complicated as there’s a lot going on and packed into every 1 hour of ER. I wish shows would do more episodes and take less that 1-2 years before a new one starts. 

one of my shows stranger things I think it's 3 years between seasons. last season is coming this year. when? no announcement yet. I mean 3 years is ridiculous. the actors look 30 and they are supposed to be like 16 tops.

[oliviabenson]

19 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I'm not sure how my maternal grandmother did it.  She grew up with (indentured) servants!  My great-grandmother's dowry included one.  The girl who went with her "earned" her freedom only to become a concubine.  But my grandmother had to learn how to do housework after she married my grandfather.  

I grew up in a different country. we did have a washing machine but clothes needed to be wrung out and hanged outside. and my mom made preserves so we could eat in the winter. it was hard! I don't know how my mom did it. she even made cheese and butter and Herring at home.

American life is much easier. I can't do any of those things. I'd die from starvation!

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, oliviabenson said:

I grew up in a different country. we did have a washing machine but clothes needed to be wrung out and hanged outside. and my mom made preserves so we could eat in the winter. it was hard! I don't know how my mom did it. she even made cheese and butter and Herring at home.

American life is much easier. I can't do any of those things. I'd die from starvation!

I wouldn't be able to do any of the things my grandmother had to do.  I need a washer/dryer!  I also don't know how my grandmother managed to (and I'm not joking) chop/mince meat by hand.  I just buy ground meat (steamed meat patties with salted duck eggs was a staple at our house growing up.  It's not something on our rotation now though).  And I have both a hand vac and a regular vac.  

[oliviabenson]

4 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I wouldn't be able to do any of the things my grandmother had to do.  I need a washer/dryer!  I also don't know how my grandmother managed to (and I'm not joking) chop/mince meat by hand.  I just buy ground meat (steamed meat patties with salted duck eggs was a staple at our house growing up.  It's not something on our rotation now though).  And I have both a hand vac and a regular vac.  

we had a metal meat grinder. grounded by a person. meat grinder up by a person , hope it makes sense. I grind meat once I got old enough! and fresh  tomatoes for preserves. omg so many tomatoes lol. 

 

I can live without a dryer but I need a washer.

Edited Friday at 07:05 PM by oliviabenson

[Dimity]

Growing up in Canada   I think you would need to go back into great grandparent, perhaps, depending on the product, even great great grandparent territory to find a time when the majority of North American households did not have at least the basic mod cons we take for granted.  Things like disposable diapers and formula for instance have been around for well over 50 years.

Edited Friday at 07:34 PM by Dimity

[PRgal]

9 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Growing up in Canada   I think you would need to go back into great grandparent, perhaps, depending on the product, even great great grandparent territory to find a time when the majority of North American households did not have at least the basic mod cons we take for granted.  Things like disposable diapers and formula for instance have been around for well over 50 years.

The first thing I can think of is a fridge or ice box.  Phones, too, but I'm not sure if I'd consider it a convenience in terms of housework.  Same with electricity.  You also have to be middle class to have those.  But then again, I'm first generation Canadian born. 

[Cementhead]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

one of my shows stranger things I think it's 3 years between seasons. last season is coming this year. when? no announcement yet. I mean 3 years is ridiculous. the actors look 30 and they are supposed to be like 16 tops.

[Absolom]

33 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Things like disposable diapers and formula for instance have been around for well over 50 years.

Very true.  I have a daughter turning 50 this year and they were in every drug and grocery store when she was born and had been for years.  We were sent home from the hospital with packs of both.

My grandmother in the very early 1950s had a hand crank washer that I remember being replaced by an electric one.  I think there was still a thing called a mangle on top for removing the excess water and then line drying was done. Within a very few years my mother had a fully automatic washer.  

My grandmother still called the refrigerator an ice box.

Edited Friday at 08:07 PM by Absolom

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, oliviabenson said:

one of my shows stranger things I think it's 3 years between seasons. last season is coming this year. when? no announcement yet. I mean 3 years is ridiculous. the actors look 30 and they are supposed to be like 16 tops.

For real!!!

Because of his musical career & poetry, I've been a follower/fan of Jamie Bower for years and really jumped on the ST bandwagon to see him in it.  The long gaps between seasons are terrible.  It's funny, when images leaked of him on set pre-S04, like below, many of his fans were like 'oh, at least he won't need to go thru tons hours of make-up to cover all his tattoos, good for him!'.  Ha!

[shapeshifter]

4 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I have a daughter turning 50 this year and they were in every drug and grocery store when she was born and had been for years.  We were sent home from the hospital with packs of both.

My oldest daughter will be 46 in a little over a week. The disposable diapers the hospital gave me had no elastic in the legs. Did they make those in 1979?
The runny breastmilk poop would run out of the diaper and fill the foot of her sleeper, so I'd have to wash her clothes and often a blanket. 
I switched to cloth diapers with actual diaper pins and plastic pants with elastic legs. Putting the plastic pants over the paper diapers might have worked, but would have been too costly for me, and I was into being "natural" and not producing a lot of garbage.
I washed the diapers in the bathtub until I got an ancient, semi-automatic portable washing machine. When she was about a year old, I moved to a place with a laundry room. 

Nowadays I go through enough Kleenex, paper towels, and toilet paper to probably produce diapers for twins.

[anony.miss]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Growing up in Canada   I think you would need to go back into great grandparent, perhaps, depending on the product, even great great grandparent territory to find a time when the majority of North American households did not have at least the basic mod cons we take for granted. 

Absolutely. And not just basic mod cons in North America, but luxury and convenience items as well. By the mid fifites, the majority of households had a tv set, which led to the creation of tv dinners, which led to ads encouraging Mom to stop cooking and start reheating  (as the ad below says, "Now Mom's in on the TV fun from the start!") I find mid century ads  (and recipes  - so! much! jello!) fascinating in the fantasy they presented. eta: I think many trad wives see the mythology/ad version of the era, not the real women trapped in a system (legally and culturally) that equated a tv dinner with some kind of freedom.

 

 

Edited Friday at 08:43 PM by anony.miss

[oliviabenson]

28 minutes ago, fastiller said:

For real!!!

Because of his musical career & poetry, I've been a follower/fan of Jamie Bower for years and really jumped on the ST bandwagon to see him in it.  The long gaps between seasons are terrible.  It's funny, when images leaked of him on set pre-S04, like below, many of his fans were like 'oh, at least he won't need to go thru tons hours of make-up to cover all his tattoos, good for him!'.  Ha!

he as vecna is truly horrifying. he gave me nightmares lol! the way he growls Maxxxx. 

[PRgal]

19 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My oldest daughter will be 46 in a little over a week. The disposable diapers the hospital gave me had no elastic in the legs. Did they make those in 1979?
The runny breastmilk poop would run out of the diaper and fill the foot of her sleeper, so I'd have to wash her clothes and often a blanket. 
I switched to cloth diapers with actual diaper pins and plastic pants with elastic legs. Putting the plastic pants over the paper diapers might have worked, but would have been too costly for me, and I was into being "natural" and not producing a lot of garbage.
I washed the diapers in the bathtub until I got an ancient, semi-automatic portable washing machine. When she was about a year old, I moved to a place with a laundry room. 

Nowadays I go through enough Kleenex, paper towels, and toilet paper to probably produce diapers for twins.

I was in disposables when I was a baby/toddler (I was born the same year your oldest was, but I'm several months younger.  My mom was in her first trimester when your daughter was born!).  I don't remember how they felt, only that my parents repurposed them as extra toy bins for me!!  I was mostly (day) potty trained by 2 1/2 though.   What's a semi-automatic washing machine?  One you have to connect to a sink?

[Ohiopirate02]

9 minutes ago, anony.miss said:

Absolutely. And not just basic mod cons in North America, but luxury and convenience items as well. By the mid fifites, the majority of households had a tv set, which led to the creation of tv dinners, which led to ads encouraging Mom to stop cooking and start reheating  (as the ad below says, "Now Mom's in on the TV fun from the start!") I find mid century ads  (and recipes  - so! much! jello!) fascinating. 

The 1950s and 1960s were all about gadgets and processed foods. I have watched quite a few videos showing the appliances of the era. There is someone on Tik-Tok who refurbishes old appliances like refrigerators and ranges, and the designs are ingenious. Fridges with lazy susans in them to easily find the condiments. Ranges with built-ins to make cooking easier. A lot of this was the space age bleeding into other markets, plus the rise of midcentury modern architecture. That particular design's philosophy was clean lines with zero clutter, so kitchens were designed with built-in appliances like toasters and blenders that could be quickly hidden and also handy.

[oliviabenson]

fridges used to last decades now a few years. 

[fastiller]

21 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

he as vecna is truly horrifying. he gave me nightmares lol! the way he growls Maxxxx. 

He's really going deep into the Country genre lately: EP on Bandcamp.  Watch 'Em Burn  

[Absolom]

32 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My oldest daughter will be 46 in a little over a week. The disposable diapers the hospital gave me had no elastic in the legs. Did they make those in 1979?

I'm struggling with remembering brand names, but in 1975 I don't remember any disposables with elastic. In 1976 Luvs came out with better leg closures.  Kimbies (dreadful diapers) were replaced by Huggies in 78 and they were a further improvement.  I think around then Pampers began upping their game to keep up and leakage had become a big topic. I remember people putting plastic pants over the disposables and heat rash and diaper rash were real problems with that.

[Browncoat]

My grandmother's cousin had an ice box until about 1980.  She only got an electric refrigerator because the ice man stopped delivering big blocks of ice.  I think he still produced ice, just not in the big blocks necessary for an ice box.  I'm sure she was his last customer.  

I think my siblings and I were all housebroken before we were 2, and I know I was formula-fed, but my mother made the formula from scratch.  I have the recipe somewhere.  I suspect we were in cloth diapers with plastic pants over them.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The 1950s and 1960s were all about gadgets and processed foods. I have watched quite a few videos showing the appliances of the era. There is someone on Tik-Tok who refurbishes old appliances like refrigerators and ranges, and the designs are ingenious. Fridges with lazy susans in them to easily find the condiments. Ranges with built-ins to make cooking easier. A lot of this was the space age bleeding into other markets, plus the rise of midcentury modern architecture. That particular design's philosophy was clean lines with zero clutter, so kitchens were designed with built-in appliances like toasters and blenders that could be quickly hidden and also handy.

I still miss our wall oven that was installed when my parents renovated a big old kitchen in our Victorian era house. No more stooping to check on the broiler (not that I did much of that, except to help my mom 😻).  So, whatever happened to wall ovens???

[PRgal]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I still miss our wall oven that was installed when my parents renovated a big old kitchen in our Victorian era house. No more stooping to check on the broiler (not that I did much of that, except to help my mom 😻).  So, whatever happened to wall ovens???

I have a wall oven!  My condo unit is about 15 years old.  Had a wall oven in my previous home as well (that building is just over 20 years old now).  

[Bastet]

10 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

So, whatever happened to wall ovens???

My parents have one, a double -- regular oven on the bottom and a combination microwave/convection oven on the top.  It's what I'm going to put in my kitchen when I renovate it.  I have a fantastic electric stove/oven from 1960, but it dictates the layout of the kitchen and will have to go when the time comes.  It's also a double oven -- one full size and one a little smaller than half that.  And then I have a small toaster oven on top of it, so I never have to heat up more oven than I need.  Small, medium, and large.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

What's a semi-automatic washing machine?  One you have to connect to a sink?

Yes. Similar to this: https://ogtstore.com/kitchen-antiques/art-deco-portable-washing-machine
I think it was less than $50 through the local "Super Saver" paper.

[lookeyloo]

Oh gosh, I am Very Old. I remember the wringer washer.  My mother got her arm caught in it once and I had to go next door and get my uncle.  I remember the old Playtex rubber pants my brother used.  I remember no car seats and no seatbelts standard.  My father had lap seat belts installed in the back seat only for our 1955 Buick.  We had one of those refrigerators with the lazy susan shelves.  I have the paper with the formula recipe for my children, but I was lucky enough to have Similac as a comp because the Ex Dr lookeyloo was in medical school.  My second brother was premature and back then had to stay in the hospital til he weighed six pounds which was 6 weeks.  I remember my mother pumping with some archaic device and filling up 4 of those glass Evenflo bottles with the black caps and my father taking them to the hospital and was told later the nurses fed the nursery on her milk.  Oh no! Back in the day I guess that was possible.  I don't know how often they visited him because I was just 4.  The prototype Pampers didn't come along til Sweet Son was about 6 months old.  I washed diapers in a portable washing machine that hooked up to the kitchen sink and hung them out on a line. We finally got a Maytag Porta dryer that didn't need venting.  I put an old stocking over the outlet to catch the dust.  I have a lot of olden day memories.

[BooksRule]

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Fridges with lazy susans in them to easily find the condiments.

I would love to have a fridge shelf with one of those. I'm tired of having to practically stand on my head to reach the carton of yogurt or little bitty plastic tote of some leftover that rolled all the way to the back wall of the bottom shelf of the fridge.

Well, the snow is about gone around here.  Just a few patches left on roofs and in shady areas. It was fun while it lasted, but I won't miss the below-freezing days/nights.

[Absolom]

Yes, my grandmother had one of the wringer washers:

Hers was never that dirty.  This was a step up from the hand cranked tub.  The agitator was electrically powered.

Edited Saturday at 01:27 AM by Absolom

[anony.miss]

3 hours ago, BooksRule said:

I would love to have a fridge shelf with one of those. I'm tired of having to practically stand on my head to reach the carton of yogurt or little bitty plastic tote of some leftover that rolled all the way to the back wall of the bottom shelf of the fridge.

Fridge drawers to the rescue!  Bought them two years ago, and haven't had a single "Where's that damn mini yogurt gone?" fit since then.

Edited Saturday at 04:52 AM by anony.miss

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, anony.miss said:

Fridge drawers to the rescue!  Bought them two years ago, and haven't had a single "Where's that damn mini yogurt gone?" fit since then.

Ever since I bought fridge drawers I never have to search for anything. I don't have as many as that, either! They sure keep the fridge clean and neat.

I actually have 2 fridges. The old one is out in the garage and that's mostly for beverages and larger items like from Costco. It doesn't have any fridge drawers. It's one of those old workhorse Whirlpools from 20 years ago. I have a lot of condiments and sauces because I cook a lot and they take up a lot of space. I don't know how we survived with just one fridge anymore.

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

Yes, my grandmother had one of the wringer washers:

Hers was never that dirty.  This was a step up from the hand cranked tub.  The agitator was electrically powered.

My grandmother had an old wringer washer. She rarely used it anymore but was too sentimental about it to get rid of it. As a kid of course it fascinated me and I grew up listening to horror stories about people getting their arms mangled in them. Same thing with the pressure cooker. My grandmother had one of the old stovetop variety that could blow up if not used properly. Of course she used to tell horror stories about people she knew that had to scrape food off of their ceilings because their lid blew off the cooker. So I was always petrified of them. I was even petrified when I first got my Instant Pot even though I knew it was very safe if you followed the instructions carefully. I did get over it eventually.

[anony.miss]

 

Quote

I don't have as many as that, either!

They were on sale : ) I also have them in the bottom of an old hutch & I haven't had to get down on my knees, arm reaching all the way in, blindly feeling for something in the back since they went in. (Our sweet dog is bummed, though - she used to come running the minute I hit the ground  - "I love this game! I love this game! Why don't we play this every day?")

 

Edited Saturday at 05:40 AM by anony.miss

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, anony.miss said:

They were on sale : ) 

I get mine and all my kitchen storage bins at Ocean State Job Lot. Like these for $3.99. They also have ones with lids:

https://www.oceanstatejoblot.com/kitchen-storage-and-organization/large-clear-plastic-fridge-bin-8-x-14-5-x-4/157891

I've also gotten similar stuff at Home Goods but Ocean State even beats them!

I am bummed that Big Lots is no more because they also had some decent kitchen stuff cheap.

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Same thing with the pressure cooker. My grandmother had one of the old stovetop variety that could blow up if not used properly. Of course she used to tell horror stories about people she knew that had to scrape food off of their ceilings because their lid blew off the cooker. So I was always petrified of them. I was even petrified when I first got my Instant Pot even though I knew it was very safe if you followed the instructions carefully. I did get over it eventually.

Me, too!  My mother used to can things every fall with a stovetop pressure cooker.  Just hearing that pressure cooker rattle would send me running to another room.  I'm very respectful of the steam sterilizer (autoclave) I use at work, too.

[Browncoat]

I was at the grocery store this morning, where there was an individual who was oh-so-careful to use reusable shopping bags for all her purchases. Which is great, right?  But most of her purchases were produce -- bell peppers, broccoli, etc -- and each individual item was in a plastic bag.  She had 10-12 plastic bags of produce that she carefully packed in her reusable bags.  I mean, do you really need a plastic bag for one bell pepper?  One head of broccoli?  And if you're going to have that many plastic bags for your produce, what is the point of the reusable bags?

[PRgal]

16 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I was at the grocery store this morning, where there was an individual who was oh-so-careful to use reusable shopping bags for all her purchases. Which is great, right?  But most of her purchases were produce -- bell peppers, broccoli, etc -- and each individual item was in a plastic bag.  She had 10-12 plastic bags of produce that she carefully packed in her reusable bags.  I mean, do you really need a plastic bag for one bell pepper?  One head of broccoli?  And if you're going to have that many plastic bags for your produce, what is the point of the reusable bags?

I guess she forgot her own reusable produce bags.  I don't use produce bags for things like apples and bell pepper.  I DO for leafy greens.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

Because my Desi wardrobe has increased along with more sweaters and casual wear, I got me a new bureau chest! The top drawer has a built-in velvet jewelry insert for necklaces, bracelets and I can also put extra make up stuff/brushes there too! It’s real putty! See!

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I was at the grocery store this morning, where there was an individual who was oh-so-careful to use reusable shopping bags for all her purchases. Which is great, right?  But most of her purchases were produce -- bell peppers, broccoli, etc -- and each individual item was in a plastic bag.  She had 10-12 plastic bags of produce that she carefully packed in her reusable bags.  I mean, do you really need a plastic bag for one bell pepper?  One head of broccoli?  And if you're going to have that many plastic bags for your produce, what is the point of the reusable bags?

I can only speak for my household, but produce bags are ideal for kitty litter disposal. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

22 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can only speak for my household, but produce bags are ideal for kitty litter disposal. 

I also use them when making my eggplant dish-Baingan Bharta -I put the eggplant in the bag and nuke it for 10 minutes. This makes it easy for me to peel the skin off as the recipe/dish is supposed to be cooked without the skin. Also when I need to crush graham crackers for a crust-cleaner and less messy.

Edited 8 hours ago by GHScorpiosRule

[Browncoat]

It just seems to incongruous to use reusable bags and then so much plastic.  If you're going to use the plastic bags for kitty litter, just get the store bags, too.  Our stores don't charge for them.

[Bastet]

I have reusable mesh produce bags, but a lot of things I leave loose.  I mostly just use the bags for herbs and greens.  If I have a lot of something, I'll use a bag, especially if it's sold by weight, so the checker can easier position it on the scale.  For example, limes.  Sometimes they're by piece, sometimes by weight.  If they're sold per pound, and I buy four, I just leave them loose -- four lines can easily be set on the scale.  But if I have a dozen, I put them in a bag, because loose they'd be rolling off as the checker tried to make them all fit.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

It just seems to incongruous to use reusable bags and then so much plastic.  If you're going to use the plastic bags for kitty litter, just get the store bags, too.  Our stores don't charge for them.

Since we're in Chit Chat (and not Peeves), I'll say that it's not incongruous for me.  I normally bring my own "big" bags, but I have no problem using their produce bags since for me they're so easily reusable (and prevent me from buying new bags for my trash/litter).  Some produce is fine without a bag, but a lot of times it's damp from the misters, or has bits and pieces flaking off, or I just want to protect it a little bit from everything else (especially if I'm not the one doing the bagging).

[Anela]

I leave a lot of things loose, too. I just group them together, in the cart. 

[Browncoat]

Oh, I'm not averse to using plastic produce bags for leafy things or damp things, but if I'm getting cucumbers or fruit or even peppers or broccoli, I leave all that loose.  I do make sure to group like things together at the register, of course, but imo, a plastic bag isn't necessary for a single bell pepper.  

[Absolom]

5 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

I can only speak for my household, but produce bags are ideal for kitty litter disposal. 

I don't have much trash so I use them as trash bags.

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Our stores don't charge for them.

Ours do, by law.

Edited Yest. at 03:01 AM by Absolom

[Calvada]

My mom had a wringer washer, which was her mother's, so I don't know when it was purchased.  I have very vague memories of her making sure my siblings and I didn't get our fingers anywhere near it.  I can remember her putting diapers through it.  She had a kid or two in diapers for about 15 years.  We upgraded to a Kenmore washer and dryer in the mid 1960's and Mom thought she had died and gone to heaven.  Our family was more than 10 people, so just imagine how many loads were done per week.  That washer and dryer lasted 26 years.  Now you're lucky if you get 10 years out of a washer or dryer.  Of course, the dryer was barely used for at least half the year.  We always hung clothes out on the line.  I can't remember a backyard in our neighborhood that didn't have a clothesline.  

My grandparents bought a chest freezer in 1949 or 1950, which was brought to my parents' home when it was built in the mid 1950's, which is when my grandparents moved in with them.  That freezer was still in the basement working just fine when my mom sold the house in 2015.  It probably wasn't the most energy efficient but it never had any maintenance issues.  

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Since we're in Chit Chat (and not Peeves), I'll say that it's not incongruous for me.  I normally bring my own "big" bags, but I have no problem using their produce bags since for me they're so easily reusable (and prevent me from buying new bags for my trash/litter).  Some produce is fine without a bag, but a lot of times it's damp from the misters, or has bits and pieces flaking off, or I just want to protect it a little bit from everything else (especially if I'm not the one doing the bagging).

I do the same. I reuse plastic produce bags over and over again. When I bring home bagels in a paper bag I transfer them to a plastic one because it keeps them fresher. I also use them for "Shake and Bake" and other food prep. things. Also, I am still using supermarket plastic grocery bags I saved from years ago for a lot of things including more groceries. And I use those over and over again too. 

And I agree about protecting the produce.

[Anela]

I’m not feeling well, so I just shut everything out for a while, and have been watching a movie.  I’ve been missing my mum so much tonight, though.  

Edited 22 hours ago by Anela

[Dimity]

10 hours ago, Anela said:

I’m not feeling well, so I just shut everything out for a while, and have been watching a movie.  I’ve been missing my mum so much tonight, though.  

I lost my Mom two years ago and I know exactly what you mean.  I miss her for many reasons and she often comes to mind (sometimes for what seems like no reason at all) but I really miss her when I am feeling down and especially if I am feeling unwell.  I had a back injury last spring and it was so bad I was literally crying with the pain, but at one point I was also crying because I wanted my mother so badly.

I've read about soldiers, big tough guys, crying out for their mothers when they were afraid or in pain.  I totally believe that happens.

[annzeepark914]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I do the same. I reuse plastic produce bags over and over again. When I bring home bagels in a paper bag I transfer them to a plastic one because it keeps them fresher. I also use them for "Shake and Bake" and other food prep. things. 

Shake and Bake. I'm now remembering the commercial for this product. Two kids were featured, who were using the product (alongside their mom). They said, in unison: "Shiike 'n' biike, and we hiilped". When I moved down to NC, I eventually heard people talk this way while working on a project in New Bern. If one travels even farther east in NC, one hears the "hoigh toiders". I guess these old accents came from English settlers in the coastal areas.