March 9 - Happy Anniversary, Ellis and Mattie!

My parents have been married for 56 years. They have been "green" their entire lives. Growing up during the Great Depression ingrained it in them. By green, I mean they waste NOTHING. It is not a trend or fad for them. It is not a political statement. It is their way of life. 


I grew up knowing all about what has been introduced as the latest thing in the past few years. Never have I brushed my teeth with the water running. Nor have I ever thrown away anything without using the last shred of it or considering if it could be repurposed. Just today I was filling my pretty liquid dishwashing dispenser and propped up the bottle and left it to be sure every drop dripped out. I wash out my laundry detergent jugs to get every last sud. Yes, I do. Can't help it. 


Mama has never used her dishwasher and does not own a dryer. By choice. Imagine that. Ziplock bags get washed and reused if they're not torn or too badly stained. Rain water is collected in a large drum to water the flowers and some of the garden. Their garden is roughly half an acre and they plant every inch of it. Their two freezers are full after harvest and they feast off of vegetables all year. 


Talk about repurposing. Daddy invented it. Once, an old freezer was turned into an earthworm farm. All the appropriate household waste such as newspapers and coffee filters were reserved for the worms. Since the lake was just down the road Daddy sold cartons of worms to the fishermen. Recycled cartons, of course. It was 100% profit.


I cannot tell you how many stacks of used lumber remnants and rusted tin are in and behind the sheds. And then, there were the hogs they raised. 


Daddy chews half a stick of gum at a time. Never an entire stick. I, too, chew half a stick at a time...even the small Trident sticks. 


You gotta love and respect this kind of conservation. Daddy is almost 90 and Mama just turned 80. They were born before and lived through the Depression and World War II. Daddy was in the Navy. They know a thing or ten about saving. 


Really, I could go on and on and on. What I really intended to say was "Happy Anniversary, Daddy and Mama"! Not that they have internet service or a computer. Or call waiting or caller ID. Or a mobile phone. It's truly a simple life. How divine for them!