July 9, 2007

• Monday Memories

  What ever happened to sturdily made things?  I'm talking about things from when planes were planes and men were men!  You know?  Basics. 

  I'm assuming everything had something functionally wrong with it or something dangerous about it, and it now must be made with plastic and not made to last.

  I was thinking about the doll crib I had as a child.  It was wooden, painted pink, and one side had a drop rail - just like a real crib.  Some of my friend's doll cribs were made the same way but stained in maple.  All I can find now is plastic doll beds.  Did the old ones have lead paint?  Why did the design have to be changed to unrealistic plastic instead of the manufacturer using a safer paint?  Real cribs still look the same today.  And, although the rungs in the railing may be closer together, they certainly aren't made from molded plastic.

  That brings me to my next question about small appliances.  Recently, I became the proud owner of a waffle iron/griddle made in the 1960's.  The newest thing about it was the Teflon coated plates.  I had to buy one because my plastic Belgium wafflemaker quit heating.  I think I used it a dozen times before it broke.  It was "pretty," but definitely not made well.

  I also received a food processor this last Christmas.  The plastic donut in the middle of the shredding blade cracked into a million pieces last month and the manufacturer kindly sent me a new blade for free, since I had just received the processor at Christmas time.  This week, when I put the new blade on the plastic post, it wouldn't fit.  More careful examination revealed the post had also split & cracked.  I've only used this appliance to shred cheddar cheese for about six months.  Now it's requiring MORE parts.  Sigh!

  The tall candlestick lamps on our nightstands keep tipping over.  I figured out the "carved metal" base is actually a light weight resin material - making the lamp top heavy.  The bulb and the cloth shade are heavier than the base!  Who thinks up these designs???

  Sewing machines.  I have the machine my mother got married with in 1950.  Heavy as all get out.  No buttonhole attachment.  I bought a used machine in 1990 that was also "heavy metal" and has held up very well.  I've been looking at newer machines (in my price range) and they are all plastic shells and many parts inside are plastic!  I'm JUST a little gun shy!

  I'm glad buttons are plastic and dry clean & machine washable, now.

  I'm glad iron's have full steam and sprayers and don't weigh a ton when ironing my clothes.

  I love my microwave oven and the fact they aren't as heavy as they used to be.  However, I remember when one of our niece's got her first apartment and we set her up with canned foods and basic kitchen pots and dishes.  She mentioned a week later being hungry.  We asked if all of the Spaghettio's were gone.  She claimed she still had them, but didn't have a microwave to cook anything.  I told her to put them in a saucepan on top of the stove and heat them up on med-low.  She didn't know you could do that with Spaghettio's!  From the tone of her voice, I could tell she thought I was brilliant!

  (sigh)

  What ever happened?

   

   

  • 11:15 am
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