I appreciate all the wonderful comments to yesterday's post. I went back and re-read my very first post in which I mentioned inheriting the gypsy gene from my Aunt Artie! Here is a little of that post:
My thoughts this morning have centered around one of my aunts who lived to be in her 80's. When she was in her 70's she traveled around the world, and soon after returning home she bought an old Volkswagon van. She drove that across the country more than once, and her sense of humor, frugality, and her ways in general have been a great source of amusement to my kids. This morning the thought popped into my head that one of my sons has made the comparison a couple of times lately between Aunt Artie and me!
I don't take offense to it because while my siblings and I groan when the subject of Aunt Artie comes up, my kids just loved her to pieces! Actually we all did, but she could be soooo embarassing at times. She was really a gypsy at heart though, and maybe that is how I come by it honestly. But I vow I will never, ever, save used paper towels from a public restroom to wipe the dipstick when I change my oil! This episode still sends my kids into howls and fits of laughter. When my daughter washed her hands and then threw the paper towel into the receptacle, Artie dove in and retrieved it, saying "I save these to use when I check the oil in my van".
One of my brothers, reading this post, commented:
I'll never forget the time Aunt Artie stopped at our house in Redwood City on her way home from the Philippines. She stayed with some nuns for a month or two, and brought the following: six stale dinner rolls, used coffee grounds (she said there was still a good pot of coffee left in there), and (of course) used, dried paper towels.
What can I say except that I don't save paper towels. I don't think I'm anywhere near as eccentric as my aunt, but who knows.
Aunt Artie was an athletic woman and played softball on a Cincinnati Women's League team, playing other league teams as well as traveling to Chicago to play. Sort of like in "A League of Her Own", except I think those girls played hardball. Artie was married at least twice but had no children, so she had to pass on those gypsy genes to someone, and why not me? (This is taken from an old scanned sepia photo, and isn't the clearest of pictures.) Artie was probably in her early 20's in this photo, and lived to be 88 yrs old!
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Now, bout them paper towels. Let's talk bout 'em for a minute. Ya go warsh yer hands, rinse 'em with clean water...yer hands are sparkl'n clean. An' then ya grab holt to a fresh paper towel an' dry 'em. That paper towel ain't nary a bit dirty to be throwed in no dumpster. Ya save that sucker for wip'n grease off'n your hands instead of us'n your pants....or blow'n yer nose. I'm a stickler when it comes to the life expectancy of a paper towel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh tonight, Gypsy. And, to make it even better, Billy Bob had to put in his two cents worth! I sure would like to have a video of some of the times you're going to have with your siblings! What fun!
ReplyDeleteI cheer your Aunt on for her frugal ways. I think they all learned that in the depression, my parents were the same way. I hardly use paper towels at all. I just use rags mostly so I can wash them and use them again. My parents would approve but mine isn't because of cost to me, it's because of the cost to the trees.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have gotten a big kick out of your Aunt what a lady. Old stories are always fun to hear over an over again.
ReplyDeleteI bet she really enjoyed life and squeezed every bit of fun out of it that she could. Not a bad way to live.
ReplyDeleteI had an Aunt that my cousins and I adored. She went to China on a tour when she was in her 80's. She never had any children and my dad was stationed in the town where she lived when I was a baby so I got to be one of her favorites. She was a nurse and owned a business for many years. In the summers I would travel all over North Texas with her. She would give me the map so I was suppose to navigate. I'm sure she knew where she was going but I thought I was really doing something. She lived in Dallas later and I can remember driving half way across town because toothpaste and toilet paper were on sale. She would mix shampoo half and half with water to save money. My parents never went out to eat so when I would stay with her we would go eat Mexican food on Wednesdays. There was a coupon in the newspaper so we always had to order what the coupon was for. She was my mother's sister and they were share croppers growing up. She lent me the money to go to college and I paid her back with interest. I still miss being able to pick up the phone and talk to her.
ReplyDeleteAfter meeting you in person... yup, ... i think you do take after your Aunt Artie!!!!!
ReplyDeleteKarenInTheWoods and Steveio
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In the good old days, there were always characters in our mist. People who marched to their own music, and were fun to be around. Today, it seems, if you do not conform to a predetermined (bland) standard, you are just odd and should be avoided. How sad that is:(
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your Aunt!
ReplyDeleteHow much fun you must of had with her, Maybe the gypsy gene skipped your children's generation but I bet one of your grandchildren will inherit it when they are older.