Grandma Tilly - Eco-Warrior or Just Frugal?
My dad had three sisters, all of which had 2 children each. Grandma and grandpa Hall were usually booked solid when it came to babysitting duties. Since my mother was an only child, my maternal grandmother was the primary babysitter for our side of the family. Grandma Van Driel (Takla Van Driel and her friends called her Tilly) had a huge influence on the sister and me.
As I look back at our time together, I can see how her lessons molded me into the Eco-friendly being that I am today. Of course there were no "tree huggers' back then. Most people probably thought of her in one of two ways; either sensible or cheap.
I am fascinated at how old ideas reinvent themselves and get repackaged and reintroduced as something else. Some of the things she did would be considered revolutionary these 40 years later!
Here are a few that immediately come to mind:
Reusing - Since there really was no recycling program offered publicly, she carried on with her own programs. Paper grocery bags were neatly folded, stored, and taken back to the market on her next visit to serve a second tour of duty with her weekly shopping. It was not unusual for her bag to be used dozens of times before bursting at the seams and being retired to drawing paper for me and my sister.
Repurposing household items - Jelly jars became water glasses and baby food jars became storage containers. I don't think she ever threw out a glass bottle of any kind. If there was a deposit then she took it back to collect it. If not, then it was repurposed to serve a second life as some useful object in the house.
Recycling - When I was in grade school there was a yearly paper drive. The winning classroom won an ice cream party. My grandmas garage was always filled with perfectly stacked newspapers that were all bundled and tied with twine. My class never lost!
Conservation - My grandma could save water like nobody I have ever known. We were taught to turn off the water while brushing our teeth long before there were radio ads telling us to. My least favorite was that she would only allow us to put about4 inches of warm water in the bath tub! Sure we got clean but I was more into the Jacuzzi experience of a full tub!
The craziest lesson grandma ever taught me was to use my hands to squeegee my skin off after a bath or shower before using the towel to dry off. I have no idea what she was trying to save but the towels dried much faster on the rod. I was inspired to write this post as I squeegee'd myself dry this morning before toweling off. Hey, some things just stick with you!
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