Earth Day, What did your Ancestors say?

Earth Day, What did your ancestors say for us to have an Earth Day.

How often have you read a census page and the description of the head of household said, "farmer"?

How often have  you checked to see what they really did besides farming to put food on the table and feed themselves during the winter months?

Family always said we come from a long line of farming people.  But when putting meat on the bones of those people, farming was a way of life but not their livelihood.

Today, we go to the store for milk, butter, eggs and food. At least most of the people whom live in large cities do this steadily. I remember a child coming home and had said he heard that milk came from  a container from the grocery store.  Well, he knew different because he had milked a cow, by hand and later learned by machine(when older).

I took a picture to school showing the class the cow he had milked. Yes, this was the 1960's.

Unless you have a roof top garden in the city few people can grow any vegetables or fruit. Thankfully today I think more are aware of what little space it takes to help grow a portion of your own food.

The Indians preserved our earth probably the best of most humans. Their lives depended on it to much to litter it, destroy it or abuse it.

So go back to 1700, few stores, that mostly held staples, ie sugar, flour and molasses, salt, and
maybe other items besides leather and cloth even existed. It was all made at home if possible.

So Earth Day represents the Lawyer who tended his crops for food and then carried out a business for a certain amount of hours a day. Even our government officials of the days of old really worked, not like today. They knew what the meaning of work was.

Having found an ancestor who built a new style stairs still in use today,  & he built (with help from neighbors) bridges, churches, and schools.  He was truly an Engineer but he called himself a Farmer.

He helped many master little learned ideas to make the buildings and bridges safer.

Earth Day is to remind us we have a ground to save and water to use appropriately and not necessarily lavishly.

Earth Day reminds me, that I wish I could find a Wringer Washer because then I could have a lawn and not be wasting water.  Lawns do help filter the pollutants in the air when dealing with allergies as do trees and shrubs and other plants.

A wringer washer could save our day.  The Wash water was used more than once. It was then sent down the drain.  The rinsewater then became the washwater.   If lucky you  only had to refill the tubs twice and the rinse waters all went out to the grass, lawn, garden or saved for later use. Generally never more than a day. The only water that went to the sewer was the wash water for safety purposes.

 Stating this in the 1990's I said houses need replumbed and certain water dumped should have been recycled to our yards and car washing and window washing etc.

Having recycled water several years ago when we had a water shortage.  Almost all of my rinse water went to the outside for use. Yes, I used the right detergent and I kept my yard neat.

Having hauled water in a milk can in a wagon from our distant well to the house many summers taught me early to not let water run, rampant. Dishwashers can use way to much water if you do not
set them right. But you also have to care for the dirty dishes correctly.

Do not overload a washer but be observant of what you wash. Do not run the washer for two things, think first, it may be your next glass of water that you just let run down the drain.

So remember just because it said farmer does not mean they did not actually have a different job.
Many of them did at least until about the 1940's and 1950's.

Reminds me of Mr. Gallentine when the Frenchman went looking for him. He was plowing a field and our esteemed French guest was stunned he did his own work.  Now do you know whom that was?

We are good people but we have to go back to being thrifty observant people again.