Saturday, November 19, 2016

Not extinct yet, thank you (Do-Vember #19)

Do-Vember
Some things that come up on Pinterest lead to other interesting links, and often those are the ones that make me scratch my head.

Like this list of things that supposedly are on the almost-extinct or quite-endangered list in the "typical" 21st century home.

The list starts with:
  • pianos (they obviously haven't met many homeschoolers)
  • fax machines
  • answering machines
  • phone books
and goes on through some-people still have-them such as:
  • alarm clocks
  • desktop computers
  • incandescent light bulbs
  • landline phones
and
  • memo pads
  • bar soap
  • sewing machines (they obviously don't know about Sew Mama Sew)

I suppose it just depends where you live and what you do, and who your friends are and what they have in their houses. Having grown up in the '60's through the '80''s, there are things that I remember being in "everybody's" house back then but don't see now: ash trays (large and small) in the living room, cable T.V. boxes wired to the (usually floor-model) T.V., floor lamps with three bulbs, step-stools, chord organs, and spring-loaded phone directories.
Also certain kinds of baby gear you don't see now (usually involving bouncing, rocking, swinging, or bottle-heating). And plastic seat covers on some people's living room furniture (yes, that was a thing).

However, I know plenty of people who own and use landline phones, sewing machines, and bar soap, among other things. If you climb up to our Treehouse, you will find a number of other curiosities such as vintage radios (including CB's) and an electric coffee percolator. And paper newspapers, magazines, and books.

Yes, the world is changing. But very little of that list has entirely disappeared from North American homes. Except maybe for phone books. Do you still get one where you live?

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