Yesterday we were rummaging through some items on a shelf and found a worn journal that contained pages of almost-illegible writing (due to nineteenth-century penmanship combined with natural fading). Some of the pages also contained newspaper clippings from sportsmen's publications, which caused us to again marvel at the Bullis family's dedication to recycling rather than repurchasing.
However, a clipping from FIELD SPORTS titled "Snipe Shooting" caused us to pause and take a second look. We couldn't find a date on the article, but two other clippings designated 1871, so we assumed that this article was about 140 years old, as well. Written by January Searle, it informed readers that "...the snipe is a very difficult bird to kill and if the young sportsman brings one down in twenty shots, he may think of himself no worse off than others...." At this point, we paused to wonder: Is this article "for real" or is it a tongue-in-cheek reference to that age-old practical joke called snipe hunting? We do not know the answer to this. Please let us hear from you, if you do.
Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycling. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, April 9, 2009
NEW ENGLAND FRUGALITY
"USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE IT DO, OR DO WITHOUT.
Western New Yorkers who witnessed the Bullis Family's frugality assumed that it came from their Vermont roots. Whatever the primary source may have been, Nettie and Charlie learned this lifestyle at their father's knee because Abraham Bullis spent his money only on the very necessities of living.
Abraham's children received new clothing only when their old clothes were worn out. Toys were a rarity in the Bullis home, and Abraham never allowed his children to play games unless the games taught them something. He wanted them to think for themselves and be creative. Obviously, he accomplished his child-rearing goals because Nettie and Charlie were known for their independent, creative thinking. And they both followed their father's conservative lifestyle.
Nettie and Charlie both maintained simple diets during their lives. Charlie's favorite food was dry cereal and peanut butter/brown-sugar sandwiches while Nettie, it is recorded, routinely stopped by a grocery store on her evening trip home from work to buy two slices of bologna, sometimes bread, and a pint bottle of milk for her supper. Charlie also made the rounds of Rochester bakeries for stale breads, which he soaked in warm water to make edible.
Both dressed quite simply, making-do with the same clothing year after year. Nettie's style of dress was businesslike and always neat, but with few changes over the years.
Charlie was into recycling long before anyone else knew the word. He used dry cereal boxes to make filing cases for his business papers and made-do with only one light for his illumination in the nighttime hours. To conserve heat, he sat directly over the heat register in a chair fashioned out of a large cardboard box, with a light bulb for additional heat.
We may smile and roll our eyes at the idea of some of these frugal behaviors. However, today as we raise concerns about our carbon footprints and worsening global economy, perhaps we would be wise to take another look at some of Charlie's and Nettie's frugal ways.
Western New Yorkers who witnessed the Bullis Family's frugality assumed that it came from their Vermont roots. Whatever the primary source may have been, Nettie and Charlie learned this lifestyle at their father's knee because Abraham Bullis spent his money only on the very necessities of living.
Abraham's children received new clothing only when their old clothes were worn out. Toys were a rarity in the Bullis home, and Abraham never allowed his children to play games unless the games taught them something. He wanted them to think for themselves and be creative. Obviously, he accomplished his child-rearing goals because Nettie and Charlie were known for their independent, creative thinking. And they both followed their father's conservative lifestyle.
Nettie and Charlie both maintained simple diets during their lives. Charlie's favorite food was dry cereal and peanut butter/brown-sugar sandwiches while Nettie, it is recorded, routinely stopped by a grocery store on her evening trip home from work to buy two slices of bologna, sometimes bread, and a pint bottle of milk for her supper. Charlie also made the rounds of Rochester bakeries for stale breads, which he soaked in warm water to make edible.
Both dressed quite simply, making-do with the same clothing year after year. Nettie's style of dress was businesslike and always neat, but with few changes over the years.
Charlie was into recycling long before anyone else knew the word. He used dry cereal boxes to make filing cases for his business papers and made-do with only one light for his illumination in the nighttime hours. To conserve heat, he sat directly over the heat register in a chair fashioned out of a large cardboard box, with a light bulb for additional heat.
We may smile and roll our eyes at the idea of some of these frugal behaviors. However, today as we raise concerns about our carbon footprints and worsening global economy, perhaps we would be wise to take another look at some of Charlie's and Nettie's frugal ways.
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