Oil cloth, waxed paper, “knock around clothes,� peeling patches, don’t tip the boss and repairing stuff; if you know what this list is about, then you are from an earlier generation.
Oil cloth was used primarily for covering school books in my universe. It was waterproof. The name is deceptive. It is not oily. Oil cloth was a rubberized material with a cloth lining.
Mom used it as a washable tablecloth and rain coats were made out of it, the kind that made you sweat when you wore them during a warm summer rain. They came with that funny headgear like the guy on the Gorton frozen fish box wears.
Waxed paper was what you wrapped your food in to keep it (relatively) fresh. In theory, it was waterproof, but given enough time it would soak through. The wax sometimes made your sandwich taste funny.
“Knock around clothes� were something that my father was very big on. He was from the generation that survived the Depression and the idea was to get every last inch of wear out of your clothes. They sewed patches on worn spots, darned holes in socks and wore old, worn clothing for daily tasks, saving the good stuff for special occasions, like visiting relatives. Extended use was more important than looking cool.
Peeling patches were those iron-on patches that they came out with in the early ’50s. You just ironed them onto clothing. The heat of the iron activated some kind of glue that stuck them in place. They did not stay stuck on. The edges would begin to peel after a while and kids, being who they are, would pick at them until they were off. On the weekends, Dad and I sported all the sartorial splendor of a couple of hobos.
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“Don’t tip the boss� was something I first learned in the barber shop. My dad explained to me that the boss, the one at the first chair, gets the profits from the business and did not need tips like the guys who worked the other chairs. Depression Dad always tried to get the boss for his haircut. In an effort to work the clientele for tips, most barbers had a racy calendar directly in your line of vision when you sat in their chair.
Back in those days they actually repaired stuff with parts. We did not just throw it away and buy a new one, especially not shoes. People made a living repairing things. Nowadays it is all about “cost efficiency.� It is not worth our time to repair; throw it in the dump and buy new. Of course this presupposes a never-ending supply of raw materials.
Oh, oh.
Bill Abrams, along with his days-gone-by memories, resides in Pine Plains.
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