Make Do and Mend
I have had these duck cup measures since I was ten.
Rosy did a splendid job of mending Mama Duck for me.
The ability to make do and mend is a superpower that will help to save the planet by preventing the resource depletion that is currently threatening so many habitats and ecosystems. In the New World Order instituted by me, Benevolent Dictator of Earth, those who choose not to go out and buy new things, but instead just make do with their old things, will be awarded medals. People who can fix and mend things will be accorded superhero status. Capes will be handed out.
Last week Paul noticed a fraying phone charger cord in my car. At least 10cm of the rubber coating had come off which made him shake his head sadly.. he mended it for me in five minutes, with a layer of duct tape and some heat-shrink tubing. Now we can charge our phones in the car without danger of electric shock. Paul actually is a superhero of fixing things, as many electronic engineers/off-grid cabin dwellers are.
In our family we are more try-it-and-see-what-happens types when we attempt to fix things, which is like an apprentice superpower, because you never get to be a superhero without experimentation, right? A few weeks ago Rosy got out the glue to mend her Fitbit and I lined up a queue of other things that needed mending that I had in a box, because I am a procrastinator. So Rosy mended a china stork for me that I had broken when dusting too enthusiastically,
glued on the beak of my duck one-cup measure from the set that my Grandma gave me for Christmas when I was ten, see above, and the glass lamp shade from the bathroom light fitting that I broke the week we moved into this house, nearly two years ago now.
They are all working perfectly again, and so today I actually got the glue out myself and fixed a doodad back onto the thermometer that sits next to the fireplace, and the glass thermometer thingy back into the thermometer that lives in the kitchen. It has been the week for thermometers falling apart.
The name of the glue I am using is Allfix, which I think is a spectacular name for glue. Clearly there is nothing this glue cannot fix for me. I am so happy because there are six things now that I will not need to replace due to the mending powers of glue, duct tape and heat shrink tubing.
Such small things, but added up over a lifetime there is so much that we can manage to not go out and buy just by mending something, or even more simply, by leaving an old thing in place and just re-using it over and over again..
Comments
I love your measuring spoons!
Linda in NZ
Linda, my grandma used to turn collars on shirts! I had completely forgotten. She did one for me once. I shall have to look into that. I can see it would be useful for the girls' school uniforms.. thank you for the reminder!
What a crazy weekend of weather. Did it rain in your part of the country? It has been crazy dry here since the end of January.
The first photo got my attention. Whatever are those ducks used for? They look cool in a Babushka style.
Paul did a top job with the heat shrink repair on the cord. Nice one!
The old school alcohol fuelled thermometers are really good devices which can shrug off power outages with an attitude of indifference! Hey, the one I have here has suffered the same fate too and the glass has not held onto the timber backing.
Chris
The photo is of the baking cup measures my granny gave me for Christmas when I was ten. I believe she got them from the Avon lady. Rosy mended the largest one for me.. I will pop a caption on the photo for future confused people..
For broken thermometers, I can recommend glue.. :)
Something that really irks me are the fasteners used in many electronics (and I have noticed them on my van) that require specialized and expensive tools. By using screws that most people don't have tools for, the manufacturer insures that the products will be thrown out, or returned for expensive repairs.
If I pay for an item, I want to have the right to do whatever I want with it. I want to be able to repair it myself without having to buy tools that I don't already own. They are trying to discourage DIY repairs, and that should be banned by clear thinking people everywhere.
The measuring cups are beautiful, and functional. And to have them for such a long time is special. What a gift!
The process of redeeming anything from being forgotten, neglected and broken... I admire anyone who has a vision for it!
Thank you, Jo.
Anna, yes, mending is a thing that can be done when listening to the radio. Not so much when watching TV.. I like your thinking of putting the broken things where they can't be disregarded. That would annoy me into mending them before the next meal, which is ideal:)