Grandma’s Rant

Warning!

If you came here looking for purty pic-tures of flowers, you had better move on. There is a bee in my bonnet, whatever that type of headgear is. I thought it was what the Brits call the hood of their cars. As usual, this bee has been spurred by television commercials in particular and a certain mindset noticed on the world wide web as well. It has to do with something they are trying to sell being referred to as …not your grandma’s (insert product name here). As though something that had once belonged to one’s grandmother was of less value than things being produced today. The stuff I have inherited from both of my dearly departed grandmothers is made of better materials than anything coming over from the vastness of mainland China today, and made with craftmanship not affordable by most today, either. Why can’t those whose vast years of living has taught them a wisdom not found in any other way be revered rather than ridiculed? Has one of these young whippersnappers discovered the fountain of youth? A way to not age with the passage of each ticking second of the clock? It will happen to us all, that grey hair, the laugh lines, accumulated knowledge.

Oh, they aren’t talking about MY grandmother? They are talking about ME! And my generation, you know, the baby boomers. That great wad of humanity that was born after the end of the second world war when soldiers came home and found plenty of jobs, reasonable housing prices and affordable loans to buy them and maybe even a car and television set. Many families even had a stay at home mom who took care of the house, the kids and cooked the meals. It was the way I grew up, as a child of that era and the memories of it are fond ones. It is vastly different today, for sure.

But really, why are sponsors insulting us? Is it because those with life experience have already chosen their brands and will remain loyal to them? Is it because all we represent in the marketplace is as buyers of pharmaceuticals and adult diapers, as noted by the vast majority of ads on the nightly news programs? Or is it because the wisdom that comes with years of living has taught us not to jump on board just because something is New and Improved? We are not an easy sell with flashy graphics and/or humorous pratfalls. We want quality at a reasonable price. Doesn’t everyone?

Let’s talk about gardening, then. My grandmothers were both gardeners, but in a much different way than those of today, including myself. Or was it? They passed along cuttings and divisions to friends and neighbors of their best plants. They grew vegetables from saved seed or seed from the hardware store that was sold by weight, measured out into a brown paper sack. There were mail order seed catalogs that were savored over the winter whilst they planned and dreamt of the perfect garden for the following season. Oh, wait. We still do that one, and our favorite seed catalog is a throwback to the days of old, too. They were not inundated with the latest and greatest named variety of a plant that seems more like an oddity than an improvement. They didn’t know about trends in plants. Depression era grandmas excelled at pinching pennies in every aspect of their lives. Making do, repairing and reusing any and all items was their way of life. Those lessons would help lots of young folks get by a little easier today, don’t you agree? So why dis the grandmas?

So next time television or anyone looks down their noses at their elders, maybe speak up for the values and knowledge that a longer lifetime of living has earned. We know stuff.

I just felt the need to get that off the brainwaves, back to regular garden photo programming soon. Whew, I feel better now.

Frances