Give me back time

The good old days. Now were they that good? No doubt there are some good memories about what was going on in days gone by. Yes, there are things that I miss. I miss going to the well for water. At that well you could hear all the news and know what was going on in the community.

But today it's all different. Now all we have to do is turn on a tap and the water flows out. We don't have to heat the water on the stove for washing dishes. We can get in the bathtub and soak the aches and pain out of our bones. But best of all, is the indoor toilet. No more going to the outhouse in the cold. We don't have to sit on a daftly hole and freeze our rear ends, while trying to answer the call of nature. And we don't have to use the roughest kind of paper for the wiping job. Now we have nice soft toilet paper, which can do the job with tender loving care.

Of course, the sewer line can plug up. The toilet can overflow. The hot water tank can spring a leak and the facet can give out. Then there is the water. Is it safe to drink? I say it is because my dog drinks it all the time.

But even with all this, it is still better than lowering a tiny can down in the well, just to get some water to drink. Today we have a plunder for the toilet. Years ago we had a long stick with a can on the end of it. This was use to dip water from the well in the winter. We couldn't use a plunder in the outhouse, so lime had to be used.

We say that our water is not fit to drink. Well buddy, you should have seen some of the water that we use to drink. It was coffee colour, and, as powerful as he is, not even God knows what else was mixed with it.

I say, today we should be thankful for what we have. We live in a heated house. We get up in the morning to a nice warm house. When I was growing up, the only source of heat was the kitchen. But even then, that stove had to be out before we went to bed. In the winter, when we got out of bed it was a battle for survival. We broke speed records getting our clothes on, and making that short dash to the kitchen.

Back then most had big families. Today, we blame the birth control pill for lack of babies. It is not that. You see, husbands and wives are further apart, even during the cold winter nights. But back in the old days, the closer they got on a cold winter's night, the better it was. No wonder there was plenty of babies.

Today, we are bitching and bawling about the high cost of living. When we look back, there weren't many taxes to pay. We only had to come up with a bit of money for oil for the lamps. Oh yes, we had to spare a bit for a deck of cards. Now this might be the tool of the Devil, but it saved many a person's sanity. But just in case the Devil was after us, we had a bit for the church. We had two lots of clothes. One for the week and one for Sunday. Most of our grub came from the land and the sea except things like flour, milk, and tea.

And I drank tea that came from the land. Yep, you don't have to believe me, but plants tea is made from do grow on the Rock.

Now look at today. Everything costs a fortune. For some there is rent. Then there are payments on a house, and on a car or truck. Then there is the snowmobile, and the all-terrain vehicle. On top of this, the cost of hydro and the phone, along with the television, computer, mp3 players, and a lot of other junk. Then there is the wasteful list, break-open tickets, lotto tickets, scratch ticket and the slot machines in the clubs. On top of all that, is our number one murder weapon - tobacco and tobacco products. And I didn't forget the booze and taxes.

If it wasn't for the outdoor toilet and lugging water from the well, I vote to go back to the old days.