Although I have few material possessions, the ones that I do own get used until they are used up. My clothes would be a good example. Once they are threadbare, it's time to make a journey to the local thrift store, and shop for a "new" replacement. Mind you, I do hold the line at underwear and socks. Thankfully, every thrift store I've been too bar one, in Parksville BC, don't sell recycled underwear and socks. These two items I purchase new, however they get the same treatment as the rest of my wardrobe. In other words, by the time I'm finished with them, they're ready for the garbage bin.
This past week I had to purchase a new item. It didn't have anything to do with clothing however. Here it is:
In my on going attempt to live a frugal life, when I was browsing the store's cooler, I zeroed in on the cheapest bottle of water. And lo and behold, the cheapest appears to be the "smartest" water as well.
Why was I buying a new bottle of water? That's easy. When I was out for my morning bike ride one day last week, the water bottle that I did have, bounced out of the water holder on the bike, crashed to the ground, and as a result, the top broke off. Bummer!!! I had had that particular bottle for probably the better part of a year, if not an entire year. It got the same treatment as my clothing. Use it until it's used up. The broken top ended it's useful life, and now I have SMARTWATER. Silly me, all these years on planet earth, and I thought that there was only water, the miracle combination of two hydrogen molecules combined with a single oxygen molecule to give us this precious life sustaining liquid. As I was curious to know what special ingredients this SmartWater had, I decided to read the back of the label when I returned home.
It's somewhat blurry, so I'll write the words out in full:
"clouds get a bad rap. they are the unsung heroes because they contain nature's purest source of water. that's why we copied our puffy white friends to create pure, vapor-distilled smartwater. but we one-up the clouds by adding electrolytes. it's a difference you can taste...unless you like the taste of stuff that comes from underground (like spring water).
Well that it explains it. The Smartwater people have one-uped the clouds. How's that for the hubris of humans? We can even improve on the clouds. Amazing! And ugh, you sure wouldn't want to drink the "stuff" that comes from underground, water that may have been there for thousands if not millions of years. Perhaps the smartwater people have a point, especially if you think about the many, many places in the USA, and other places around the world where waste water from fracking for natural gas gets pumped back into these pristine underground aquifers and contaminates them. The chemical "soup" that makes up this wastewater is a trade secret, thanks to Dick Cheney and some legislation that has come to be known as the Halliburton loophole. It's legal don't you know.
I walked out to the parking lot and decided right then and there to taste my new smartwater, and it's a good thing that I did, because I couldn't figure out how to open the cap. Isn't that always the way, once we get used to a certain way to do things, xyz company decides for whatever reason to change the rules. So there I am, standing in the hot sun, and getting more frustrated by the second with this damn cap. Finally I decide to go back into the store to get the assistance of the person behind the counter. He appears to be the age of a millennial, so no doubt he'll be able to figure this cap out. I sheepishly ask, "How do I open this cap?" He looks at me like I've just arrived from another planet, takes the water bottle, and with a flick of his thumb, he has solved the problem. Red-faced, I thank him for his assistance and hastily leave the store.
Here is a photo of the cap:
When I see it close up, it's easy to tell where the small plastic strip that caused all my grief, was located. It couldn't be more than maybe a half inch long at the very most, and extremely thin. When a 60 something baby boomer stares at the cap, while standing in the store parking lot, and without his reading glasses handy, it was just one big plastic blur. Saved by a millennial.
In other news, it's been a good week for apples. There is an abandoned property close to town, and I found out from a local that has a framing shop across the highway from the property that there is no one living there any longer. There is a wonderful apple tree in the yard, chock full of ripening apples. I hate to see good fruit go to waste, so I grabbed a kitchen ladder, made an apple picking tool out of a length of bamboo, an old sunmaid raisin container, and duck tape, and headed out to do some picking.
The job only took about 15 minutes, and I had plenty of apples. This was actually my second visit to the tree. The first time was with my friend Mary, when she came over for a visit from Bellingham, however we didn't have the special apple picking tool, so all those big sweet apples near the top of the tree were out of reach. Not any more though. As a thank you, I returned to the framing store the next day and gave the lady a bag full of apples. She was delighted, and it felt good to share them around.
The Apple Picking Tool
Arriving home I decided to put the apples on the counter so that I could take a photo.
And there's plenty more where these came from. In fact, as I write today's blog, most of these apples have been washed, cored and sliced up, and are now sitting in freezer bags in my friend's freezer. Last night I went back for the third visit to the tree, and brought home a similar amount. I love apples, and I usually have two per day. They're especially delicious when picked straight from the tree, and the next best thing is that they're free. The quantity of apples shown in this photo would cost about $50 at today's prices.
Finally for today, let's end with a good old David Bowie tune.
living a life of profound acceptance,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
Ah, a battle with a water bottle!
ReplyDeleteHey Paul,
ReplyDeleteDon't know exactly where you have wandered, but if you have any interest in being in Port Townsend starting mid-Sept (wooden boat festival time) for about a month, we would like to have you here with Petal.
Hilarious! outsmarted by smartwater....
ReplyDelete