Things old ladies do...

[Trekker4747]

Speak at inaudible levels and expect to get quick and quality customer service?

[RoJoHen]

Kirby wrote:

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So I guess don't sell your mom short, she may come through for you down the road.

She better. *shakes fist*

[Tora Ziyal]

Locutus of Bored wrote:

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I never see anyone leaving out fancy glass candy dishes full of ribbon candy, Werther's Originals, and after-dinner mints on their coffee tables for the grandkids to raid any more, which gives me a sad. That's like Grandma-ing 101.

My grandmother's version was those fruit-slice-shaped jelly candies.

Something else that I don't see many women doing any more is sewing. My grandmother made virtually all her own clothes and my mother's, while she was growing up. Then my mother made a lot of hers and some of mine, though she sewed less and less as good clothing became available at discount (like at Loehmann's for those of you who know what that is). But neither of them worked outside the home, so they had the time.

[RoJoHen]

Well, since most women are out in the workplace these days, it stands to reason that these "at home" jobs/hobbies that used to be commonplace would fall by the wayside.

[Tora Ziyal]

^Exactly. Though, like a couple other people mentioned, knitting is quite popular right now. But that's something you can carry with you, do at meetings, and so on, not like sewing. BTW, I do have an afghan that I made in the early 70's, and I still use it occasionally.

[T'Girl]

Cookies.

One night a boyfriend and I were watching TV and eating chocolate chips out of a small bowl. He mention that he liked chocolate chip cookies, being a good girlfriend I said I'd make him some, excused myself, went into the kitchen and quietly called my grandmother on the phone to talk me through the process.

[auntiehill]

My Mom is amazing. When I was a kid, she could:
sew
knit
crochet
maintain a vegetable garden
cook a gourmet dinner at a moment's notice
bake any dessert
change the oil in her car
administer first aid
clean and cook fish
clean, butcher and cook a deer (yes, a deer)
draw architectural blueprints
do basic electrical work
produce an elementary school's yearbook
learn American Sign Language
work as a nurse
work as a librarian
work as a forest ranger
beat cancer
beat TB
survive a hit and run that crushed her pelvis and thigh
raise three girls without attempting to kill them in their teen years
survive being married to my dad for over 60 years.

Me? I'm totally fucking useless. I've managed to get a few recipes from Mom but my hubby has cooked them more than I have. I can barely sew on a button. I don't even own a sewing machine. I kill every plant, my cooking sucks ASS, and have no special skill or talent whatsoever.

[RoJoHen]

auntiehill wrote:

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Me? I'm totally fucking useless. I've managed to get a few recipes from Mom but my hubby has cooked them more than I have. I can barely sew on a button. I don't even own a sewing machine. I kill every plant, my cooking sucks ASS, and have no special skill or talent whatsoever.

You must be great in job interviews.

[auntiehill]

^Hence why I work at my home office.

[Grey]

I crochet and cookie-bomb everyone.

Now I'm the one crocheting little things for the 70-90 aged generation in my family, as they've given it up.

[Gul Re'jal]

My grandma had taught me how to knit, but I forgot since (I was a teenager and now, well, I'm not). Though, I had my own self-made scarf and pillow
I also used to watch my mum using sawing machine when I was little and I guess I could saw something if I had one too.

Life circumstances forced me to learn how to fix pipes, toilet flushing pump, change electric socket and other "manly" things, some of those thanks to watching my dad doing or fixing homey things. And putting IKEA furniture together is fun for me

[mari]

I crochet, and have for about 25 years (in my early 30s now)... rarely afghans, because I don't have the patience for a large project, but I make purses and baby clothes and stuffed animals and hats. Lots and lots of hats. I vaguely know how to knit, and I sew a lot even though I suck at it. Getting better though. Small things, baby things, purse linings. And I can do lots of home improvement things - laid a subfloor once, replaced a kitchen faucet. Fun times!

[Hunter X]

My wife crochets and cans (jams, jellies, pickles). My sister crochets, knits and keeps bees. My mom quilts. So I don't really have a sense that these abilities are dying, don't you worry.

I even(!) have a male friend who crochets quite well, since there's no reason a guy can't learn to do this stuff either. I'd like to be able to garden, if I ever have a space to garden in, and I can bake a pretty good loaf of bread (something one of my grandma's has never done by her own admission, actually).

[Spot's Meow]

I must be very old lady-like, I crochet and bake cookies all the time. Actually, as others have mentioned, you'd be surprised by how many 20-somethings enjoy crocheting nowadays. I'm making an afghan right now RojoHen, though I don't know who for. It's taking forever since I work full time now, but I usually find time to crochet on the weekends while watching TV.

Sewing is something that I really see dying out. I don't know many people who can sew, myself included. Many clothes are cheap enough that it's just easier to buy a new whatever instead of mending your old one, and I can't even imagine having the time to sew whole new items.

[Grey]

Spot's Meow wrote:

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Many clothes are cheap enough that it's just easier to buy a new whatever instead of mending your old one, and I can't even imagine having the time to sew whole new items.

Actually, that's part of my issue! I have yet to sit down and crochet a whole afghan mostly because it just isn't that cost effective. You really need to buy all the yarn up front (to be sure the dye lots are the same and the color will be consistent throughout) and it's just...cheaper to buy a blanket or a sweater than to make one a lot of the time.

I really love cooking and baking but its discouraging to see how frozen, pre-packaged, or processed foods and ingredients are often cheaper than buying the fresh ingredients to make a dish from scratch. It used to be that making things yourself, whether food, clothes, or otherwise was economical. Now it's something I have to set aside because I can't afford the supplies a lot of the time!