Whittling Away with Dick Brooks - Fixers

A long time ago, there were people who fixed things.  They were known by many different names;  repairmen, handymen, blacksmiths, mechanics, do-it-yourselfers, tinkerers--fixers!  When something stopped working, was broken or worn out, there were people who could fix or repair it.  Sadly, they're becoming a dying breed.  When was the last time a T.V. repairman came to your house to fix your television?  We've got one remaining T.V. guy in our area, you have to bring the set to his shop but he can still fix it sometimes.  The trouble lies in the fact that new sets aren't made to be repaired, when the little thingamabob that controls the whoosie goes bad, it's part of a whole printed circuit board that has to be replaced.  You have to be an expert to fix the darn thing and experts are expensive, more expensive than a new set, so it's easier and cheaper just to chuck the old set and buy a new one.

You used to get knives sharpened, I remember a man who came around once a year or so and sharpened things like knives and  scissors.  Now when your Ginsu gets dull, you chuck it and wait for the next time the commercial comes on (usually about fifteen minutes) and order a new one.

People used to get shoes repaired, wear a hole in the bottom, you took it to the shoe repair shop where some wizened old ethnic man, usually chewing on a cigar, told you to come back in a week.  A week later, you went back to the shop, which by the way smelled incredible--leather, glue, cigar and old ethnic man made a blend of aromas that was unforgettable and were told that they weren't done yet and to come back next week.  Sooner or later you got your shoes back with a new sole and could wear them for another year or so.  Today we chuck them, shoe repair shops are few and far between.

When your auto got old and rickety, you took it to the guy at the corner gas station where they fixed cars and pumped gas.  You didn't have to pump your own gas, they'd wash your windshield and if you told them that you were having a problem with your car, they'd fix it, sometimes right then.  You rarely had to make an appointment.  You couldn't buy milk or bread at the gas station or use the ATM.  There were no Lottery tickets or bottled water to be purchased but your car usually ran right.  New cars have become so specialized that the greasy guy on the corner has all but disappeared.  I, for one, miss him and the cars he used to fix.  I loved my 1952 Chevy pickup, I lifted the hood and I recognized everything I saw.  I even knew the function and purpose of most everything under that hood.  I lift the hood on Casper, The Friendly Kia and I'm lost!  I don't recognize anything and if something looks vaguely familiar, I can't get to it anyway.  So Casper, old buddy, another fifty thousand or so miles and it's chuck it time for you too!

It may be Old Timers Disease sneaking up on me but I have a hard time figuring out some of the folks we have around today.  You've probably seen them, they have ecology bumper stickers, proudly put their recycling bin out near the road each week, usually full of plastic water bottles and never give a thought to the repairability of any object they purchase.  I wonder if they live by that sticker on the back of their car that says "Save Our Planet" or if they should get a new one that says, "Chuck It All, Big and Small!"  Naah, they'd probably get mad at me if I suggested it.  If you're lucky enough to know someone who still fixes things, thank them for me and call the local school, they may want to make a field trip to visit him or her before they're extinct.

Thought for the week--"You can get more with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone."    --Al Capone

Until next week, may you and yours be happy and well.

whittle12124@yahoo.com