Monday, March 23, 2009

Newfangled Stuff

I keep reading wonderful blogs and wondering why I never have anything to post here in my oven. Then I realized that

some people write about what is going on in their everyday lives. Most of my life is behind me and I am clutching the few remaining days in a bony hand while in the land of sunshine with several lifelong friends. Today, I was opening a can of Dole Crushed Pineapple and got to thinking about the newfangled pop tab openers on top. Sure, they are great for doing away with the can opener, but I approach each can with trepidation when I think of the tenacity with which that razor sharp edge hangs onto the can awaiting one last tug to either open the can or cut off my fingers. Uh.... "Honey, could you help me with this can?" He laughed at me, but I reminded him of a tuna can from 1959. The lid was opened with an old fashioned can opener, leaving about 1/4 inch attached to the can....then discarded into the trash basket.
I was pregnant with my second child and my firstborn (light of my life) was toddling about in the
kitchen when she decided to investigate the trash basket. That tuna can with it's razor sharp edge pushed down into the can was very tempting to a nosy little girl and before I could blink an eye, her tiny fingers were in the can and lacerated easily as she pulled them out. We made a mad dash to the doctor's office (it was in the evening and he met us there....times were different then)and he proceeded to stitch up tiny fingers while her Daddy held her down on the exam table. I wasn't allowed to do such difficult work, due to my delicate condition. If you ever doubted that your dad loves you, Lesley....remember this story. It wasn't very many minutes before he was sitting in my chair with his head between his knees and I was draped over my tiny daughter while the doctor finished the repair. This is the man who has delivered foals in our barn and assisted the vet with major surgeries, but could not stand to have his baby daughter cry her sweet baby breath into his face.
I don't know which is worse.... the old fashioned can with the temptation to leave the lid partially attached or the
newfangled lid with it's dangerously sharp edges in the hands of an old fashioned lady with her partially attached head?
That's it for today, but it was fun to remember with "My Honey" what it was like fifty years ago, before newfangled stuff.

7 comments:

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

i have a picture of me at that age that looks just like you!!! except i was not smiling...

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Frequent Traveler said...

Oh Kacey, Lesly's picture is adorable ! What a story - and you are right, those cans were dangerous then and they still are now...

Glad you posted - everyday stuff is interesting, at any age !

((hugs))

molly said...

Good yto see another post on here! Everyday stuff is fine by me;if I were to post only when something of note happens I wouldn't write very often. I read a comment somewhere, the other day, opining that the commenter thought blogging was on it's way out!Not here it isn't...Do we get pictures of quilts as you finish them??

B.S. said...

Those cans scare me. Now that I've read this post, I'm even more afraid. I always think, as I'm opening and then discarding the can, of how easy it would be to be cut by the sharp metal.

Does your daughter still have scars (physical scars, that is)?

Hugs,
Betty

Granny Annie said...

We can put men on the moon but we cannot create a safe way to open a tin can! Oh poor Lesly, I can actually remember doing such a thing to myself.

And, about the new pop top can lids -- have you noticed that the last pull causes the juice in the can to pop onto the counter or in your eye!!!

Granny Annie said...

Oh, also my siblings and I used to fight over who got to open the Spam can with the key.

Big Dave T said...

When I was a bachelor I used to have one of those can openers where you poked a hole in the top, then manually pushed down over and again, cutting metal one push at a time as you worked your way around the top of the can. Talk about jagged edges.

But that was still quicker for me than using an electric can opener. I still can't get the hang of those things. Drives my wife nuts when I'm trying to open a can. I like the pull top cans.