25 YEARS AGO ON AMBERGRIS CAYE   BY ANGEL NUÑEZ

Things of the Past Made of Good Stuff!


I
am sure you have at some time said that those things that were made in the past are made of good stuff. Actually there are innumerable examples to illustrate this point and I will only use but a few local examples. You can think back on your past and come up with a longer list. Then at the end you wonder why?

We begin with those frying pans of the past, those thick iron frying pans. They last a lifetime and they never get scratched and things never stick in them because the “Teflon” wore off.

You fry all your life with these heavy duty frying pans and you eventually have to give it away just because you want a modern one that is non-stick as advertised in the television. But you know what, after a year, the Teflon wears off and things start to stick on them.

I still see some ladies with those old time sewing machines. They were not electric. There were those you used a foot pedal, and there were those you spun with your hands. They looked so rusty you would think they would stain you’re your garment, but they are still working well and still going.

Lumber and wood used in the construction of houses is certainly a good case point. There are several wooden houses in San Pedro that are still up there and if you break a piece of wall and cut that lumber with a saw, you will find the saw dust looking like almost new.

Those houses have lasted a hundred years. You do know that you will not get so much out of lumber used in building today. The most you will get is ten years, and it begins to rot. At times you are nailing the pieces of lumber together and you see the dust from the wood lice eating up on your wood.

Now let’s look at those outboard engines of the past. There were the Johnson and Evinrude. My dad had a small one which he used in his dory and when he retired from fishing, he gave it to my brother. That motor must have worked about 25 years. Motors of the past went to the mechanic only occasionally. They were sturdy and made of strong parts.

Now let us go to people. How come so many people lived to be 80 and 90 years old? Simple, they were made of good stuff. And they lived so long without advanced science and technology. There were no specialized surgeons to open up your chest and work on your heart!


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