Drinking cups and jugs

For whatever reason I woke up at something like 4 a.m. thinking about having a drink of water. I don't ever think about a drink of water in the morning. It's always coffee. So I laid there a while and decided it was coffee time. I think it's coffee from Rwanda that I roasted the other day. Pretty good. Even though I roasted it to a medium roast, it is a dark, strong coffee.

Anyway laying there in bed I thought about going to school at the one room school north of Arthur. First thing we did every morning when we got there was to go put the flag up the flagpole and pump a bucket of drinking water. We always strove to never let the flag touch the ground and most days we were successful. Sometimes we messed up. The bucket of water we carried in the lean-to on the school and set it on a stand. Then we hung the water dipper on the side so we could all get a drink. No one even thought about sharing cooties back then. Now everyone lathers down with this germ-killing hand wipe or uses germicidal soap. People today would get sick if they saw us eating sandwiches on the lake bank after catching a mess of bullheads and putting worms on the hooks. Quick wipe on the pants leg and let's eat.

Growing up in the 50s (sounds like ages ago!) we would get a pop now and then but not very often. It only cost a nickel or a dime but that was a lot of money back then. The bottles were probably 10-ounce bottles at first and then went to 12-ounce ones later on. I can't remember when cans came along.

I've done some 19th-century reenacting so I needed an authentic style canteen. So I bought one that was hand made. It was a kind of tin one with a cloth cover. The stopper was made of cork. Back then I would imagine most were made of wood. If one wet the cloth cover, the evaporation would keep the water cooler. Kind of like those old canvas water bags back in the 50s that many hung on the front of their cars. Most hung them from the hood ornament. The evaporation would keep the water cooler.

During the summer we spent quite a bit of time riding a tractor working in the hayfield. When we were around home, Dad had a glass gallon jug he'd wrapped burlap around and then wet it to have cool drinking water. We all drank from the same jug. Best gallon glass jug was an A&W Root Beer jug. We got to enjoy the root beer and then got the jug, too. I think one had to pay so much for the jug, but one could bring it back for refills for a better price. Man, there was nothing better than a frosty mug full of ice cold root beer. Maybe a dip of ice cream could make it better.

Most everyone back then carried around a glass thermos full of coffee. You had to really be careful to not bump the thermos or it would break. Those old thermoses did a pretty good job keeping stuff hot. Back then coffee for me was for dipping cookies and not for drinking. How times change! Now I'm pretty much addicted to good coffee.

Today everyone, and I mean everyone, packs around their own cups of whatever. Most of the cups are insulated to keep stuff hot or cold, but some are single-layer cups to just hold a liquid. I would say most are for holding something cool or cold. I have both. I have a couple for keeping drinks cold, but also a couple for keeping stuff hot. Some are so efficient at keeping drinks hot, it takes forever for hot coffee to cool down enough to drink.

Some I think are a fashion statement. Some are meant to look cool -- just using the word "cool" dates me -- while others are meant to just work. Some have names that point out the cups or water bottles were expensive and would seem to elevate those who pack them around. I'm not too worried about making a fashion statement because mine are for using. Our youngest son has a friend who sprays stuff on the stainless cups to decorate them. I had our son spray some stuff on mine to make it easier to grip. It kind of makes the cup grip-proof even when damp or wet. Since I've had trouble with my hands, I can't grip stuff like I used to so this really helps. Every now and then Marge gets hold of my cup and does a thorough clean job. It usually needs it.

Back several years we bought a half-gallon stainless water bottle for me to use during the summer to pack water in. Awesome jug. It's not a big name brand jug, but it really works. Only problem with the half-gallon jug was it didn't hold enough, so I'd have to fill it a couple times every day. But at the end of the day there was still ice in it. Then we found a gallon-size stainless jug. Most days I'd drink it dry and have to fill it again, but man it really works. Some say drinking ice cold water isn't good for one. It probably isn't, but a cold drink of water after working in the sun sure tastes good.

I'm not sure how many cups I've bought for coffee cups. Some will really keep coffee hot, but they are so big they won't fit in the cup holders. I finally found a couple that would fit in the cup holders, but I couldn't keep the lids on. For whatever reason the lids would just pop up and then they'd leak. Got a couple the other day that fit the cup holder, but also the lids screw on. Problem solved. I've been putting them to use. If we liked to have garage sales, most of the cups would be for sale. I like shopping at garage sales but hate putting one on, so now most of these cups will end up in a box which is headed to Teen Challenge or one of the other agencies in town.

One thing I do like about the stainless cups and such is it is reducing the use of bottled water. We as a society are using way too much bottled water. We use one of those Brita water pitchers and it seems to really work. I know it cleans up the fluoride smell and taste.

There is so much hype about climate change, we are neglecting, in my opinion, something that is just as dangerous and something we can change, and that's pollution. If we can reuse it, then support it. If it's a one-time use product, there is a problem. Let's each do what we can to cut down on pollution in our own homes. Start there.