When I was about 21, I changed the wiring, plugs and distributor cap on my 87 Sunbird. I just couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it at the time. Later that summer, I sanded all the rust off the body and repainted that car to a nice, like-new condition. Again, necessity was the mother of… well, of doing it myself.

I’m now amazed I once did those things, because it’s been so long since I’ve actually looked under a hood. Nowadays, I’m in awe of people with basic home ec skills, who do and make the things I now think nothing of simply paying for. My mother can design patterns and make her own clothes. My father can make furniture, or routinely build a cabana or sundeck in the backyard. How did those skills not make it to my generation?

After thinking about this for a while, this weekend, I bought a book and basic materials, and learned to knit. It’s surprisingly addictive. Laugh and you’re off my Phentex slipper list.