By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
My wife often accuses me of being a pack rat. I honestly don’t think I am. Sure, I still have a good number of my 40-year-old action figures. In their carrying cases. With all of their weapons and accessories. And, sure, I have invested deep emotional value in these inanimate bits of plastic.
But that doesn’t make me a pack rat. Sentimental? Sure. But not a pack rat.
I just really know how to take care of the things I own, and make them last.
I also still have a few flannel shirts and t-shirts that I’ve held onto for 20 or more years. Some of those have some sentimental value (especially after 20 years of wearing them), but for the most part it’s just that I don’t like to throw anything away as long as it is still useful.
I grew up loving it when we got hand-me-downs from older cousins. I relished the opportunity to give new life to things that others were ready to discard.
I will also always try to repair before I replace – and not just big things.
Of course, I’ll take my dryer apart, and order a salvaged control board from eBay before I buy a brand new appliance. I’m not alone in trying to save money on those large ticket items, I’m sure.
But, more than once, I’ve also popped open a cheap plastic toy and soldered wires back together rather than discarding or replacing them. When a beloved toy that’s been passed through both our boys recently began to fail my first step was, of course, to change the batteries. When that didn’t improve the sound quality my wife told our youngest that it was finally worn out, and we’d need to replace it.
Before jumping online to check auction sites for a decent replacement, though, I decided to do a little tinkering. After checking all the innards, it turned out that it was a bad speaker. The corrosion on the wires was obvious, and I was amazed it had continued working as long as it had.
And what did the pack rat happen to have in a box of scavenged electronic components from other discarded toys? That’s right. A speaker that – while slightly smaller than the original – would still work.
Vintage toy salvaged. Child happy. Mom’s and dad’s pocketbook happy. One less item in the landfill.
So maybe I am a bit of a pack rat. But I’m learning to be okay with that.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
