Technology

We had another successful pitch in last night, complete with a fire in our backyard. I'm fairly certain that fires are illegal within the city limits. But our neighbors have been forgiving so far.

I've loved tending and watching fires for many years. I'm not sure what it is, the process itself is relaxing for me.

I began studying Greek mythology with this book, which my fifth grade teacher had in her classroom.

What can I say, the notions of a strange belief system with gods and goddesses appealed to me. I liked the notion of a goddess who tended fire
see wikipedia entry on Hestia. I loved the idea of a ritual fire. Sadly, she didn't have many adventures or tales passed down about her exploits (unlike Ares or Athena).

I was simply musing the other day about how technology and fashion make entire trades and crafts obsolete. Keeping and tending fire is no longer necessary for survival. We have central heating and electric stoves for cooking. If we need to start a fire for pleasure, we have matches.

It's the same with glove makers. At one point, a woman wore gloves to everything. Countless novels from the nineteenth century have plots based on whether or not a character's gloves were in good shape or being worn. In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, I heard that holding hands without gloves was a euphemism for sex. Strange how at this point, society has few misgivings about two people holding hands.


Locally, I saw that another dry cleaning business went out of business the other day. With fewer businesses requiring formal suits, dry cleaning is not as necessary for a family or community. Fashion is changing. Anyone can now launder their own khakis and collared shirt. Irons and Ironing boards are no longer the tools of the mystics.

As an amateur cultural observer, it's interesting to sit back and watch these trends. How we lived then, how we live now.