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| An all-too-familiar sight... |
In Target later that week, I chanced on a clearance shelf full of plastic tumblers. Understand, if you will, that - approximately a decade ago - I had decided that I DESERVED glasses, not plastic tumblers. Sick of bowing to the exigencies of a house full of children, I swore that never again would my lips touch anything but glass. And, until that fateful evening in Target, I had stuck to my vow, regardless of our kitchen's granite countertops and tile floor that spelled eventual doom for any breakable housewares we might have the temerity to possess.
But that evening in Target? I was the one who broke. Turning my back on the shelf of glassware that was beckoning just to my left, I put 6 of those cheerful red tumblers in my cart. You see, it occurred to me that I was tired of cleaning up broken glass, tired of trying to fish jagged glass pieces out of the garbage disposal, tired of discovering shards of glass on my floor even though I had vacuumed the entire kitchen twice. What price, I wondered, was being exacted by my determination to be civilized? What awful price?
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| THIS is what defeat looks like, in case you were wondering. |
So, yeah, there they are. 50 cents each, and I bet they last forever.
[Broken glass image: Recycle This]
At least they're red. That would be one small consolation for me, anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen my busy sister, mother of five, went back to work she switched to paper plates for all but Sunday dinner. Each kid had a plastic tumbler with his or her name painted on it. And they all learned to do their own laundry. (She's now grandma to fifteen, and they get water only to drink when they come to Grandma's, and nobody cares.) She's the smartest woman I ever met. Let it go.
ReplyDeleteDefeat is looking awfully pretty there in your photograph.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a home where we each had a colored plastic tumbler. I don't recall all of the colors, but my dad's was amber and I know there was also purple and red and blue. (There were 6 of us.) We used the same "glass" all day long -- if you didn't do a good job cleaning it out after each use, it was a little funky by the evening meal -- and then it would go into the dishwasher after dinner.
Just for old times' sake, I am feeling the need to run to Target and buy some of those beauties!
We are down to one glass in our kitchen. I bought a cheap set of 6 glassware last year, and already 5 of them broke.
ReplyDeleteThose red tumblers look pretty. A glass of water would look like cherry Kool-aid!
In my home, I am the one who breaks all the glasses. From water glasses to wine glasses, you can be pretty sure I'll go through several a year. Wine glasses are the worst, because they are usually full of wine at the time.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my husband is much more concerned with how the dishwasher makes glass look cloudy and dirty, even when they are clean. We've decided that investing in cheap glasses, so we can replace them frequently, is the best bet.
We gave up on the real glasses a long time ago, right after I ripped my thumb open on one in the sink and needed stitches. The plastic tumblers last forever, and if you get tired of them you can pack them off to Goodwill and get a whole new set for not much money. I think the ones you picked out are cool!
ReplyDeleteYour kids will either be fighting over them when your gone or selling them at the estate auction!
ReplyDeleteI think they are pretty!
I'm almost where you are now. We (meaning my husband) break about 1 glass a month, and the supply is running very low. I've held boxes of new glasses in my hands in stores, but keep picturing that process you describe so well -- fishing out pieces of glass from the disposal -- and consider plastic instead. One day soon I may be joining you, and I hope to find something pretty and colorful like you did!
ReplyDeletesomehow I bet that will be the best $3 you spend in a long time. I have some plastic drinking glasses of that size and they've lasted well.
ReplyDeleteForever is a long, looooong time. But for sure these are pretty and you won't be fishing shards of them out of the disposal nor sweeping them up from the floor. And as you get older you will find you like the fact that they are light-weight. Arthritis, you know.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you--I hate drinking out of plastic and refuse to have any plastic cups in my house. So we break a lot of glasses, and cleaning up the debris is a PIA. I just bought a new set of drinking glasses, but our wine glass situation is dire. We can't have more than four guests right now, and even then, someone has to drink out of the free tasting glass I got at a vineyard. At least your red glass will be easier to see!
ReplyDeleteWe have some glasses glasses that are rarely used. I have many cheap and not so cheap plastic glasses. I used to only buy tupperware. It got expensive with the kids leaving them outside or on a low surface where the dogs could chew them. Now I either pick up tupperware at a thrift store or buy new cheap plastic glasses at target or k-mart.
ReplyDeleteI almost bought the same ones. My favorite plastic glass is one that came from Mom's house (by accident) plastic with little indented circles...never scratches and will last forever. Our glass ones are all gone, I think,except for some special ones.
ReplyDeleteIn 40 years, your kids are going to be cleaning out your house and will say, "Remember when Mom waved the white flag and went back to plastic glasses?"
ReplyDeletelol I was just thinking the other day I should just get rid of all the plastic plates and bowls we have. My youngest is 10, surely we can all just eat off glass now?
ReplyDeleteYou've made me realize it's been a very long time since we've had a broken glass here. I don't know if you do this, but using a piece of soft white bread to pick up the small bits works amazingly well.
ReplyDelete