One thing I learned growing up in this hungry little old town was I better learn to fix anything that broke if I wanted it. I get mad at the kids over and over, they will haul expensive stuff out for the garbage truck when a few bucks and an hours work is all it needs. My grandfather even resharpened his used double edge razor blades until they wore completely out.
My youngest kid is resourceful like that. He’s currently got two old torn and worn out tents cut into sections, washed, measured, and laid out on the floor, ready to be stitched together into a new tent. He’s very creative. That kid can weld, too. His science project last year was a fully functional tornado siren. (Ya never know when you might need one here in the Rockies.) In the fall, he fabricated a stainless catapult that uses surgical tubing for propulsion - can launch an egg a hundred yards. Um, yah, he’s homeschooled. He’s been eyeballin my Exacta collection lately, so I gave him my D50... it’s a lot cheaper to feed, and there’s a course in optics just waiting to be researched.
My dad grew up during the depression, so the idea of make-do and fix-up was drilled into me and my brothers. It’s good to see a bit of it rubbed off on my kids. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge (and rewards) of keeping things in good repair, especially machinery.
I bought the house I grew up in from my dad. In the shed was the Murray lawn mower I used as a kid to mow ours and the neighbors lawns. I used it for another twenty years, and finally sold it to a young neighbor for twenty bucks, and I imagine it is still running. Amazing what an occasional oil change and spark plug can do. Briggs and Stratton, gotta love it.
Oh, and if my kids ever ask, yes, it was me that rebuilt the dirt bike in the basement. That oil stain in the old den rug is just one of the stories...