Home Economics

Thrift:
find wading boots in dumpster
ponder them
one felt sole falling off upper
other than that
good
take them home
then to shop
still called cobbler?
my brother owns it he says
and i work here a couple days a week
i have my own shop in decorah
yeah my dad owned this before my brother
how's thursday
good see you then
monday rolls around
shop smells bad
shopmaster wears a worn leather apron
i want to give him my money i think
he's not a corporate fuck
he's a dude who knows a trade
and for that i want to give him money
fair trade transaction
money for skill
and so he says that'll be seven-fifty
and i have to laugh to myself
should tip him i figure
need some laces he asks
looks like i do
those are awful worn
yeah give me some laces
how about these
they look good
while you're at it how about some for these boots
maybe shorter - 54 or so - maybe 50
how many holes in them boots
seven i think
those should work
let's call it ten bucks
i sure am happy you could stitch up those boots
good
i can pay with a credit card or check
whichever you prefer
i know they nail you for a fee on that card
i'll give you a check if that's good
good
boots now home
wipe them down with a wet rag
air dry
and follow with some bear grease
been in a bottle for years
saved by another thrifty economist
who thought at that time
it'd be appropriate to reduce and preserve
fat from a large mammal
insert new laces
look at the shine
salvaged goods lose their tags
they become resurrections
no longer made in china
but now found in dumpster
and i sure like that
two for one
eliminate waste
eliminate need
that is a foundation of home economics
and that is why there is written in
big black marker on my fly shop ceiling
mine because i made it
mine because i got it
always better than mine because i bought it
well
anyway no matter how you look at it
or what you figure
i got a sweet ass pair of boots



I think an economy should be based on thrift,on taking care of things, not on theft,usury, seduction, waste, and ruin. - W. Berry