Rubber Bands

What, you say?  Rubber bands? 

Memories of rubber bands:

• Using them for pony tails and then having to pull hair out of your scalp to remove the band. Ooohhh, all those hairs wrapped around the band. Ouch. I think Michelle can remember that, too. Double ouch.
• Boys shooting spitballs (I never did that) or just shooting the bands (couldn't do that). Ouch.
• Cringing while hoping they wouldn't break and pop me when winding them around something.  Ouch.
• Seeing them around the newspaper thrown onto the porch (or under the bushes).

And aren't they are just old-fashioned - I don't see them much in the USofA anymore and finding one at the kids' houses is about impossible.

But we still use them here, And they collect. The other day, Werner gathered up a bunch that needed to be cleared out of the drawer.  He even sorted them. Well, you know how Werner is.

Where do they all come from?  Lots of places. Around the fresh herbs - here parsley, but they come around chives and dill and thyme and cilantro and more.
  

 And arugula.  Love arugula, and it's almost always bundled with a band.

This is "soup greens" - a piece of celery root, some leek, parsley and carrot that go into a soup base - ALWAYS bound with a rubber band.

And eggs.  Frau Schmid NEVER gives you her eggs without a band around the carton. You just can't trust those little nubbies to keep the eggs in place.

So how do we reuse them?  Around a paper bag wrapping a little sandwich.  To hold rolled papers together.  Keep sleeves up over the wrist.  Over the paint can to wipe the brush (I've done a lot of that lately!).

And what did I do with all those extra rubber bands?  I took them back to the market and gave them to Frau Schmidt.  And she smiled and said , DANKE!  Hey, you're welcome!

What goes around, comes around.