Gunnison news-champion., 1922-12-29
THE RANCH WOMAN sAYs:.

New le0rS comes tUmOllnH r1gnt
after. everyone is busy turning over
new leaves and making out annual
sets Of dos and don'ts for 1928.
She is making only one resolution
this year, but AYERS emphatically that
It Is one that will be kept. 1t reads:
Il hereby resolve that will be
faithful member Of the order Of
the S. p. p. S.-String Pickers and
Paper Savers-the rest of my
! ranch life"
Her sudden interest in this popular
order comes from her recent holiday
experience in trying TO get her Christ
mas parcels mailed. For more than
two weeks preceding December 25th,
she went nearly distracted because Of
lack of tissue paper, wrapping pap
err and common everyday string. She
says that toward the last she gave up
thinking Of such dainty accessories Is
holly ribbon and Santa Claus stickers,
but narrowed her wants down to just
plain paper and white twine, but not
scrap Of either in useable size could
be found around the place.
To complicate the situation, snow
drifts covered the mountain trail to
such depth that getting to the post
Office several miles away grew to be
. only q fortnightly activity. Being
without the territory where rural de-
livery abounds. the matter Of getting
mail out Or in grew especially serious
As the holidays drew near. The lady
thinks her last mail order for tissue
4 paper might have been filled on time
run of the track the very day her
order finally landed in the mail pouch.
With Christmas only q week away,
she decided to appeal for help, Put
ting on her hiking boots she tramped
over a snow-packed trail to . neigh
boris ranch more than mile up the
canon-and the trip was worth while.
This neighbor had not only wrapping
paper, but plenty Of white and pink
tissue, and oddles of red and green
string to go with it.
And how did she happen to have
the generous supply? System! And
an interesting one, too. and one
/ the tremendous increase in member
ship Of the S. p. p. S.
She began her paper saving habit
some years ago, but dates the real or
ganization of her system from the
time of her first Christmas as home
steader ON this mountain ranch. Like
others, similarly situated. when she
began to get her Christmas box ready
for the home folks she found herself
in desperate straits for tissue paper,
stickers, and plain wrapping paper
and there was dearth of string. She
ordered a supply by mail, but the
things did not arrive until the day be-
fore Christmas, and having waited for
this shipment, thinking every day
would bring news of its arrival, her
packages were not mailed until Xmas
day.
She resolved right then and there
TO become a paper saver and string
picker. not only as Christmas con-
venience, but to have q supply on
hand for every day in the year.
Beginning with the after-C Christmas
period every piece, of tissue paper of
sufficient size to use again is always
carefully pressed and folded and plac-
ed in q box and with it goes all stick
ers,, ribbons, labels, tops of Christmas
cards, when the decoration permits
cutting and leaves room for name to
be written, all bits of gold cord and
red and green string. All tissue pap
er and colored string coming into the
house during the year are added to
the collection.
The wrapping paper, as it accumu-
lates at Christmas and all other times,
is kept in two piles, the light manila
paper in one, and the dark brown in
another. This paper is always press
ed and folded and the torn parts put
away. The light paper is saved for
Christmas or mailing Of birthday or
any other gift-parcels sent out during
the year, but the darker paper is
used any time that wrapping paper Is
needed. Some Of her paper squares
are cut from paper sacks when the
bags come from the grocer's torn in
a way to make them useless as sacks,
but when the bags come into the house
in good condition, they occupy sep
arate pile of their own and come in
handy to hold the school lunch, or
small quantities of ranch supplies
such as eggs, butter or fruit that are
sold from time to time to neighbors or
motorists passing by in the summer.
The mail order houses from which
many supplies are purchased from
time to time, are generous with paper
Of all qualities, and furnish a good
supply to add to these various piles.
The string that comes into the house
is always saved, even to the smallest
piece. Separate balls are made, the
red and the green string being wound
and dropped into the Christmas box;
the ordinary white twine is rolled in
to one ball and the heavy white twine
into another. A separate ball is also
made of the heavy brown wrapping
twine. The loose ends of the string
tested SO that they will not easily
come united when one is hurriedly
wrapping a package. This tying Is
done at odd moments-whilc waiting
for some dish to cook, or when waiting
for the men TO come from the field, or
perhaps during nefghbor's call.
There are many other economical
kinks in this woran's s..tenl, but
they al result in having paper and