A legacy of sorts

I've noticed my own tendency to use old expressions that have been handed down to me from my parents. I'm not sure when I started to notice this, it happens when I'm in a more reflective mood. They are as much a part of me as my accent or my personal history. One old saw I use frequently is "Used rough and put away dirty" which can be utilized for a myriad of uses. I believe the expression has it's beginnings in Depression era America. The country was more rurally oriented then with far more family farms than nowadays. When someone would lend their neighbor a shovel or a pick and sometimes it would come back in less than stellar condition. "Used rough and put away dirty" was something that came about to refer to a person who didn't take care of their things.
I remember Pop using the expression for many things, usually for an inanimate object that someone had neglected. Of course, he would have taken much better care and kept the thing in question in pristine condition until doomsday. There were times when he would refer to a person in the same way. I made him laugh once when I refered to less than attractive woman as "Used rough and put away dirty" and indeed I could refer to many people in my neighborhood in much the same way.
Another expression I've found myself uttering is "Fair to middlin" in response to the rather automatic penchant of people to ask "How are you?" "Fair to middlin" I would respond which in hindsight seems to say nothing at all. Another way to say "Not bad" or "Can't complain".
But I'm not interested in the rather generic responses, I'm much more intrigued with expressions that predate my existence and find their roots in the world of my parents and their parents before them. I've taken to the expressions naturally, like being brought up in a certain church or faith. It's not something I wear for a day, it's part of my makeup and isn't something I could get rid of even if I wanted to.
So I figured that I would keep these expressions alive as a tribute of sorts to those that came before me. Theirs was such a different world where someone's character could be summed up by how they took care of their things. On my desk in my office is an old Swingline stapler that my parents used in our household for years. It's standard military gray in color and looks brand new even though it's been around the house in regular use for fifty years. It's been "Used gingerly and put away clean". Nope, sorry. It just doesn't have the same ring. Looks like I won't be coining any lasting expressions anytime soon. Methinks it's better that way.