Chips, Cookies and The Iceman Cometh
Like many of my generation, I am awed by the many leaps forward that humankind has made since I was born. Miracles that have transpired in just the past 60 years or so. Most are good, some are not. That’s the way of evolution.
How could youngsters raised today on McDonald’s and shopping malls comprehend the simple pleasures we had when I was a child? Like my mother giving me a quarter to walk to Johnson’s Cookie Co. and buy a big bag of broken cookies that included a great assortment and variety. A quarter also bought a nice big greasy bag of broken potato chips from the Geiser Co. too.
Ah, and how lovely it was to harass the ice man when he stopped to deliver a 25/50/75 block of ice to our house. He would grab that big block of ice with a huge, vicious-looking, black “hook”, throw it over his shoulder and take it into the house. When he came out, he would take a less evil-looking ice pick and chip off pieces of ice for us kids hanging around him. He acted very tough and hollered at us, but we knew he didn’t mean it!!
The “25/50/75″ was on a cardboard sign that the homeowner put in their windows to indicate what size (pounds) ice block they wanted that day. The “icebox” had a big tray underneath it which always made a mess when my Dad had to empty the melted ice. So you can imagine the amazement when the first electric refrigerators were produced and we actually had one of these wonders in our kitchen!! The poor ice man never cometh again.
This reminds of me of milk that was delivered to our door then. Glass bottles, quart size. In extremely cold weather, the cream on top would freeze and pop the lid on the bottle. Because it was a simpler time, we thought it was pretty funny to see that tube of frozen cream erupting from the bottle, with the lid sitting jauntily on top.
Guess we were easily amused then.
[My Dad's first job was "driving" a horse-drawn vehicle to deliver milk, cream and/or butter to houses that ordered these items, also by a sign in the window. This was in about 1923 or so, a while before I came into the world]
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I was born in 1926, and lived in the depression ers. My great niece’s school class is studying the great depression era in history. I have been asked to give a 30 minute presentation to her class, this coming Friday, on my recollection of that era. My father was an iceman who delivered ice and coal to homes in the 30′s. I remember it well and would like to have some props to keep the attention of the 11 year olds. Do you have a picture of an old icebox and the ice sign that went in the window. If you have them, would you be kind enough to help me out, and eMail me whatever you may have and are willing to share? Unfortunately, any of these items from my father’s business are long gone. Will appreciate it very much. Thanks.
Grace M. Sullivan, St. Charles, Missouri USA
Ah, yes, Andy the Ice Man, we called him. Sometimes he would offer us a stick of Juicy Fruit gum.