How many of you remember the clip clop,
clip clop of horses hooves resounding off the streets paved with
bricks and Belgium blocks? And the crunching sounds made by the
steel banded wooden wheels of the many horse draw wagons that journeyed
thru our thoroughfares. It was the Aldeney Milk Truck and the milk
man with his immaculate white uniform, his cap cocked jointly on
his head. Then along came Borden's Dairy man with his metal basket
filled with bottles of milk, cream and and other diary products.
The horses seem to know who the customers were, coming to a stop
at the next customer's house. Do you recall during the winters when
the cream froze and popped out of the bottles, you raced to beat
you siblings to eat the frozen delights?
And how about Dugans,their cream colored wagons with Dugans logo
painted on the side? The wonderful bread, cupcakes and many other
bakery delights they carried? Do you remember the card with the
large "D", that was placed in the window for the Dugan
man to stop at your house?
And how about that sturdy fellow the Ice Man, When he stopped,
the lady of the house would call out "Ten or Twenty Cents".
He would take a ice pick and chopping would dislodge a small piece
from the canvas covered large blocks of ice. Grasping it with iron
tongs, heaving the results upon his leather covered shoulders he
would deliver it to his customer. And he let you have small slivers
of ice on those hot summer days. Also, not to forget, the ice pan
under the ice box, emptied daily so as not overflow and soak the
floor.
And the vegtableman, shouting "Vega tobles Vegatobles Cheap
Cheap". He always had a great variety of fresh produce to sell
to the neighborhood housewives. Beets, celery, spinach, cabbage,
potatoes, turnips you name it, if it was in season he had it. Everything
to compliment the meat or fish that was the main ingredients of
dinner or supper.
And then there was the Junk Man who collected all kinds of used
objects from the area residents. Old batterys, auto tires, pieces
of copper, iron, and aluminum. Any old junk around the house went
to him for a few pennies, much of the monies raised to buy you a
Saturday ice cream cone.
And last but not the least the garbage man, dressed in his white
uniform. Dragging the metal barrels from our back yards with his
steel hook, sometimes rousing us from sleep early in the morning.
It took one of great strength to lift and dump the contents of those
cans into those large wooden wagons. Their vehicles were drawn by
those hugh and magnificent muscular Belgium Draft horses, with easy
dispositions, were easy keepers and willing workers. All helping
to keep our garbage on its way to the dumps.
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