Way Back When!

It was a dark damp morning in the middle of January. I was about 10 years old, huddled under the blankets of my bed trying to keep warm. Suddenly I heard the familiar sound of coal being delivered to the basement floor of my house. There was a coal furnace in the large basement of the house that I lived in. Routinely, coal was delivered and left in large piles on the floor. My father was endlessly busy feeding the coal to the furnace. Milk was delivered daily to the back door of the house. My mother would never forget to leave the order for the next day on a piece of paper and place it in the empty return bottle. After breakfast, I would hear the wheels of the Dugan Bread and Cake Truck rolling down the street. Mother would never forget to ask about the specials! There always was the small corner grocery store for the rest of the food items the family needed. I felt so grown-up when I was allowed to go by myself to buy a bunch of carrots or a few bananas. The A&P was the first super-market that I remember opening in my neighborhood. I remember clearly walking up and down the aisles with a long shopping list. It was an adventure! Of course, I can not end this Visit To The Past without mentioning the sound of The Ice Cream Truck arriving. Usually loud bells would sound. All the children, myself included, would race to our houses to get money for an ice-cream treat. Life was less complicated then, and everything cost a lot less! The End