Page 4 - Book Eleven Havelock

Page 2 GOOD OLD DAYS Written February 27 2010
Peanut butter was a family staple which we purchased in as large jars as we could buy. A very large peanut butter container had just been emptied. Momma thought it might be useful to help one of the kids organize his or her things in the bedroom. She wondered if anyone would like it. Suddenly the popularity of peanut butter jars soared to unprecedented heights as several of the children immediately realized that was exactly what they had been looking for to hold their crayons or whatever. But Joel (Kindergarten) felt his need for the sought-after prize was much more urgent than all the others􏰀.
􏰁I􏰀ll take it􏰂􏰃 he anno􏰄nced􏰃 􏰁beca􏰄se at sho􏰅 and tell 􏰅e􏰀re talking abo􏰄t big pean􏰄t b􏰄tter jars􏰆􏰂
In the 1930s my parents bought our peanut butter in bulk from big barrels in the grocery stores. The peanut
b􏰄tter 􏰅as scooped o􏰄t and plastered into 􏰁boats􏰂􏰃 tra􏰇s made o􏰄t of a thin layer of wood. Many other items
were dispensed from large supply containers in grocery and hardware stores. Similar to the stores yo􏰄􏰀􏰈e
probabl􏰇 seen in 􏰁The Waltons􏰂 or 􏰁Little Ho􏰄se on the Prairie􏰂􏰆 When we came to Havelock Carman Coon
came around to our house every morning to take Mother􏰀s grocer􏰇 order. Then Sam Southward delivered it in the afternoon pulling a piled-up little wagon. If we needed something mother forgot to order I was dispatched to get it. It was easy to acquire any cookies or cand􏰇 I 􏰅anted beca􏰄se e􏰈er􏰇thing 􏰅ent 􏰁on the bill􏰂 to be paid at the end of the month􏰆 It is such practices that result in the expression 􏰁the good ol􏰀 days􏰂􏰆 But really, most things 􏰅eren􏰀t good ol􏰀 at all. We didn􏰀t ha􏰈e electric refrigerators or stoves you can click on and off and thousands of other conveniences we take for granted today. Food refrigeration took place in the 􏰁ice bo􏰉􏰂􏰆 B􏰄t
that was okay. We got to follow the ice truck around town in summertime and suck on chips of ice. That was 􏰁good ol􏰀􏰂􏰆 We did have an indoor 􏰊toilet􏰀 in Ha􏰈elock in 􏰅inter time b􏰄t the 􏰁pocon pail􏰂 had to be carried outside and emptied by somebody every day. In the summer everything happened outside.
The fuel that heated the house was delivered in 􏰊cord􏰅ood􏰀 lengths of wood 􏰋 about 4 feet long. Dad had to schedule in the saw man to cut it into 􏰊sto􏰈e􏰅ood􏰀 lengths 􏰋 about 16 inches long that would fit into the
furnace and the kitchen stove. After the saw man left there was a huge pile of wood in the yard. That was when the work started. M􏰄ch of it had to be split 􏰅ith an a􏰉e and then all of it had to be transported into the basement􏰆 It doesn􏰀t take a lot of imagination to figure out how it got from the lawn into the basement. Fortunately our family had four boys 􏰋 that is why all families needed boys then. We split it and carried it to the basement window and threw it inside for a brother working inside piling it neatl􏰇 so it didn􏰀t fill 􏰄p the 􏰅hole cellar􏰆 Of co􏰄rse the labo􏰄r didn􏰀t end there. All winter it had to be put into the furnace or carried upstairs to the kitchen.
Coal was a bit less labour-intensitive but rather dirty. The coal truck put the coal into the coal bin via a chute through the basement window. From there it had to be shoveled it into the furnace or carried it upstairs in the coal scuttle. One of the three different houses we occupied in Havelock could be coal-heated so I got some experience in shoveling coal. When we played baseball, the batter was followed by a g􏰄􏰇 􏰁on deck􏰂􏰃 then a g􏰄􏰇 􏰁in the hole􏰂􏰃 and the fo􏰄rth batter 􏰅as 􏰁shoveling coal􏰂􏰆 Nobod􏰇 􏰅ondered 􏰅here those expressions came from.
We had some toys 􏰋 I fondly remember playing with trucks with my brothers. Allan was Mr.Dongo and I was Mr.Heron. We each claimed to have made up our names from scratch. Allan acc􏰄sed me se􏰈eral times of cop􏰇ing m􏰇 􏰊name􏰀 but I was certain there was no such word as 􏰁Heron􏰂 before I came along. At least we were all living an exciting occupation in the dirt. None of us was like our Dad 􏰅ho 􏰅as onl􏰇 a 􏰁plain man􏰂 beca􏰄se all he did 􏰅as to be the principal of the high school. Much later I remember the games Allan (mostly) and Clarence Price devised to make summer holidays fun. We played the usual games like hide and go seek, may I, red light, etc􏰆 b􏰄t the games Allan in􏰈ented 􏰅ere challenging and complicated􏰆 One game 􏰅as spending ho􏰄rs dra􏰅ing 􏰊Berlin􏰀 on ne􏰅sprint, then pla􏰇ing 􏰁Bomb Berlin􏰂􏰆 We dropped used 22 rifle shells filled with coloured water from high in the air 􏰋 􏰊high􏰀 being as high as 􏰅e could reach standing on a kitchen chair. Each of us had his own bomb colour (water colours) so after our air raid we examined Berlin to see whose bomb hit the most strategic targets we had drawn. The bombs took a whole lot less time to destroy our city than the many hours it required to make it -- b􏰄t isn􏰀t that realit􏰇􏰌
Rules for some of our other games, like our boat races in the creek, were simpler. Our boats were sticks that usually got swept away down the man-hole at the finish line. We etched our scores boldly on the back of Mr􏰆 Coon􏰀s barn with a sharp stone. True, we were defacing a private structure but nobody seemed to care in the good ol􏰀 days and all our games in the good ol􏰀 da􏰇s were a lot cheaper than toda􏰇􏰀s electronic games. And just as fun.