Remembering - The Refrigerator and The Ice Box

Today, I have a refrigerator that has a lever to push for ice, crushed or cubed, and a lever for water.  I know most all of you do also.  I have ice cream in the freezer.... several flavors.  I have fudgebars, orange cream bars and other snack type bars.  I shall always consider this a luxury.

I go back to when I was young and living at home.  I walked a quarter of a mile to get some ice cubes.

A very nice lady lived just north of our house and she had a refrigerator.  I'd take my pan, walk up the road to her house, and she would empty her 2 ice cube trays into my pan for me to take home.  Before the lady and the ice cubes, we had an ice man come by our house with ice blocks on his truck.  It was 50 cents for the whole block and 25 cents for half a block.  The man would hit the big ice block with an ice pick and it would split in half for the 25 cent block.   We'd get the half block when we had the 25 cents.  We had an ice box to keep it in.  It kept things cool, but not as cold as today's refrigerator.  I loved to chip off a piece of ice with the ice pick and put it in my tall glass of kool aid drink.  The ice was supposed to last a few days in the ice box and if I chipped too many pieces, it didn't last that long.  Between competing with the summer heat, and my chipping, it went down pretty fast.

Picture of an ice box:

My refrigerator is not taken for granted today ... it's appreciated every time I push that lever and the ice fills the glass ... and every time I help myself to some ice cream.  Ice cream was one of my favorite things.  Strawberry ice cream.  If I had a quarter of my own, I'd spend it on a pint of strawberry ice cream at the local store, and eat the whole thing.   When we went to the family reunion, ice cream was the afternoon delight.... all you could eat.  How wonderful that was!

And  ...  those were the good ole' days... they really were!!