Rapaire,

We had an ice box too (this was in Washington, DC in the early forties) and a washing machine with a wringer. And a "mangle" ironer for ironing the sheets.

I loved the ice man. He brought the ice up to the house in a pair of tongs, put it in a special metal box on the front porch. Seems to me he actually had a horse drawn wagon as well. If we asked nicely, he'd take an ice pick and hack off a long "icicle" for us to eat like a lollipop.

Also, for many more years, there were old rag men and other vendors who came around driving a horse and wagon. Once there was too much traffic in the streets, they used the alleys.

My country cousins still have much more colorful language than the homogenized stuff you hear in the cities and in the media. It's witty and fun to hear them, especially the exchanges of insults which get pretty creative.

Me, I just don't have the knack.

Rita