I wonder how many consumers order groceries through an App and either have them delivered or drove to pick them up. I haven’t seen any statistics but I know a lot of busy people do this. It’s become very common. Before the 21st Century though, markets had some limited home delivery but the milkman was a staple.
The milkman emerged in the 1700s and continued into the mid-1900s as advancements in technology made it impossible for that system to continue. With the advent of cars families didn’t need to have groceries and milk brought to them.
The first milk was delivered to homes in horse-drawn wagons with the milk in large metal barrels. The milkman would ladle fresh milk into bottles, jugs, or whatever container was left outside. But, this wasn’t very sanitary. The milk was often contaminated by insects or debris that fell into it. Slowly things changed and glass containers were a definite improvement.
The milkman really came into his own in the 19th Century. He’d drive up to a home in his horse-drawn wagon and deliver milk in glass bottles and either leave the milk on the doorstep or hand directly to the house’s occupant. Then ice boxes became a thing. Often it was arranged for the milkman to let himself into the home and place the milk into an “ice box.” Those were made of wood and lined with zinc or tin with large blocks of ice place in a compartment at the bottom. Can you imagine a delivery man coming into your home when you weren’t there? That would make me feel weird yet it was common place.
You’ve all probably heard people say that one child or another was the product of a milkman. I do wonder about the statistics on that. My grandmother always accused my mom of having “relations” with the milkman because she never believed my father could bear children. You see, my dad contracted rheumatic fever as a child and doctors had told her he was impotent. Surprise, surprise. He and Mama had five. And no milkman.
Anyway, all that led up to modern refrigeration and the milkman died out. But delivery service didn’t. Grocery deliveries are common place as well as pickup.
I just wanted to give you a little history on that. I’ve wanted to write a book featuring a milkman. I can think of all kinds of funny situations. Maybe another time.
Are you old enough to remember a milkman? If not, I’m guessing you heard your family talk about that.
Right now, I have LOVE’S FIRST LIGHT coming out July 1st. It’s a story of a woman who’s lost everything including her home and is forced to rely on a stranger for survival. Slowly she begins to set her world upright again. It’s a long way up from the bottom and impossible without faith.
If you like an ARC in exchange for a review, CLICK HERE. But only if you plan to review. Otherwise, the book releases July 1st. I’ll have several to give away next month on my blog.
Here’s the blurb:
After suffering a devastating accident, Rachel Malloy wakens with a stranger. He bears no resemblance to her perception of God, nor does he have a halo so she must not be dead. Regardless, after taking her entire family and leaving her, she and God are not exactly on speaking terms.
Rancher Heath Lassiter has prayed fervently and long for a wife. Is she the one? The appearance of a rare white dove shortly afterward seems to be a sign.
Despite Heath’s unwavering faith and kindness, Rachel refuses to marry him. Dark secrets haunt, secrets that blacken her name, making marriage to anyone impossible. Though disappointed, Heath rebuilds her burned-out home. There, her world again shifts with the discovery of a newborn near her family’s graves and a white dove perching nearby.
Love grows as Heath becomes a constant in her life. Yet Rachel lives in fear of losing this baby. When the infant becomes very ill, she desperately promises God she’ll return to her forsaken faith if He’ll heal the child. But first light brings uncertainty. Will the dove return as a symbol of divine mercy, or will Rachel’s fragile faith be shattered once more?
