Remember the good old times

[Jaga]

When we had a fresh milk every day in front of the door, and when we drunk the water from the so called "syfon" (carbonated water), later on Syfon could be recharged and we had to buy these "naboje" in the store? But this was deifinitively less work than drugging syfon bottle back and forth

check the syfon cartridges:
polskaludowa.com/codzienne/naboje_do_syfonu.htm

does not this look as like a terroristic equipment?

[bescheid]

Jaga

Boy, carbonated water! We had none of that! Actually had no clue then that it existed.

We did have an ice box. It was a beautiful wooden cabinet of two sections. The upper was lead lined where the block of ice was placed, the bottom was where the food was stored. At the very bottom was the drip pan for the melted ice water to gather at.

We had wood heat, wood cook stove and water heater from coils in the wood cook stove.

One winter (very cold that year) during the week of Christmas, some people drew up a horse and sled through the main street of our town (village) and gave out gingerbread cookie men. They were still warm and just melted in our mouths. To keep the tast, I licked my fingers and hand until the flavour was gone.

Charles

[franek80]

Charles;
I can relate to everything that you said..the one thing that stands out in my mmind was the bottled milh before it was homaginized. Our ice box was in the yard. And when it got real cold,the cream in the milk rose to the top.. this was our ice cream..AH yes,how can we forget the ice man with a burlap bag over his shoulder carrying a block of ice in the evening. Her father brought out his accordian,and we sang Polish songs..It was no too long before the neighbors joined in.

This was the time of the great depression. No one had any money. To make a few pennies for myself.I rooted through trash cans for something to sell.. I was a happy kid so as I rooted through the trash I would sing Polish songs out loud. The old folks would come out and give me pennies if I would simg their favorite song.. I was the darling of the neighborhood, summertime as we sit on her steps

[franek80]

Charles;
I can relate to everything that you said..the one thing that stands out in my mmind was the bottled milh before it was homaginized. Our ice box was in the yard. And when it got real cold,the cream in the milk rose to the top.. this was our ice cream..AH yes,how can we forget the ice man with a burlap bag over his shoulder carrying a block of ice in the evening. Her father brought out his accordian,and we sang Polish songs..It was no too long before the neighbors joined in.

This was the time of the great depression. No one had any money. To make a few pennies for myself.I rooted through trash cans for something to sell.. I was a happy kid so as I rooted through the trash I would sing Polish songs out loud. The old folks would come out and give me pennies if I would simg their favorite song.. I was the darling of the neighborhood, summertime as we sit on her steps

[bescheid]

Franek

My goodness now, is that just some thing! This for sure! You also lived a very interesting life!

I was not born soon enough to live in the depression. I was born in 1940.

Yes, memories, how so soon, how so late.. I barely remember the war.

In 1948, father was in the restaurant business. He had the good looks of a John Wayne, mother was a cute lady, slender and tall (for then), I had blond hair then, blue eyes and big front teeth.

Father worked hard tending his business. At 05:00 he was in baking pies, making out the menu special of the day and getting ready for the breakfast trade. Mother came in at 06:00 to help out. I was up at around 07:00 dressed and made believe I was the wind, and run as fast as my little legs would operate to the restaurant to check in with mother and eat breakfast. Now, if a little boy did not run fast enough in the dark, the shadow people that hide behind bushes and trees, will get you. And no one knows where they put you, but it can not be good if caught.

Father drank a lot when he worked too hard. He was never mean to me, but, he did have a very bad temper. My name to him was Arslow, if the entire world was exploding, when I heard that name, that was me.

I learned to drive because of his drinking. I was 7 years of age then. When he would take all that he could working, he would dip the till and take off for a weeks drunk. Mother operated the restaurant and I then was put on a bus to where ever city he was at. We had two cars then, one was a very large black Packard and the other (no one but him drove) was a pretty blue Willis Knight. When I found the Packard, the tavern he was in would not be very far. So, he was too hung over to drive, so, he gave me a pillow to sit on to see over the forever engine and through the huge thick steering wheel, and a way we would go. It usually was about 80 miles (128 Km) back to the restaurant. He would go back to the kitchen and start taking orders then. The rule of death was, never ever talk to him for at least two hours.

For all of fathers faults, his drinking and lady friends, he made my world always safe. Mother was my confident and warmth, father was the boss and Arslow (me) belonged to him. I was never messed with by any of his friends, they just knew me as Ed's kid.

That was the best years of my life then. Even with the ever present shadow people hiding in the shadows. My life was always in order then.

Of course there are laws now against the way we lived then, but, it was a good life, and it was safe with my home where ever my parents were.

The most painfull part of those years were, I never had any brothers or sisters and boy, it was lonely some times.

Charles

[leslie]

Unfortunately I can go even further back! In the small town in the County of Cumberland, UK - Aspatria - a local farmer was also the milkman and he came round each morning in his pony and trap with big milk churns in the trap. My mother used to go out with a jug and he would pour milk out of the big churn into the jug, using a small metal jug with a long handle. Hygiene regulations would not permit anything like that today! This would be at sometime in the years before WWII. I remember his name was Billy Dow (rhymed with 'cow'!!).
Ah, the good old days!!!!*******
Leslie

[justjohn]

franek80 said:

Charles;
I can relate to everything that you said..the one thing that stands out in my mmind was the bottled milh before it was homaginized. Our ice box was in the yard. And when it got real cold,the cream in the milk rose to the top.. this was our ice cream..AH yes,how can we forget the ice man with a burlap bag over his shoulder carrying a block of ice in the evening. Her father brought out his accordian,and we sang Polish songs..It was no too long before the neighbors joined in.

This was the time of the great depression. No one had any money. To make a few pennies for myself.I rooted through trash cans for something to sell.. I was a happy kid so as I rooted through the trash I would sing Polish songs out loud. The old folks would come out and give me pennies if I would simg their favorite song.. I was the darling of the neighborhood, summertime as we sit on her steps

Franek,
Love the avatar. Zoot suite no less. Had a pair of pants just like the ones portrayed many years ago.

[franek80]

Ok you guys'

SINCE WE ARE GOING BACK INTO TIME i THOUGHT THAT i SHOULD CONTINUE THIS THREAD.
In february 1944 I was drafted into the army . I took six weeks of basic training in Camp Wheeler GA.
After six weeks they gave me an M1 rifle and told me that I was now a warrior,and assigned me to the
99 division We shipped out of Boston harbor,destined for Liverpool England. After a short stay in England,we were loaded on ships in Southampton..We were then told that we were a part of the invasion force destined for the invasion of Europe.. They never told us where.I went over on a filthy English ship.
The seas were rough and they fed us kidney stew.. That did it.. We all got sick.
On the morning of June the 6th . We awoke to thunderous gunfire from our warships. We went up and watched the invasion taking place.. By a stroke of luck my division was held in reserve to be used where needed. The next day we were landed in LaHarve under no opposition. But after two hours of advancing I was in the fight of my life.
I was wounded on the 16th of December in the Battle of the Bulge. Evacuated to Paris for surgery.. Rejoined my outfit in early February.. Went on to participate for the Battle of Cologne (KOLN)
We south to cross the Rhine River at Remagen over the Luderdorf bridge before vthe Germans could blow it up.. Two days later on the east side of the Rhine, Three of us checking for a break in the wire foe c0mmunication with Hdqs. We were ambushed by a German Patrol. After a fierce fire fight nI was severly qwounded and taken prisoner.. Sixteen days later I escaped and returned to American lines.. For me the war was over spent the next 13 months in Army hospitals getting put back together again .The big thing for me was that the little sweetheart I left behind went off and got married The B**** Did'nt even send me a dear John letter.. But I got the last laugh.. Her husband beat the hell out of her and divorced her..LOL

[franek80]

SKETTER ( JOHN )
AS i LOOK AT YOUR PICTURE, I recall another picture of you as a Polish Warrior in a flak jacket in Nam.. I look at pictures of myself as a 30 yr old..Boy! Was I a hunk at that age.as were you. Where did all that time go.
The zoot suit.. LOL yeah they were the cats meow..I never wore them. I was part of the conservative guys.. I wore square toe shoes,from flag brothers,they cost big bucks back in those days $4.99 a pair. I was a real dude boy in my 1937 studebaker.

[Bob S]

admin said:

When we had a fresh milk every day in front of the door, and when we drunk the water from the so called "syfon" (carbonated water), later on Syfon could be recharged and we had to buy these "naboje" in the store? But this was deifinitively less work than drugging syfon bottle back and forth

check the syfon cartridges:
polskaludowa.com/codzienne/naboje_do_syfonu.htm

does not this look as like a terroristic equipment?

Jaga, we used those in Spain and I still have my sifon. We would add a little flavoring and use the contents of the sifon to make "summer wine". !/2 glass of Red table wine and the rest of the glass filed with the contents of the sifon. Yup, I still have mine. ;D

[Eric]

Jaga, the USSR had the carbonated water machines, too. Today, though, as far as I know, these machines are still in use only in Transdniestria in eastern Moldavia.

Carbonated water is still very popular in Russia, but now, it's bought in plastic bottles.

[suzanne]

franek80 said:

the one thing that stands out in my mmind was the bottled milh before it was homaginized. Our ice box was in the yard. And when it got real cold,the cream in the milk rose to the top.. this was our ice cream..AH yes,how can we forget the ice man with a burlap bag over his shoulder carrying a block of ice in the evening.

My mom grew up in NYC and was a kid during the '30s and she remembers having an ice box as well and the ice man coming each week to deliver a block of ice. She too remembers deliveries of unhomogenized milk in glass bottles (brought door to door by the milkman in a horse-drawn wagon going down the streets of NY!). Her parents would let the cream rise and pour it off every morning into their coffee or tea, leaving the milk behind for the kids to drink.

[justjohn]

franek80 said:

SKETTER ( JOHN )
AS i LOOK AT YOUR PICTURE, I recall another picture of you as a Polish Warrior in a flak jacket in Nam.. I look at pictures of myself as a 30 yr old..Boy! Was I a hunk at that age.as were you. Where did all that time go.
.

Franek,

From us 'Ole Warriors' and this includes you too Jim and Bob,
to the 'New Warriors' of today.

We wish you all God Speed and a Merry Christmas !!


A while back I sent a few emails to locations to try to get our counterparts in the Polish military to communicate. This didn't pan out at all. I just thought that it would connect across the lines and oceans to our brotherhood.