Sallie Mock Journal 4: Memories of MY Father

It's always interesting to talk with my dad. My father will be 82 this July, so this is his second round of Depression/Recession, call it what you want.
Growing up in early 1930s Louisville, Ky, my father remembers a very different way of life than what people have now.
"We had a milkman, an ice man, and a fruit and vegetable vendor who all came to your street," he remembered. "In those times, they had given up the horse and buggy and had early model cars. For the iceman, you put a card in your window with a 10, 15, 20 or zero. This was to tell him how many pounds of ice you needed for your icebox. There was no refrigeration then," he explained.
Now when I was growing up Chicago, we did have a milkman, so I knew about that. "During the Depression, "my dad explained, "most people didn't have cars, so the fruit and vegetable man would pull up to the curb in front of your house. His car had a scale and you simply made your selections , paid for them, and could place your order for next week's delivery. Different trucks had different bells so you knew which truck was entering your block. Even baked goods were occassionally delivered."
Streetcars were the most common mode of transportation for most folks, so it would appear that deliveries weren't such a bad option.

Two for the price of one:my father also offered to mention his memories of the 1937 flood. He was ten years old and lived on the west side of Louisville, which had to be evacuated. He recalls; "We had to move to higher ground, which meant moving in with my Irish relatives in Iroquois Park part of town, which was the south side of town. Some of my batchelor uncles weren't so found of kids and would retreat to the local pub for a growler. I got to know my cousins , who were also packed into this house."
For my dad, the flood wasn't so bad; his only bad memories of the flood was having to get shots for Yellow fever and tetanus, which he remembers to this day as very painful. He says, "We were refugees for 65 days, schools and businesses were closed except for those on higher ground." When the waters receded, cleanup to him and the other kids was fun," We enjoyed having mud fights and slopping around in the mess."
When my father tells my nieces and nephews about his childhood, they can hardly believe he lived without television, refrigeration, air condition, and God, forbid, a cell phone.