The VanOmmes were so close to our property, that their cows ate all of Abe's gladioli which he loved to plant each year. Unfortunately, Mr. VanOmme died of cancer within a few years. Shortly thereafter, we bought the farm, and it is now Rosebank Heights Subdivision.

It soon became obvious that the cash and carry idea was not going to work. I remember accompanying dad one day on a call to an elderly lady on Spring Street who did not have a phone. He wrote down all of the items she wanted, went back to . the store, made up the order, delivered it, put it on credit and waited 30 days to get paid. Free delivery was a feature that all stores offered.

It was not my favourite chore, but it was one way of getting a bike. A bike equipped with a basket was the common delivery vehicle for most of the general stores. Many of the wholesalers, as well as the bread, milk and ice man delivered their goods by horse and wagon. It was interesting to see how the horses knew when and where to go by force of habit. As a young person, I was fascinated by the fact that they could store ice covered with sawdust all summer in a huge shed. The shed was located on Grafton Street where the Polyclinic now stands and was known as Drake's Ice House. I remember the ice being placed on the upper part of the refrigerator to keep the perishable items fresh.

During World War II, the Government brought in The War Time Price and Trade Board, which controlled prices and instituted a rationing program on butter, sugar and meat. Creative methods were developed to obtain an increased supply of some of these goods. Molasses was a popular commodity. We had several customers who either liked molasses a lot or they were making shine. The fact that they did not want anyone to see them loading in the molasses would lead me to believe that they were making shine. That increased the demand for sugar. Because many made their own butter, we were able to trade sugar coupons for butter coupons. Molasses was sold in bulk. We would buy a large 100 gallon puncheon of molasses and it would take three men a half day to deliver and lower it down an open hatch to our basement by roping the barrel at both ends and slowly manoeuvring it into place. A hole was drilled through the floor at the back of the store and a large pipe was inserted down the hole into the puncheon. If you wanted 5 gallons of molasses, you set the gage and cranked the handle. Next to the molasses pump, there was a kerosene pump which was very widely used to keep the lamps lit in areas where there was no electricity. Both were very messy, and I am sure that neither would pass today‘s health standards.

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