Each Day Already is a Challenge

Saturday - A Sampling of My Thoughts

One day last week, I observed a mom and her kids at the grocery store. Later that day, a childhood memory started to bubble to the surface. Behind that thought came the realization that I don't remember visiting grocery stores when I was a kid. Hmmm.

I lived in one home in Pittsburgh from about 3 to 12 years of age. I lived in the next house from about 13-15, another all during high school years. It wasn't until we moved to the Crafton area of Pittsburgh after I graduated from high school that I can even remember the location of a grocery store. I also realized that I have no memory of a Post Office nearby during my early years.

Back then, we had a milk man who delivered milk and eggs to the house. The bread man delivered bread and rolls. The local beer distributor delivered beer and soda pop to the house by the case.

There were other door-to-door salesmen. The Jewel Tea truck held all kinds of grocery items. The Fuller Brush salesman sold...brushes. There was a direct sales company for cleaning items and one even for jewelry. I suppose we could have kept shopping outside the home to a minimum.

I think since my grandmother lived with us (except for when she was visiting her other kids and grandkids) and that we had two teen babysitters, that my parents did the grocery shopping without us. I doubt back then that my father actually went inside. Most likely he sat in the car. In fact, I have a few vague memories of sitting in the car with him once in a while. Perhaps it was while Mom shopped (if Grandma was not available). It couldn't have taken very long, since so much was delivered to the house.

Odd, isn't it? When Derek and I lived in Texas, we avoided the local Wal-Mart on Friday nights. I never could understand why whole families made the weekly grocery trip a family affair. Sure, there was a hair salon and barber shop inside. There was a fast food restaurant inside and a hot tamale stand outside. One could have pictures developed, make color copies at the customer service desk, buy lots of stamps. Most folks, though, just did their grocery shopping as a huge family event. Perhaps it was because my parents obviously thought kids and grocery stores didn't mix that the concept seems so odd to me.

Oh, and the Post Office? I never did know where one was - except for the big one in downtown - until I was in high school. Who needed a Post Office when the mailman (they were all men then!) sold stamps, weighed packages, etc.?

Change is good. Right?

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I mentioned this to an older cousin who grew up in Oceanside, NY. While he remember where the grocery stores were located near his house, he had no idea which one(s) his mother frequented. He never shopped with his mother (or parents) either.