Your article about the Estey Organ Factory [“First decade,” Arts and Entertainment, Nov. 2] was most interesting. It also brought back memories I have of working there, for a short time, in 1950.
Here is one of the stories told to me at that time.
Several years before I started work, a shabbily dressed man came to the factory and told a salesman that he would like to look over some of the organs.
The salesman, noting his obvious worn clothing, didn't give much of a sales pitch, since he had already decided that this guy could never afford any organ.
I read, with considerable interest, the story about bears in your Aug. 3 issue. Last spring, a bear was seen in Townshend on lawns along Route 35 close to the West River Valley Assisted Living building, where I reside. They were raiding bird feeders, so they must have been...
I remember when gasoline was selling for 8 gallons for $1, and a gas station attendant would pump the gas into your car with a pump handle. He also would also wash your windshield and check the pressure in your tires. In those days, cars used high-air-pressure tires, which...
I read with interest Alice Muise's story about the baby goose [“Make way for gosling,” The Commons, June 8]. In 1955, a long time ago, I was working for the Jamaica School District as school bus driver. This meant traveling dirt roads to pick up and drop off students. On one trip, as I was driving back to town in the empty bus, I noticed something moving in the ditch, so I stopped. When I got out, I found a...
Before the flush toilet came into general use, most homes had an outhouse, which was a small shed. Usually, it was separated from the house, but sometimes it was attached as an ell, a configuration much appreciated in the winter, since there was no heating system. The outhouse had a plank seat with two large holes and one small hole for children. Underneath was a deep pit in the dirt to contain the waste. Often, on the seat, lay a...
I remember when refrigerators were called “iceboxes.” Most people didn't have electricity. Therefore, keeping perishable food any length of time was a problem. If you lived in a house with a cellar, people often stored food there for a short time. If that was not an option, an icebox was necessary. These boxes were about 5 feet tall and about 2 feet wide. They had short legs at the corners and resembled a piece of furniture. The box had a...
Our most valuable gift, other than the gift of life itself, is the ability to make choices. Why are you reading this? It is because you choose to. Have you ever considered what a difference choices have made in your life? Have you ever realized that the choices you make every day determine your every action? Do you realize that everything you do is the result of making a choice? From your birth until you reach the age when you...