My father was a milkman and from the ages of 10 - 16 I would deliver milk with him six days a week. He would wake me up at about 1:00 am Monday thru Saturday and we would head off to the dairy. We would listen to the Milkman's Matinee on our way to Johanna Farms, the dairy where we would load up the truck. The milk route would take about six hours to finish and he would drop me off around 7:30 Am. I would take a quick shower and be off to school. My Dad would go to his 2nd job building Dinner Cars. Hell yes, I would be tired, but it was off to school, and what better place to rest up in order to get ready for practice.
In dog ears years, that period in my life was a long, long, long, time ago.
Every year I save gallon milk jugs for collecting maple sap.
It takes about six months to save this many.
At the end of every maple syrup season, I recycle the jugs at the town waste facility.
Well, from here on in I'll be washing the plastic containers at the end of every season for the following season.
Look at this, milk back where it belongs, **IN GLASS **
After getting gas for the truck at Byrne Dairy, I went inside their mini-mart to get some milk.
As I made my way to the milk coolers, I noticed a familiar site from years ago, milk containers made from glass.
There was not a moment of hesitation as I smiled and grabbed two half-gallon bottles. I was thrilled to see that BYRNE DAIRY was transitioning back to #resuable containers.
It's funny what events kindle our memories, and the simple task of picking up a gallon of milk had me smiling as I recalled some great moments spent with my Dad.
The truck you see below is a Divco Milk truck, one that I spent many hours in every morning during my formative years.
Monday thru Saturday we would go to the dairy, back up to the loading platform, and fill the truck with wooden cases of milk. One of the coolest features was the swivel chair. My Dad would either stand up while driving, which he did when there were several customers in the same area. When we had to travel to the next neighborhood he would position the seat in front of the steering wheel, sit down and take a break. As a kid, I thought standing up to drive was the BOMB.
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Divco/
Today these trucks are highly prized and many of them have been restored.
This is the milk carrier that we used. When there were several customers in the same area, I would depart the truck with two of them loaded to the max. With a flashlight tucked under my arm, I would cut through back yards, side yards, and walk down the street to get to our customers.
My Dad would drive to another nearby customer and pick me up five to ten minutes later.
At that point, my carriers would be loaded with empty bottles that were placed back in the wooden cases.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/
Back in the day, even the lids were made from something other than plastic. These lids are now collectibles.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/
This milk box was the final destination for the goods I was delivering.
Besides milk, all of the items listed on this cover were kept in a smaller ice cooled box located in the front of the truck.
If a customer left a note spelling out what additional products they wanted, it required another trip to their milk box.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/
Well there you have it, the twofold reason for this blog, milk in glass jugs once again, and fond memories.
I know that the opportunity to purchase milk in glass jugs may not be available to you, but if this novel once practiced method to bottling milk comes to your neighborhood, my suggestion would be to buy it in glass bottles. Think of the plastic that would have never made it into the circle of pollution, if we never changed the packaging of this SINGLE product.
Many times we feel that our hands are tied and no matter what we do the situation is out of our control. It's little things like this that all of us can practice, and if we do, then we can make a difference.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!