I think I've mentioned that I have my milk delivered. The milk comes in glass bottles, which I think makes it taste much better than milk in plastic jugs or waxed-cardboard cartons. Plus, it's so fresh (How fresh is it?) that it can keep for 2 weeks! The milk I got today has a "use by" date of February 3. I have an extra fridge in the basement, so I keep most of it down there and bring up a few bottles as I need it. The kids go through about 3 gallons of skim milk a week, and Stephanie spikes hers with a little chocolate milk. Their chocolate milk is incredibly rich, even though it's only 1% fat. I mix about 1 part chocolate to 2 or 3 parts skim for her and it's still yummy.
Anyhow, all of this means that I have a milkman! Larry, to be exact. He's exactly what you would think a milkman from the '50s would be like: courteous, reliable, mild-mannered, thoughtful. He comes very early on Thursday mornings, so I have to remember to leave out my cooler filled with empties on Wednesday night. You can also leave out a written order form, but I prefer to order online the night before. If I forget to order but remember to put the cooler out, Larry fills it with whatever my usual order has been the last few weeks. If, on the other hand, I remember to order but forget to leave out the cooler, he leaves the milk in a crate on my front step. (And, in the warm weather, he drives by a little while later to make sure I took the milk in.)
Well, last night I forgot both to place an order and to leave out the cooler. So, after he made his rounds through the neighborhood, he rang the bell just to check on me. And now I have fresh milk for the week!
I'm jealous! And I don't even like milk. We had a milkman that delivered our milk when I was younger and I so loved waiting for the milk to appear each Friday morning. Thanks for the memories.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 20, 2005 at 11:16 AM
I did not know there were still milk deliveries to residences anymore. In glass containers, no less! That's so cool.
Posted by: pam | January 20, 2005 at 12:59 PM
We used to get our milk delivered when we lived in Atlanta (the first time around) in the 1980's. Excellent.
Useless Knowledge Department: There are no waxed-cardboard milk cartons, not anymore. Haven't been for years. In cardboard gable-top milk cartons, the cardboard is coated with a thin layer of polyethylene plastic, which makes it moisture- and grease-resistant. And you don't get those damnable little bits of wax floating in the milk like you used to.
Posted by: Steve | January 20, 2005 at 01:37 PM