I need a new computer and I need some new photoooos and I forget what else but I may change this title later when I remember.

So how about some milkman stories? Eh? Did you guys have a milkman? We had a milkman. We had a milkman at our house on Superior Street up in Siberia. We had a silver-colored milk-type box that the milkman would put our quarts of milk into every day or whenever it was that we ordered milk. I can’t remember how often. Once in a blue moon, we could actually get The Commander to buy a bottle of chocolate milk. We had Quik at our house and that stuff was good but somehow there was nothing better than buying bottled chocolate milk. We also had a milk man at the cabin, out at Fin Family Moominbeach. My dog Tigger did *not* like that milk man. Not a bit. When he drove in, Tigger barked like heck! I don’t know what was wrong with him exactly. Maybe he was just invading her territory. To her credit, when she got old and unknown folks occasionally walked the beach, she would walk up to them and wag her tail, asking for them to pet her. And they did and, “oh such a nice doggy.” Yeah. Not always but I did love my dog to distraction.

By the time I took whatever our high school’s senior-level math class was, the milkman was long gone. I was on the “college track” and I loved math and most of the kids who were in my class either loved math or were able enough to manage to get it. But then there was the “general math” track. My senior math class teacher, Mr. Kiczenski, taught both high-level math kids and general math kids. He was a young man then. When I looked him up in my yearbooks tonight, I can’t believe (by his looks) that we could respect him as a teacher. He doesn’t look any older than I did in my senior picture. And yet, he was through college and married and maybe had children by then. He was a wonderful teacher and we *did* respect him. Why? Because he knew his stuff!

One day, by the time he got to our class, he’d had a bad day. He told us that he had asked one of his general math students to do a problem up at the blackboard. Unfortunately, the problem involved a milkman. It had probably come from a textbook. This kid said, “I ain’t gonna be no milkman and I ain’t gonna do no milkman problem.”

Sigh. Mr. Kiczenski was a wonderful teacher! I will almost bet that he eventually figured out a way to teach general math to all of the students in those classes and I will bet that he encouraged some of those kids to take more advanced math classes. I hope so but I don’t know. I do know that Mr. Kiczenski always encouraged yer favo-rite blahgger to go into math… But she chose music instead. And… Then computers. Which wasn’t the worst thing, actually [wink]

8 Responses to “I need a new computer and I need some new photoooos and I forget what else but I may change this title later when I remember.”

  1. Margaret Says:

    I had a milkman growing up and I still have a milkman. I think his name is Mark. I get the delivery from my local Smith Brothers Dairy. I loved your teacher story! I wonder what Mr. K is doing these days; he would probably be retired until he’s on TR Plan 3 in my state “Teach until you die!”

  2. Marquis Says:

    If the Postman always knocks twice, how many times does the milkman knock?

  3. Kathy Farnell Says:

    When I was a kid and living on Woodsboro, our milkman did not knock. He just walked right in, went to the refrigerator, and put 14 half gallons of milk in there every Monday and Wednesday, and 16 on Friday. He would collect all of the rinsed out empty bottles and be on his way. Later, when I had my own home and 3 little children, I had a milkman too. I got milk, eggs, bread, butter and Ice cream from him and cheese if I ordered in advance. I also had him come in the house (without knocking) and deposit a full shelf full of milk 2 times per week (8-10 half gallons in wax containers). If I wasn’t home (rarely) I would leave the door unlocked so he could get in. It was so nice because I did not have a car and it saved me many trips to the store at night. If I had to go to the store, I put all of the kids in the wagon and walked. It was about 3/4 mile away. Anne, you would have loved it!! When we moved to Troy, I had a milkman for a very short time and then they cancelled me because there was not enough business for a milkman in our area. By that time I had a car so at least I didn’t have to wait until the evening to go to the store.

  4. Dona Says:

    Wow. Milkman to math teacher. That was a jump!

    We had a milkman but I don’t remember him. I remember the milkbox though. It always smelled of lightning bugs because that was where I put (and forgot about) lightning bugs I caught on summer nights. Or maybe I only did that once. Lightning bugs smelled of lettuce.

    The math teacher I remember most was my geometry teacher. I forget his name, but he had a handlebar mustache and his 6th grade teacher was the father of my best friend in high school (who also taught my sister-in-law and her daughter).

    I didn’t like math, but did like that math teacher.

  5. Jay Says:

    We have a milkman at work. We have a staff refrigerator and our activities committee sells the small cartons of milk and chocolate milk.

  6. Sam Says:

    The Guru says new laptops are rumored to be revealed in a matter of weeks. Sit tight and see if the rumors bear fruit! (regarding your title…). When I was very little, we had a milkman. Whom I don’t remember, just the insulated milk box and other associated paraphernalia. When I was in HS, I had two very good math teachers, for geometry and the classes that followed (perhaps algebra II and precalc?)—both older women, incidentally. And, in my recollection, Sr. Marquis, the milkman never knocked (we could hear his diesel truck; same was true of the guy/truck who delivered the fuel oil).

  7. kayak woman Says:

    Wow, I never knew that lightning bugs (we usually call them fireflies here) had a smell (-:

    We had Mrs. Grout for Algebra II. She looked just about like you would think a Mrs. Grout would look. She was terrifying but a fantastic teacher and I think that by the time I had her, she had enough seniority that they didn’t make her teach general math.

  8. jane Says:

    my fav math teacher was Pat Fraze. she was wicked smart, but able to explain things clearly. I’m pretty sure I had her for pre-calc or whatever it was called, because I know she wasn’t my calc teacher (he was condescending — interesting that I can’t remember his name…)