End of an Era

A familiar sounding rap-rap happened on our front door yesterday. I already knew who it was and I took a deep breath before I responded. Oddly, I felt a bit emotional about the interaction that I knew was coming. My husband joined me and when we saw Jim we each gave him a big bear hug. No, Jim is not a long lost cousin or a friend from afar. Jim is our faithful Schwan's Truck delivery guy. We are not in the habit of hugging our Schwan's Truck guy (creepy). We gave Jim a hug because this would be the last time we would see his familiar yellow truck pull up to our curb. It would be the last time we would hear the click-clacking of his truck's compartments opening and closing as he gathered our order for delivery. To be clear, Jim is not retiring. The truth of the matter is, Schwan's delivery will be no more as of the first week of November.

Three generations of my family enjoyed the offerings of the iconic yellow truck. My mother began the tradition by ordering large tins of ice cream (vanilla only). After the ice cream was consumed, the tins were usually repurposed, most likely filled to the brim with homemade chocolate chip cookies that were also kept in the freezer. As time moved on (and money became less tight) my mother purchased many of the specialty treats so her freezer was always at the ready for the grandkids, and big kids. A favorite for the little ones was the Push-Up Pop. They were a fruity, creamy ice cream specialty packaged in a little cylinder that small hands could readily handle. Another popular favorite was the Gold Nugget Bar. Packaged like a large candy bar, this chocolate coated ice cream treat was loaded with caramel and crunchy peanuts. One had to be pro-active to nab this ice cream delicacy as they disappeared quickly.

My mother's Schwan's delivery guy continued to be very helpful as she added a few easy to cook items to her order when she started cooking for one and did not always want to "start up the stove." She would leave her garage door open if she was going to be gone on delivery day so he could put her order in the chest freezer. She usually had a check waiting for him on the freezer's lid. Small town economics.

I continued the tradition by flagging down a truck that was in our neighborhood when we first moved here. My husband could live on ice cream alone and Schwan's was happy to help him out. Vanilla remained the top choice but a revolving cast of specialty flavors and treats were enjoyed throughout the years. I often ordered the vegetables and a few easy to cook items that helped me out on those I-am-too-tired-to-cook nights.

It is true that we enjoyed the products Schwan's had to offer but it is also true that we developed a friendship with Jim, our delivery guy for many years. He faithfully checked on us every two weeks through pelting rain, scorching sun, icy streets and gale force winds. He often carried a few extra pints of my husband's favorite Cherry Chocolate Chunk ice cream just in case our supplies were running low. He always had a smile on his face, even when he was going through cancer treatments. And when the time came, he personally let us know when the delivery company was closing so that we would not hear it on the news first.

Jim had no ice cream to deliver to us yesterday as the supplies were depleted. We knew that would be the case. We also knew that we wanted to say good-bye, not only to the ice cream but to the relationships many of us enjoyed over the years when the familiar yellow truck pulled up to the curb.