you ‘dialed’ your numbers. Now, along with the ‘phonebook’, the above technology and terminology has been replaced by various forms of wireless devices such as ‘cellphones’. When I was young ‘twitter’ and ‘tweet’ were only done by birds and ‘spam’ was canned meat (in my opinion, about as appealing as present-day spam). Here’s a joke from the days of horse-drawn bread and milk delivery vans; I suspect the punch-line would be lost today. “Did you hear about the miracle of the newborn colt that had no father? Its mother was a Wonder Bread horse.” Henry Ford introduced the first car affordable to the general public. The resulting demand for his cars led to a whole new manufacturing process and terms like ‘mass production’, ‘assembly line’, and ‘shiftwork’ became a part of everyone’s vocabulary. In the 1920s, jobs were plentiful. Shiftwork offered security and good pay. People without jobs for no good reason were described as ‘shiftless’. In the late 1940s, automatic transmissions in cars started to replace manual gearshifts. The next joke developed from the preceding events. “I have developed trousers with automatic zippers. They are to be worn by shiftless bums.” Our last joke came into being when nylon replaced silk in ladies’ stockings. Silk was dressy but the very finely woven threads broke easily and caused unsightly ‘runs’. Much tougher nylon stockings eliminated the run problem, and being seamless as well, did not require constant straightening. I think Shakespeare himself would have really appreciated the wordplay in this little poem.
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‘”Fireman! Fireman! Save my life!” As flame and smoke arose - She’s now his wife He saved her life He brought the nylon hose!’ Well, that’s it for now. Until next time, let’s just keep ‘plugging along’.
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John Caverhill is the younger son of the late Ernest Caverhill and Susie Boyd of Lobo Township. John’s writings often reflect his experiences and observations of growing up on the family farm, attending the one room school, S. S. No. 7 Lobo (Bear Creek School), and Vanneck United Church. John’s sense of humour and story-telling skills are legendary. His keen observation skills have augmented his repertoire .
BBQ’ing for Dad? SHOP LOCAL! The Ilderton Farmer’s Market opens June 7 and offers lots of BBQ and other gift ideas!
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Ilderton and Area Villager June 2025 • Page 13
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