Monday, February 1, 2010

I remember a few years back I read where someone predicted the 25% of all shopping would be done over the internet. I did not believe it. Now a years later, I am tending to believe it, but I believe the internet shoppers will be mostly by men. I can’t see a woman buying something without trying it on. Also there is the return issue, it is a little more of a hassle to return mail order stuff.

(Speaking of mail order, here I am with my new baby, S'gar, this proof came by mail.)

I thought of that when I was afraid one of the shades, I had ordered didn’t seem to work. It was my mistake I had the wrong remote control. BUT I was picturing packaging it up to ship back. Fortunately I did not have to. They all work. I don’t think I have been disappointed in anything I ordered from the internet. The price is usually good also.

I think how, early in our nation’s history, a lot of commerce was mail order. Shoot, even brides. You may remember specific things ordered and delivered. Shirl has mom’s washing machine. Dad ordered it from Sears and Roebuck. Mama told us how they waited patiently for the mail man to bring it. She was so proud of it. Do you have any idea what her ‘washing machine’ looks like? (Cyrus Dodge was the inventor of the original product, called a 'funnel-on-a-stick' or a 'cone-on-a-stick,' which was a hand operated unit. In 1907) You could have fooled me. It looks like a toilet bowl plunger, or much like a metal funnel on the end of a stick. Mama was so proud of it. While the clothes boiled in the black wash pot, she used it like she was churning butter. Up and down, Up and down. She agitated the clothes much like some electric machines do today. (I searched the web for a pic. of the machine but only found the name and inventor (so I drew the picture as well as I remember):

I did not see the mail man deliver that, but I did see him deliver the first box of baby chicks for mama’s chicken lot. They were beautiful little yellow chicks. Dad had a 30watt bulb in a chicken crate. When put in the crate they headed for the light. I have a title for a kid’s story but I have never put it on paper, it is called, ‘My Mama was a Lightbulb’.


So I must have that mail order fever, except all I have to do is point and click. IN the mornings, Sherry collects the printed receipts off the kitchen table and deducts them from our account. She SELDOM fusses! LOL
Thanks for coming this way again,
Nite Shipslog
PS:
The second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today."
Sherry, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool "That's interesting," she said, "how do you make babies?"
"It's simple," replied Sherece. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a cautious internet shopper, but I do love receiving those packages!! :)

Helen said...

Ken does a lot of internet shopping. Not me though. If I want something he will go on and see if he cab find it cheaper online. Most times he does. Pretty neat washing machines. Makes me think of those plunger things people used to use on delicate things a few years back. Helen

Lucy said...

I had to do all of my Christmas shopping on the internet, this year. Not to bad. Cool entry with the pictures of the shades and so forth. I hear Shirl got snowed in and now she don't want to take her car out cause she does not want to get it dirty. Ya gotta love that lady's logic.

shirl72 said...

You sure are going way back. You must tell about slipping out of the house during the War when we would have black outs and shoot the planes out of the sky with your broom as a gun.
What an imagination.

Shirl

Anonymous said...

Living 3,000 miles down to the South of my former home, it is of much joy to be able to buy things via the net, as it indeed brings me "closer" to home again.
Usually it is books, clothes and tea (not from Germany of course, but from Japan) and tickets for flights that I buy.
Please have a nice Tuesday you all.

Paula said...

I'm not keen on internet shopping and I've never seen a washing machine like that.

betty said...

interesting washing machine; and I bet she was just thrilled with it too when it arrived

I do a lot of shopping by Internet; when the kids were younger they would go through catalogs of toys/whatever and tell me what was on their list and then I would order what I wanted to give them. Loved not having to go to the mall.

with all you can get on the Internet these days, including from the local grocery store, if one was agoraphobic, one would never have to leave home, would they? but it is nice for the people who can't get out certain times of the year due to weather or poor health

betty

Debbie said...

Good morning Jack & Sherry, your new shades look really nice. I'm glad you figured the problem out and didn't have to ship them back. I hope you were able to program the remote for the new car without any problems too. I'm glad Sherry doesn't get too upset with your late night buying sprees at least you don't wad up the receipts so she can't make heads or tails outta what you purchased. Shopping is one of my least favorite things to do, I have to make myself go to the grocery and a trip to any store is a dread for me.

Love ya'll
Debbie

Fred Alton said...

LoL @ Sherece's way of making babies. That's not how I remember it being done...altho I admit it's been a long time so maybe I forgot. :D !

I'm half-way through with Rags! Proud your new book is ready and I look forward to reading it too. S'gar (I remember you said, 'Just say Es-Gar") for some reason in my mind I wanted to say "Scar".

You know, I think Daddy ordered the first house they built through Sears and Roebuck. Maybe it was just the plan. It was built of knotty cypress. I'll have to call Mom after daylight and see what she remembers about that. I know we ordered several items - and we needed the catalog for other purposes in our little house in the back yard.

Anonymous said...

NOT EXACTLY 'MAIL ORDER', THOUGH A PLAN TO HAVE EDUCATED YOUNG LADIES TO ARRIVE AT HAYDEN COLORADO TO BECOME SCHOOL TEACHERS.

J.FARRINGTON CARPENTER, WELL KNOWN IN COLORADO HISTORY IN THE ERA OF EARLY 1900s, WAS A SINGLE MAN, LONESOME FOR FEMALE COMPANIONSHIP. 'FERRY' AS HE WAS KNOWN, WAS BUILDING ONE ROOM SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN OF THE MANY HOMESTEAD FAMILIES IN THE AREA. MY DAD JACK SHAFER WAS HELPING BUILD THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLS.
WHEN I WAS THREE YEARS OLD, BEGAN 'VISITING' A SCHOOL WITH AN OLDER SISTER AND BROTHER.

BACK TO 'FERRY' AND HIS PLAN. WROTE LETTERS TO A NEW ENGLAND STATE EXPLAINING THE NEED FOR YOUNG LADY TEACHERS AMONG THE MANY HOMESTEAD FAMILIES. (to learn the results of FERRY'S attempts type in keyword J.FARRINGTON CARPENTER HAYDEN COLORADO HOMESTEAD SCHOOLS).
sam

Sheila Y said...

Yes, being able to order things online is very nice. Don't really order clothes, except for pajama bottoms and a short robe last year. I order my daughters college textbooks online. I've never seen a 'washing machine' like that either, but I bet it was a great invention at the time. Take care, Sheila