Friday I heard the tell tale bell of the knife-grinder's truck. In Brooklyn we still have two competing guys who drive around in their trucks (known in the neighborhood as "the red one" and "the green one"). The only remainder I can think of from the old days when many more independent folks brought their wares or skills to you in the days before Amazon. I'm old enough to remember milk delivery to the milk box, a bookmobile from the library(magical for a 4 year old), and the Fuller Brush Man. There was also a piano tuner who went door-to-door on a regular circuit. The ice man of my mother's memory was long gone, replaced by the refrigerator by the time I was born in the Bronx. Nowadays the only holdouts are the ice cream truck and the knife grinder. It made me happy to bring my whole block of knives out to the curb and have them sharpened by Del Re's truck. He told me he was the third generation, but he didn't think it would continue too much longer.
