THINGS: We thought they were luxuries

had a big ceiling fan in the entryway which cooled you as you entered the store, and they had ice cream just inside. We thought that was luxurious in 1945. We got electricity on the farm in 1945, and right away we began getting several luxuries, like indoor hot and cold running water, an indoor bathroom, an electric kitchen range, and an oscillating electric fan to put a little wind on you in the house. We had gone for quite a few years without realizing that we needed those things.

The other day I was purchasing some items in our Fred’s store in Pea Ridge. My purchases came to I think $9.18. I started to give the lady at the counter a $10 bill and 18 cents, but I didn’t have enough pennies for 18 cents, so I gave her a quarter. She counted back the change without a second of hesitation. I was impressed. Some weeks ago I bought some BBQ chicken from a young fellow. They were selling at $6 each, and I wanted four. I gave him a $20 bill and a $10 bill. I noticed that he was asking his friends if someone had a calculator so he could be sure to be correct with the amount of change. No one had a calculator, so they got their heads together and figured out that I needed $6 in change.

I couldn’t imagine needing a calculator to make change. I think I learned how to do that in second grade at Pea Ridge in 1947. Nobody had a calculator then either. We didn’t know we needed one.

••• Editor’s note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge, is an award-winning columnist, a retired Methodist minister with a passion for history. He is vice president of the Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at joe369@centurytel.net, or call 621-1621.