The sign reads “new FDC refrigeration facility under construction: authorized by Ralph “the rat” Thompson. Watch us grow.” Ralph did not care for the sign and removed it.

Cold anything, except rain, was welcome but infrequent. Most ice was made from local water and considered contaminated. We learned to spin a can rapidly on the block of local ice to cool the contents. Cold vanished rapidly so canned drinks went down fast. Ice disappeared rapidly even when packed in the rice-hull insulation used by local merchants; they did not have electricity to power refrigeration.