Borax

Most of you don't remember but early TV was populated by "soap operas" - melodramas put forth mainly by Proctor and Gamble to hook watchers into detergents. This practice grew out of 30s and 40s radio where most companies owned an hour of national airtime, found an act or comedian, and linked the two up. Good formula until production got to be so expensive and networks wanted to own more of the commercial pie so the format went out of style.

I was reading last night that the temperature in Death Valley, what with climate issues, will likely break its all time record of 134 degrees this summer.  Conditions for that are setting up.

just about 100 years ago to the day

That got me to thinking about things.

The Old Ranger hosted a radio show called Death Valley Days which I remember from Sunday nights before we got a TV. When we did finally get a tube, the show was also on TV. Friday nights; and there was a face behind the announcer voice. This was a dozen years before Ronald Reagan took over.

The product sponsor started out as the Pacific Coast Borax Company and promoted the sale of borate, a key laundry ingredient. Aha!  A western soap opera.  The history of all this is pretty fun reading and I urge you on as there is a lot more to learn about all this by this link.  You don't need to know it but you'll be a tad smarter if you read it.

20 Mule Team Borax was the product name and came about because the borax was hauled in large wagons that took 20 mules to pull. They (the wagons) were just as I imagined them to be.

Anyway, 130+ degrees.  Wow. Put on that wool shirt and long pants and hitch up the team.