TRAVEL TREASURES

Back in my working days, one of the biggest perks my job provided was the ability to travel on company business to many cities & places around the United States. I probably made business trips to 40 states -- numerous times for some locations -- on the Maybelline dime. [But never to Hawaii or Las Vegas.]

With many business trips -- if the timing was right -- I stayed in the last city I visited & spent the weekend, rather than returning home on Friday. I saved the company a ton of money in airline fees & my bosses would not mind me keeping a rental car for an extra day or two on the expense account.

I was able to spend quite a bit of time being a tourist, or in some cities -- Los Angeles & San Francisco come to mind -- visit familiar resturants & places like zoos, pet shops, plant nursery's -- and especially -- BOOK STORES.

I have always had a strong attraction for books & book stores, starting as a kid. Now days I buy from the big chain book sellers -- I was in Barnes & Noble today -- as well as one the Internet, but I always like to search out & find a large/small independent book store. Thanks to my travels, I found good book stores in cities I was sent to do company business. Those weekend stays proved fruitful.

Growing up, the first bookstore I remember, was the Clinton Bookstore in Rochester, New York. It sold new & used books & had tables & rooms full of old magazines. It was a place where I could spend hours -- & dollars -- looking, reading & enjoying the musty smell of old paper.

Years later, visiting Rochester, I went looking for the Clinton Bookstore, but sadly (for me) the location -- & the store itself -- was gone, thanks to "Urban Renewal".

I have found similar bookstores in New York City, but the book store which comes the closest to my memory of the Clinton Bookstore, is Powell's Books, in Portland, Oregon. It's huge, it has MILLIONS of books & the staff is knowledgeable & willing to help ... or just leave you alone. My last time at Powell's Books, I had to buy an extra piece of luggage to bring all the books back I had purchased.

In my travels, not all the book stores I have found have quite measured up to the "standards" I have in mind when visiting these small, independent sellers. In fact, some travels & complicated searches have led to disappointment as to results. It may be the size of the store, the kind of subjects in the books they carry, or ... maybe the bookstore was just ... WRONG.

The fun is in the HUNT; sometimes a treasure ... sometimes not. Since my "library" has THOUSANDS of books, publications & magazines, I found the RIGHT book stores quite often.

A GRAVE INJUSTICE

When I travel East on Interstate-40, I usually get on at the access ramp at Kerr Road. It's about five miles from where I live, so even living in a rural area, I'm not really ... "out in the sticks". Not too far, anyway.

For the several years I was commuting weekly to/from Memphis to work with Caboodles Cosmetics, Kerr road was the beginning & end for me. Not only for the travel itself -- about 260 miles round trip -- but for the traffic on I-40 as well. The trip gets old quickly, battling all the 18-wheelers which travel the Interstate.

Each Monday morning, usually about 5 A.M., I would make my entrance to I-40 at Kerr Road. Late Thursday afternoon of that week, returning home, Kerr Road was my exit point. Many times, I would often get off the Interstate in Bisco, Arkansas & make the rest of the trip home on Highway-70. I would have had enough of the Interstate traffic & needed a more leisurely flow of traffic.

Even those times I would exit the Interstate early, I still would "pass" Kerr Road as I neared home, as it begins at Highway-70. The road goes all the way to Cabot, Arkansas & is often a "back way" for me travel to Cabot.

Kerr Road, between Highway-70 & the Interstate entrance/exit, is just a county road, most of it bordered by a swamp full of Tupelo Trees on one side & a sod farm on the other. Scattered along the way are some not too well kept homes, a few mobile homes [some may/may not be lived in] & a church & grave yard -- St. Mathews Baptist Church.

The church was rebuilt a few years ago & looks elegant & well kept. The grave yard however appears to be a different story.

I could tell when driving on Kerr Road that many of the tombstones where quite old, yet the grave yard itself was "active", as I would often see "fresh" graves -- due to dirt, flowers, etc. -- as I drove along.

When I worked at Maybelline here in Arkansas, I was given some history on the "Kerr Community" as it is sometimes called. The area dates back to the late 1800's & has primarily been an African-American conclave all that time. The original church was built long ago, but replaced in the past decade.

I recently stopped at the church & fulfilled a long desire to "tour" the grave yard. I knew there had to be some extremely old graves & I was curious as to what I would find.

Let me just say ... close up & under my feet ... the grave yard is not what it appears to be when driving past it at 25-35 MPH. There are OLD graves & newer sections, with -- per the grave markers -- "recent" burials. What impacted my visit, was the CONDITION of the graves.

This grave -- for someone with a last name of "Warren", was the oldest grave with a date on it -- 1899. However, there were many other stones & markers which were unreadable or had no writing on them.

This grave marker appears to be, "home made" -- concrete forms, with the name/dates scraped in while the concrete was still wet. There were two of these markers which I saw.

I look at the dates on the markers, not only to find "old graves", but like this one, to quietly question in my mind, why this person only lived to be 21 years old.

This is looking from what I would call the "old section", back to the church & some of the "newer" graves. This shows too, with the reflections, what I could never see from the road -- many of the graves have water in them/on them. It appears -- due to age ?? -- the earth has sunk in & water either fills it, or covers it. Not only did it make me feel the grave yard was not maintained, but -- creeping me out -- whatever is buried has collapsed, or disintegrated, below.

This grave -- of Virge Sampson -- was overgrown by the tree & tree roots which grew long after the person -- less than one year old -- was buried. There were many grave stones in far worse condition ... some broken, tipped over & some falling INTO the sinking graves.

Again ... areas in poor condition, not maintained & outlines of sinking grave sites.

Even in the newer areas, where some semblance of grave care is taking place, there are areas of water & sunken earth.

And -- just so we don't forget we are in Arkansas -- along side the small dirt/gravel road which traverses the grave yard, there are piles of garbage scattered around. In this case, old plastic flowers, metal flower stands, styrofoam crosses, along with some other "things" I was not sure I wanted to know what they were.

Well, for a long time I was curious about this location & the "contents". What I have come away with is more questions than answers, all having to do with care of the site & even why people would want to be continue to be buried there. [I guess I answer that last question by thinking "options" may be limited to these people & the location may be ingrained in both mind & family history.]

Still the investigation was interesting. I know a bit more about the area & certainly some information about people who have passed on, many quite a few years ago.

It also affirmed my desire, dictate to friends, family & written in my will, to be cremated when it is my turn to leave planet earth. Then, no maintenance for me will be required when I am gone.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM

When I transferred to Arkansas with Maybelline in 1996, I would venture over to Lonoke, Arkansas to do some of my shopping for non-grocery items at the Wal*Mart store in that town.

The store was small & very old. It was probably one of the "original" stores ... when Wal*Mart was just a regional chain of stores. I often felt I might see Sam Walton himself walking the narrow isles.

The "big" Wal*Mart at that time, was over in West Little Rock. I went there a couple times but it was just too far away to be practical for me. I stuck with the Lonoke store & did most of my grocery shopping at local Kroger's or Harvest Foods.

I'm sure everyone reading this is well aware of how much Wal*Mart has expanded through out the world. In the United States they seem to now have stores everywhere. As time went on , I had more Wal*Mart stores opening up in my area to choose from ... all of them "super stores"; meaning they sold groceries as well.

As more Wal*Mart's opened, I started going to new stores in Jacksonville & Cabot, Arkansas to shop. [The one in Cabot got so popular & busy for that town, Wal*Mart built a newer, bigger store on the land next to the original store. They closed the old one & moved next door.]

A super store was built & opened in North Little Rock -- finally !! Of all the locations, this one is the closest to me in distance ... about 10 miles. It's also the Wal*Mart store I don't care to shop at.

I've never been pleased with the N.L.R. store. It always seemed a bit "messy" & the shelves poorly stocked. They refurbished & re-did the store less than a year ago, but the cosmetic changes didn't do much to change my opinion of the store.

The nicest Wal*Mart store is a new one in Sherwood, Arkansas; just the other side of the North Little Rock city line. It's big, clean, well stocked & just a few more miles for me to drive to shop at.

And now ... a NEW Wal*Mart store has opened ... in Lonoke !!!

I knew there were plans to close the old store. Either that, or turn it into a Wal*Mart museum. It really was that old.

WAL*MART -- LONOKE, ARKANSAS

The new store is across Interstate-40 from Lonoke proper, & while not a "super store", it has an excellent grocery selection & just about everything I would want & need at Wal*Mart. It''s about three times bigger than the old store. I've been to the store several times now & have been pleased each time with what I find.

It's going to be a long time before I want/need to go to the N.L.R. store again. I really don't know why that store has such a negative effect on me. I want to think ALL Wal*Mart stores would be maintained the same way. Not so.

I'm going to continue shopping at the Lonoke, Arkansas store. I'll still keep my eyes open for Sam Walton.

PEEPERS

The precipitation is falling today as rain. Last week it would have been snow & sleet.

The snow we did have has FINALLY all melted & the temperatures are above freezing at night & in the high 50's during the day. I know we will have more cold days -- it's in the 10-day forecast -- but can Spring be far away ??

It still looks like Winter; the trees are leafless & the ground is dull brown & covered with leaves. [I've still got a lot of yard work ahead of me.] At least it is starting to SOUND like Spring.

Spring & all the good things it brings -- warmer weather, green grass, flowers & blooming trees, etc. -- is heralded around my home by the sound of ... "The Peepers".

Spring Peepers are tiny frogs about an inch long which are "chirping" at all hours of the day in the swamps, ponds & bodies of water all around the area where I live. The warmer temperatures are alerting them to become active.

The fella Peepers are looking to "hook up" & the whistling sound they make -- 24/7 -- is to attract Peeper babes. [Fine looking ladies too, with a light brown color & stripes forming an "X" on the frogs back. HOT !!]


Some years the Peepers will get fooled by warmer-than-normal temperatures, & will start "calling" in January. The returning cold weather will drive them back into hibernation until the temperatures start to warm again. They are not "Winter Peepers" after all.

It's good to hear the Spring Peepers are making their sounds. After the flooding, cold temperatures & large amounts of snow we have had this Winter season, it's joy full to realize we are finally due for a change in seasons & the Peepers are providing us their annual reminder.

"THE STONES"

Like many people my age -- 62 going on 33 -- I was a big fan of the Beatles. Unlike some others, I also liked the Rolling Stones. I still like the music of both.

I aways shared the Jeff Spicoli's desire to "... jam with the Stones". Not that I could play any instruments or carry a tune.

I attended a Rolling Stones concert in Memphis years ago. I went with "Wemus" & Larry & about 50,000 other folks to watch/hear/"hang out" with Mick & the boys at the football stadium. We had a great time.

The word "stones" has another meaning for me -- KIDNEY STONES. I've been producing them since about the mid-1980's on a semi-regular basis. I found out this past week I'm currently holding on to several, & they are making their presence known.

Through out my 33 years of life, I've had my share of hospital visits, along with minor & major operations. I've spent a few days there due to "stones".

Still, I'm not one to run to the doctor for every little ache & pain. I do have my annual & regular visits with several doctors for "maintenance", but the majority of the kidney stones have "passed" without any help.

The first Urologist I ever went to warned me the pain of passing a stone was "... like a woman having a baby". My response was quickly -- "What man knows what that feels like ??"

I seem to be able to pass kidney stones on my own as I have a good tolerance for pain. Heck, I was married four years !!

Still, every so often, I do start to go into labor. The pain gets to be too much; there is not a position -- standing, siting, laying down -- which is comfortable & I start passing blood. Time to call on the professionals.

I like the Urologist I go to in Little Rock -- Dr. Gail Reed Jones. I've been seeing her annually for about six years. I'll be seeing her again Monday, when I'm scheduled for some dye-injection x-rays. I'm pretty sure she's going to put me in the hospital this time & "remove" my Calcium Oxalate buddies.

If it was later in the year, I might be able to shake the stones loose by cutting the grass. I've told Dr. Jones in the past, riding on my mower for several hours, cutting four acres of grass, will usually help me "pass" a stone in a day or two. It's all the bouncing around & twisting & turning on the mower which ... "gets things moving".

WILLIE & THE STONES

I had the mower out today & drove it around a bit. I do that every few weeks in the Winter, to keep it running & in good order. It's just not enough riding time right now to get ME in good order.

Instead of using the John Deere, it looks as if these non-rolling stones will let my doctor do the job of removal.

SPELUNKING

ANYTHING ... different, new, moved, rearranged or changed in the world of my three cats will attract them to investigate whatever it is which is unique. They never miss anything.

Last night I opened the bottom drawer in the kitchen, looking for one of Wobs favorite toys, which for various reasons, I have to keep put away & hidden.

The open drawer IMMEDIATELY attracted Wobs & her mother, Precious ... sniffing, looking & investigating the change in the kitchen landscape. With all the clutter in the drawer, the toy was the item of least interest.

Precious had her paws up on the front of the drawer & her head deeply buried, looking intently into it. Wobs was also focused on the contents.

I thought it would be a cute photo so I ran to the back room to get my camera, but when I got back only Wobs was still there. I took the picture of Wobs alone, siting next to the open drawer.

THE WOBBLER

Then I started looking around for Momma Kitty. She was not in the kitchen & I didn't see her in the living room, on the porch or in the hall ... all favorite spots.

Then it dawned on me. [You know where this is going.]

I reached down & stuck my hand into the back of the extended drawer. I got a cat paw touching me back. Precious had somehow pulled her chunky self through the clutter in the drawer & was in the back of the cabinetry.

I tried pulling the drawer out & off the runners. No luck. It would not budge. The other cabinet doors in the kitchen did not provide access to the space she was in.

Finally, I emptied the open drawer of all it's contents & pushed the drawer half way in. Precious crawled in from the back, through the drawer & out the front.

Never a dull moment with three cats. If there is an opening ... a platform ... a newly pressed piece of clothing needing a coating of cat hair ... they will find it.

Precious ... in the sock drawer.

DEATH BY THE DOZENS

I'm a regular customer at McSwain's Sport Shop. I buy minnows there all the time. Sometimes crickets as well. Occasionally, even worms.

And I am NOT a fisherman.

The minnows are for several species of turtles in my collection which will only eat live fish. The crickets are for my lizards -- actually GECKOS -- which eat insects. The species of geckos I keep will also feed on flower nectar in the wild. In captivity, I substitute baby food, which I get at the grocery store. I'd have "one-stop-shopping" if McSwain's would stock baby food.

The guys who work at McSwain's all know me & why I'm buying. I like to say I'm dealing in ... "Death by the dozens". It's true.

I do get questions quite often from other shoppers in McSwain's, usually along the lines of ... "What ya fishin fer" ?? Naturally, I get the weird looks when I tell them I'm raising & feeding turtles.

With the birds the cats catch -- there are feathers on the front porch right now -- & all the bugs & "minnas" getting devoured at this location, it seems death -- is a common thing. It's just a fact of nature for the animals I have.

Still, some "deaths" around here are dealt with on a different level. Sometimes I have to make the decision to end suffering & speed up the process of dying. I had to face that today.

I knew it was coming ... so it's not a shock really. It's not like I expected to have it around forever. After all ... forty years old can be a good life for some. I'll bet that age -- knowing how it can be now days -- had to be considered "old age", but, making the decision & saying: "That's it ... I'm not going to let you go on like this ... knowing the effort you are making. It's over. In the trash you go".

After 40 years of faithful service ... gallons of margaritas ... whipping up smoothies & frothy eggs, my Waring Blender has finally had it's motor silenced. Time for a new one.

Good bye, old friend !!

My Dad bought the blender as a gift during a visit with me & my wife back in Memphis, about 40 years ago. He drove down from New York State by himself, as Mom was on one of her frequent visits back in England. If I remember correctly, we got it in a store across from Southland Mall, which may have been a Service Merchandise store.

And, YES ... when my wife [Nancy] & I split up, I did get the blender. That's about all I got, other than the shaft.

I doubt if the next blender I buy will last 40 years ... but, I sure would like to be around to see if it does.