Reflections
Corn Flakes, Baking Soda Are Staples At The House
By Charles Cooper
Hello everyone, hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
I don’t know why they call the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” since it is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year. It should be called Green Friday.
I saw that some poor guy got trampled to death by out-of-control shoppers. I am not what you would call a dedicated shopper – when I go to the store, I usually know what I’m there for and when I get it, I check out and leave. I’m old-fashioned and pay with cash instead of plastic.
When I walk through the kitchen, I take a quick look around to see if we’re out of something. The other day I noticed something was wrong and finally realized there was not a box of Corn Flakes in its usual place. These days I don’t eat much cereal, but I keep a box for anyone who’s interested. As long as I can remember, there was always a box of Corn Flakes in the kitchen, along with a box of Quaker Oats. Even before I could read, I knew Corn Flakes by sight. Needless to say the next time I went to Wal-Mart I made sure that a box of Corn Flakes was in my cart. Then there’s Arm and Hammer baking soda. These days we keep a box in the refrigerator and the freezer. While it may not be a deodorizer, it’s reassuring to know it’s in there.
When I got my paper, I noticed an error where it said Mr. Charlie Hague carried five one-hundred dollar bills. He actually carried two five-hundred dollar bills, and I believe one one thousand dollar bill. These were the first I ever saw of that denomination, and I’m not sure if they even print them anymore.
Lupe took Terri, Elizabeth, and Shelby to Washington Park, located not far from our house, to see the lighting of the Christmas tree and treated them to a carriage ride to see the Christmas lights. I didn’t go.
I told them I rode in enough wagons when I was a kid to do me for the rest of my life. Those of you who never rode in a farm wagon with no springs and iron tires can’t understand what I mean. Of course the wagons of today have rubber tires and springs, but to me they’re still a wagon.
When automobiles were still in infancy, a buggy was a classy way to go. I’ve heard Mother say that she saw Charlie and Beulah Goodwin drive up to Jumper’s Chapel in a buggy to get married.
Nanny Badley would take Great-grandpa Jumper in a buggy and drive to Nettleton to visit relatives. I don’t remember how long they said it took to make the trip. They said that Joe Goodwin delivered mail on RFD 1 in a buggy, but I only remember him driving a Model T Phaeton. When Uncle Charlie came back from France after World War I, he announced that they had to get a car. Of course it was a Model T and Papa Badley learned to drive on that car. He was a fairly competent driver, although he never learned to drive a gear shift.
He kept a Model T until he became disabled during World War II. Mother taught me to drive on that car, although I mainly drove her Model A. Although Henry was politically naive, he did realize his dream of producing a car that an average working man could buy. At one time a Model T was $287.00 FOB Detroit. He even produced a car with a removable truck bed that could be used as a family car on Sunday
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing this column for eight years. I appreciate all of you who have made it possible for it to continue, both as readers and contributors, so let me hear from you. My email address is charlescooper3616@sbcglobal.net or write me at P. O. Box 613180, Memphis, TN 38101. Have a great week.
