Shakesthegrounds Rumblings

[jstephens9]

I was just talking about your writing the other day with someone. We both agreed that your writing has this ability to make you feel like you are there. In fact it even has that ability for people who actually were there. Your writing reflects how observant you are of the world around you. You describe that world in perfect detail. A true talent!!!

[Shakesthecoffecan]

I am driving up Rt. 52, following a route I have never been on before and in my mind there are women. There are spaced evenly and wearing aprons, alternating back and forth into infinity and they speak to me in unison: "You need to feed them!"

Ascertaining that they had both indeed been exposed to the Andy Griffith Show, I introduced them to his home town, Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Its gate keeper a big knob on a mountain, Pilot Mountain. I had in mind we would eat at the Snappy Lunch, in the heart of downtown. I was looking for a street to take us there when we happened upon Newsome Street, a sign no doubt, and we took it. It lead us to the heart of Mayberry kitsch, as the town is eat up with it. We saw the cruiser, the made up court house and Wally's filling station, before finally finding downtown and discovering the Sappy Lunch had closed at 1:45 pm, no Pork Chop sandwishes this trip.

Mt. Airy is indeed eat up with their favorite son and the TV town that was created from his life, one that never mentioned that  for decades in the 19th century it was the home of the "original" Siamese twins, Eng and Chang Bunker, their wives and hordes of children. (Their descendants live there to this day, politely acknowledging their unique heritage of Scotch Irish Thai.) If you go today to the house where Andy Griffith grew up, an nice lady will come to the door and tell you he don't live there any more.

So across the way we found a hole in the wall: Barney's Cafe, resplendent in pencil drawings of the character Don Knotts could never escape. We approached to the scene of a woman with missing incisors carrying on a conversation with the driver of a car stopped in the street. Two women commenting on the welfare of men they could do nothing with. Seeing we were coming in she knew she had to get back to work.

"I love you" she hollered from the door way.

"I love you too" the woman in the car hollered back.

Inside we got a table and diet sodas and sandwiches, and tried to prepare for them by washing our hands but alas, the pump didn;t work because the vandals took the handle. A note taped to the sink said we could either go to the dish room and wash our hands or make use of the Germ X that was provided.

I tried to get them fellas to order some of that extremely pink strawberry cake on the counter under glass, but there was no room. We could hardly finish our fries. Chuck was the life of the party I am not sure he knew was going on. Paul would look at me sometimes and I would try to look back at him in a way to tell him it was alright, I had my eyes on them.

Before leaving town we had to stop at the Lowes Foods to put $151.52 into the local economy. It was so much fun. Chuck came up to us and said: "For my birthday I want something that had BIG LIPS." and indicated the chocolate cake with huge red plastic lips and I was like "Oh no they didn't!" But they had. They had also made Barbie cakes, but none with Pigs Feet.

I think Paul was feeling a little homesick. He was comforted with the discover of a giant red stuffed valentine lobster. I mean what says I love you more than an teddy lobster? A marvellous selection of snuff. Cowboy wine, wasabi peanuts, and the promise of a dinner made with love.

The car, bless its heart, must have wondered what we were doing. Wondered how much else we were going to stuff into it. But it did not complain, it carried us on into Virginia, thru Cana, past the concrete lawn art. Our Lady of the Confederate Flag. The ground come up quickly then and we climbed up to the parkway. Still anticipating the turn and when it came there was nothing to do but back up in the road a bit. Good thing there was no traffic.

We had made it to the cabin, we were home. The light was fading and we carried in our plastic bags and I heard Chuck say we had company. I thought it might be the nosy neighbors I had heard about and went to speak with them, but when I saw the mountain come thru the door I switched gears immediately and thru my arms around Wulf, he had made it. Had not seen him since last spring in Washington.

And the woman in front of that long line turned to the othern and said: "I don't know if they have enough groceries to feed all of them. Do you?"  

 

[CellarDweller]

Big brother, you are the best writer!  I'm looking foward to more weekend descriptions as only you can tell them!

Chuck was the life of the party I am not sure he knew was going on. Paul would look at me sometimes and I would try to look back at him in a way to tell him it was alright, I had my eyes on them.

Uh oh......did I bring some unwanted attention our way?   

[Wayne]

Mt. Airy is indeed eat up with their favorite son and the TV town that was created from his life

 

[ifyoucantfixit]

                   



                                        AT LONG LAST LOVE............                                            

[Meryl]

AT LONG LAST LOVE............

 

[Scott6373]

4TA

I wandered into the park, with no real intention of stopping anywhere.  So many thoughts and emotions were crowding my brain.  Though the paved walkway was straight and flat, I don’t think my stride was matching its curvelessness.  The losses I had suffered over the year previous had taken their toll on me, and I found myself losing control over my well manicured consciousness more and more often.

The day was dank and stale: ripe with the stink of grief.  The trees over my head were bare:  their branches spread out like the bones of a denuded fish laying on the beach after having been used for whatever its ultimate purpose was.  There was no sun shining, and the cold of the city day was more pervasive than I had ever felt it.  Not long into my crossing, I felt the weariness return.  It was something I had become accustomed to and wore like a shawl of protection.  I came upon a gray park bench and took the sad opportunity it offered.  I sat for quite sometime, drifting back and forth from manic enlightenment to tragic fatality.  My tears would not stop, and I had long ago ceased making the attempt to abate them.

After a short while, a man sat down on the same bench.  I didn’t acknowledge him, nor did I look at him, but as is with the start of all human interaction, I knew instinctively that he was regarding me closely.  When I did look at his face, I saw nothing but concern; his pale blue eyes inviting me to unburden my soul.  I asked his name, but he offered no answer.  He merely reached over and took my hand in his.  The touch of this stranger stung like salted water on virgin skin but I did not pull away.  He spoke not a word yet asked me what troubled me so.  Still in silence, he nodded in his understanding.  His hand reached up and stroked my wet cheek.  The wellspring of torment inside me flowed through my skin to his and those eyes that held my soul, filled with my sadness.  He had taken my pain deep inside of his heart, and he continued to drain it from me until I saw the cost it meant to him.

My angel was willing to suffer greater pain than I, for the sake of my soul, and I knew that if I did not push him from my tormented breast, he would drink until I felt no more hurt, and he lay dead in a pool of those things that did not belong to him.  With great difficulty, I stood and stepped away from him.  His involuntary shudder of relief confirmed to me that my actions were necessary in order to save this rarest of creatures.

I left the park that day changed.  He was a true angel.  I know this because when I look for him now, he is only a memory; a memory with the palest of blue eyes.

[ifyoucantfixit]

                               Be well lil darlin.  We will keep the light on for you..................

[Shakesthecoffecan]

Okay so we are at Disney world and we go thru this kiddie ride, millions of kitchy puppets and automatrons singing "Its a Small World After All" and it was quite and experience.

We ate lunch at Pinocchio's Pizza place next door, you could see the boats leaving the dock taking more people thru the maze. At one table a daddy put his haid down on the table exhausted while the mommy got the food.

At another table three little girls sang: "Its A Small World After All, Its a Small World After All....."

Suddenly their old brother, approximately age seven began screaming:

"STOP IT! STOP SINGING THAT SONG! I HATE THAT SONG!"

A parent rises and drags his crying as outside. We laugh, we eat out lunch.

Before we leave we hear the little girls again sing: "Its A Small World After All, Its a Small World After All....."

And their brother, uncurls from the fetal position and starts to out sing them:

"Its a BIG world AFRTERALL!"

You go, son. 

[CellarDweller]

haahaahaa!