Nostalgia

When I was a child, very young, I watched many a small parade pass down this street, standing in front of my grandfather's barber shop about as excited as a kid could get.  It was always a highlight of a Friday afternoon for me.  I don't know how often the parades actually happened, but it seemed to me it was every week.  I expect that during football season that might have been the case.  I no doubt saw more when I last lived here around 1953, but today was the first since that long ago time, and it really took me back to those days.

How many high school marching bands are led by two young women in black formal gowns, I wonder?

I also spent many a long Saturday afternoon right here -- watching westerns and musicals and cartoons and whatever else might have been showing.  Ten cents admission and we could -- and did -- stay all day.  We didn't care if we got in at the middle of something and had to wait through a second feature to get back to 'where we came in'.  We would be there anyway.  Haven't been back inside yet -- no matinees, unfortunately.

This fella was a one-man show right next to our cemetery committee BBQ booth.  He had a little karaoke set-up for music, but he did his own singing and he sang the entire time I was there.  Good, old music that I loved -- lots of old real country-western music, some 50's pop music, but all good.

This fella seemed to be having more fun than anybody!  He bopped up and down the street dancing along the way, bringing smiles to faces.

A parade in this part of the country wouldn't be a parade without the Shriners -- there were several interesting cars, but I found this double-ended Ford to be the most intriguing.  Two drivers, presumably two motors, this thing slithered all over the street looking for all the world like it was out of control.  Fun.

Main Street has just undergone a major remodeling, with all these lovely lamp posts, brick pavers, nice wrought iron benches, and new trees. The city is trying hard to bring/keep life in the downtown area, but it's a struggle.  Hopefully now, with all the construction over, more people will visit the businesses that are already here, and hopefully more will flourish.  Lots of empty buildings.

I didn't really stay too long -- they had lots of help at the booth and didn't need me.  I dropped off my cookies, sat for an hour or two, then bought a plate of BBQ from them and came on home to eat it.  I'm tired today, as already stated.  I've spend most of the afternoon reading, although I did go outside and dig in the dirt a little bit.  Was going to plant the garlic, had the manure added and turned under, then saw that the directions that came with it said to plant in November in the south, October in the north.  So, I wait another month.  The bed is ready, at least.  And my greens are growing well -- I also added a good bit of manure around all of those plants while I was out there.  The clover I planted last week has sprouted thickly, but isn't very large yet.  There's no rush -- it's going to stay there all winter, after all.