While this story is not about a dog with a bone, the analogy is an apt one, in my opinion. Recently, as I may have already told you, we took a trip to Vermont, stopping at the Vermont Country Store.
The one we went to is a watered-down version of the much larger store in another community. The store, “purveyors of the practical and the hard-to-find,” has delightful things to offer the public. When was the last time you saw “Good and Plenty” candy, or “Skybars,” or “Moxie”? Food items and snacks are a main attraction, as are the numerous large jars brimming with “penny candy,” that does not exactly cost a “penny,” any longer.
Throughout the store, there are samples of food: little tidbits of cheese to stab with a toothpick, jams to spoon onto crackers, and salsa to try on Common Crackers (which they also sell).
The plot thickens. As we began to venture into one area, I spotted a tall man, kind of heavy set. He was eye-ing us nervously, a warning not to go near. When I met up with Jim, who had gone his way when I’d gone mine, he said, “Did you see that guy over there? He has stood there eating almost an entire vat of pumpkin-cheesecake dip on crackers!” As we walked closer, I could see a little bit of the mix, left at the bottom of the huge bowl.
I wondered if this was a habit with some of the locals. Hmmm…lunch time, guess I’ll mosey over to the Country Store!
The look on the man’s face made an impression on my mind that is not easily erased. Like a dog with a bone, he warn’t lettin’ no one get n’ar ’til he’d had his fill.
We came away with extra sharp cheese, some candy we couldn’t resist, some gifts, and some “hard-to-find” things. The store sells stuffed animals, books, flannel nightgowns, silk thermal undies, soap, decorative candles, and much, much more.
You don’t have to travel to Vermont to see the wide array of items offered. The store has a catalog, and sells via phone orders and mail orders. Many items are not exactly inexpensive, but for those of you who might like a trip down Memory Lane, or are trying to find unique holiday gifts, the store’s collection of goodies might be worth a look-see.
Again, I’m not on commission and this is not a paid ad.
We are lucky and happy to live in New England, where everything seems possible, and where the old meets the new. While the rest of the country might be “dreaming of a White Christmas,” we will probably have one. Nine times out of ten, that’s the case. Today is very dark, cold, and gray, a harbinger of weather that is yet to come.
Those are my ramblings for the day. I just wish that I’d been a hidden camera and able to record that fellow enjoying the dip. The humor of the situation gladdened my heart. God bless him, and I hope he bought some dip mix on the way out, to enjoy at home.
Happiness is a little of this, a little of that.
Pat
