S O U T H E R N
A U T H O R
"A Play for Power"
... available at most every online bookstore!
Order here and save!
"The Old Gray Mare" and other things that "ain't what they used to be"
A few nights ago while sitting around dinner table, I told my wife, "I'm so tired I can hardly make it." She - being the eternal optimist - blew it off with something like "you should be tired ... you haven't stopped or even slowed down for days."
I love it when she's right, and she usually is, of course. But I feared there was more to it than that. For weeks, I simply had not had my usual supply of energy. In fact, an afternoon nippy-nap sometimes followed by a sugar hit is the only thing I've found that that will even partially restore my ever-diminishing get-up and go. Even then, I'm usually ready to grab-hold of my teddy bear and head down the hall long before all of the day's mayhem has been reported on the ten-o-clock news.
Later that same evening, as I brushed my teeth and stared mindlessly into the bathroom mirror, some dude with more wrinkles, more old age spots and sags than my great grandfather stared back. Then it hit me: if teenagers need extra rest because of their raging hormones and the rate they're growing, perhaps the reason I'm so tired is because I'm growing old at an even faster clip and I haven't had a hormone attack in years!
The coup de grace came at breakfast the next morning when while reading something in the newspaper, my wife asked if I remembered the Highland Bakery and their home delivery of freshly baked bread and other goodies. I replied, "Not only do I remember the Highland Bakery and their deliveries, I remember when they made their rounds using horse drawn carts, not to mention the smelly mess those critters left beside the road."
She laughed out loud and said "No wonder you're tired ... you're old! Damn old!"
Now before anyone gets the idea I spent any of my youth in the pre-automotive era before Henry Ford rolled out his Model "A," let me assure you that was not the case. No, all this occurred near the tale end of WWII when I was a wee little kid growing up in Atlanta.
Back then, life was simpler and the town was smaller. A lot simpler and a lot smaller. And because gasoline was scarce and what little we had was rationed, the Highland Bakery chose to make local deliveries using a one horsepower vehicle - albeit one without a catalytic converter or a muffler.
I remember a lot that dates back to bygone eras. In no particular order, things like:
... Riding in a streetcar that ran on rails.
... The Winecoff Hotel fire
... The day my Dad returned from the war.
... Watching a puppet show called "Woody Willow" on a neighbor's 10" B&W television.
... Taking the trolley to see a John Wayne movie at the Fox Theater.
... 10-cent hamburgers at the Krystal.
... The Planters Peanut Man on the sidewalk downtown.
... The Atlanta Crackers and Ponce de Leon Park - Dixie Walker, Whitlow Wyatt, Ebba St. Clair, Country Brown, Gene Verble, Chuck Tanner, et. al.
... Listening along with my grandmother to Jim Woods announcing the Cracker games on the radio.
... School field trips to the GM Assembly Plant in Doraville, the Lay's Potato Chip factory in Chamblee and the Coca Cola Bottling Plant on Spring Street.
... The artistic fountain with ever-changing multi-colored lights and the Tulip Festival at Hurt Park.
... Duck pin bowling at the Plaza.
... Atlanta before I-75 and I-85 went through it, or I-285 went around it.
... The smell of catfish and hushpuppies at the Rio Vista Restaurant on a cold night.
... The lighting of the Rich's Great tree atop the Crystal Bridge.
... Miss Georgia Ice Cream in Little Five Points.
... Going to the old Farmers' Market and the getting a whiff of the good smells from the Merita Bakery in West End.
... Visiting the Wren's nest.
... The Rollerdrome.
... The Pig 'n Whistle.
... Riding down a cable into the swimming pool at Mooney's Lake.
... Enjoying a sliced barbecue sandwich on toasted white bread at Harold's Barbecue with my Dad.
... "Hearts Made of Stone" blaring from the jukebox and the smell of burgers and fries at The Bass Grill.
... My friend Diane dancing to the sounds of the jukebox at Venetian.
... Swimming at Misty Waters and Glenwood Springs.
... Wading at Panola Shoals.
... Fishing in Snapfinger Creek.
... Sneaking a peek at a dog-eared copy of Grace Metalious' controversial novel Peyton Place during a high school assembly.
... Selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts door-to-door for a high school fund raiser.
... Stone Mountain Park when it was free.
... Taking a date to the Southeastern Fair at Lakewood.
... Drive in movies - the Starlight, the Scott and the Piedmont
... Almost leaving the ground as my old Mercury sailed over "Thrill Hill" on Amsterdam Avenue off N. Highland.
... all those great 50s rock tunes.
... when I-85 Stopped at Clairemont Road.
... Pizza at Gigi's.
... Playing Putt-Putt Golf on Cheshire Bridge.
... Burgers on onion rolls at the Rajar.
... Rootbeer at the Dog and Suds.
... A covert, off-campus lunch at the Nibble Nook.
... WAKE Radio 1480, Bob McKee and McKee's Beat.
... Paul Drew and the Friday night sock-hop at the "Y".
... Loew's Grand, the Paramount and the Rialto Theaters.
... Taking a date to the Seven Steers for a hickory burger.
... Herren's Restaurant, Camellia Gardens and the Ship Ahoy.
... Graham Jackson playing the organ at Johnny Rebs Dixieland.
... Davison's Department Store, Ellmans and Ben Hymans.
... Reeder & McGayhee, Cable Piano Company, Ritter Music
... Jim Sallee's Record Store.
... Seeing the Kingston Trio at the Tech Coliseum
... Burning my mouth on a pizza at Mama Mia's at Peachtree and Tenth.
... Hearing Jack Hearst and Al Ciraldo announce Georgia Tech Football on WGST radio.
... Johnny Murray's "Starlight Serenade" nightly radio show on WSB.
... Lenox Square when it was open air and had B'rer Rabbit statuary.
... The Day the Music Died.
... Theater Under the Stars.
... Driving down to Peachtree and Fourteenth to look at all the hippies and buying a copy of "The Great Speckled Bird".
... The Pickrick and Lester Maddox riding his bicycle backwards.
... The Atlanta Playboy Club.
... Chief Knock-a-Homa and the hapless Braves.
... The C&S Bank.
... The First National Bank of Atlanta and their jingle, "I'm Tillie' the all time teller!"
... TV personalities Ed Thelinius, Jim Axel, Guy Sharp and Ray Moore.
... Taking clients to lunch at the Diplomat, Fan and Bill's, the Coach and Six, Johnny Escoe's and Yogi's.
... Clam chowder with my old buddy Crowe at the Crossroads.
... Dinner with friends at the Ambassador.
and the list goes on and on and on.
Oh sure, the Old Gray Mare thinks I spend far too much time strolling down Memory Lane. She's says I should look toward the future and not dwell in the past. Maybe she's right. But at this age, there seems to be a lot more "past" to look at than "future." Heck, from where I sit, "lifetime warranties" have lost much of their appeal and I never buy bananas that are truly green!
Perhaps, there's no doubt that the both me and Old Gray Mare ain't what we used to be. Or are we?
... We're the life of the party - even if it lasts until 8PM.For us, the epiphany of the last decade may be that aging is not for wimps. Despite the fact that the gold in my wife's hair is man-made to cover the gray, that hot little blonde I married forty-seven years ago still "is" - and even at our age - an occasional game of chase isn't out of the question. However, like the proverbial dog chasing a car, I now have to think hard about what I'm supposed to do if I catch her. Although it may be true that "The Old Gray Mare" and a lot of other things "ain't what they used to be," if it's true you're only as old as you feel, could I be alive at 150?
... We frequently think about getting back home to the "boys" before ever we get to where we're going.
... We're both awake many hours before our bodies want to get up.
... We smile at each other all the time because neither of us can hear much of what the other one is saying. (Doesn't matter though, since she's very good at telling stories - over and over and over and over.)
... We're sure everything we can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.
... We're wrinkled, saggy and lumpy and that's just the top half.
... We're both convinced that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as our boys, or nearly as well-behaved.
... Thanks to insurance, we're both well-cared for - long term care, health care, eye care, dental care.
... I'm not really grouchy. I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, loud commercials, unruly kids, today's rock ‘n roll, Wolfe Blitzer, Neal Boortz, reality shows, barking dogs, loud fire crackers, liberal politicians, being criticized or being told what to do, and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now.