Halloween at the Guyandotte Elementary School
Murfreesboro is like a reunion now, as I’ve gone three years. It’s small, but friendly, and I sell enough books to keep going back. I stay with my friends in Elizabeth City, and stop in to say hello at the Museum of the Albemarle where my books do well in their gift shop.
Guyandotte was a new venue for me, and a wonderful experience.It’s an interesting town that is completely surrounded by a flood wall that locks together and even crosses the roads. The town sits on the bank of the Ohio River. Guyandotte Elementary students were all wearing Halloween costumes. They had a parade through the school’s neighborhood. I’d forgotten we used to do that at my elementary school. People wave and the kids wave back. That was a throw-back to the time before policemen had desks in the schools behind locked doors. This school doesn’t have either. I told the 4th graders I had something important to tell them.....
A bad windstorm ripped through Guyandotte during the night and Friday’s School Day at the reenactment had few visitors because many of the schools were cancelled, no power. Saturday and Sunday were very good, however. I was worried about running out of books because I’d brought the wrong carton from my garage! But, I sold the last three books at four o’clock on Sunday. Just exactly the number I needed. Why do I worry?
On my drive home through Eastern Kentucky I saw a sign for a Smash Burger. The teenager behind the counter snapped her gum and shrugged. “It’s just a burger, like. It’s got a burger and ketchup and mustard and mayo and lettuce and pickles and onions, a slip of cheese and a p’tato and a t’mata.”
But the old-timer in the booth corrected her. “Not just a burger, why it’s your whole meal. You got your vegetables, you got your starches, and you got your meats and your carbs, and you just smash ‘em t’gether and you’re good to go.”
I didn’t try one, but I’m still wondering how the potato gets in there. Anybody had one of these? It’s amazing that just crossing a border can introduce one to new and interesting food habits. There are a few meals that were staples for me growing up that I’m sure no one in the south has ever had. Who needs international travel to discover new meals? Interstate travel can be just as interesting. (Don’t be surprised if a Smashburger shows up in my next novel.)