CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST-

TWO OLD CHAPS, A LOVE FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS - THE SENTIMENTAL HEART - AND DO-OVERS? WOULD WE? COULD WE? CAN YOU IMAGINE?

EVERY CHRISTMAS SEASON, I LOOK FOR THE MENTION OF THE KILWORTHY GENERAL STORE IN FRED SCHULZ'S WEEKLY COLUMN, IN THE GRAVENHURST BANNER. IT'S SORT OF LIKE THE GROUNDHOG'S APPEARANCE, ON THE SECOND OF FEBRUARY. FRED HERALDS THE CHRISTMAS SEASON BY WRITING ABOUT HIS YOUNG DAYS, WORKING AROUND THE FAMILY BUSINESS, AND THE TRAIN SET-UP AND CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS (AND SEASONAL ADVERTISING) THAT USED TO ADORN THE STORE BACK IN THOSE YEARS. FRED ENJOYS ELECTRIC TRAINS EVEN TODAY….AND OF COURSE THE LARGER VARIETY THAT HE USED TO FREQUENTLY RIDE FROM KILWORTHY TO GRAVENHURST AND BACK AS A YOUNG MAN.

FRED AND I SHARE A LOT IN COMMON, REGARDING OLD TRAINS, AND GENERAL STORES. MY FAMILY NEVER OWNED ONE, AS DID THE SCHULZ FAMILY, BUT I HAUNTED THEM ALL IN BRACEBRIDGE. THEY GAVE ME STUFF SO I'D GO HOME. ESPECIALLY LORNE'S MARKETERIA ON MANITOBA STREET, AND MUSKOKA TRADING COMPANY, ON THOMAS STREET, OPPOSITE THE HILLMAN'S DOWNTOWN GARAGE. I MUST HAVE KNOWN IT WAS THE HEYDAY OF THOSE OLD TIME GROCERY, GENERAL STORE BUSINESSES, BECAUSE I TOOK SPECIAL NOTE OF THE SURROUNDINGS, EVERY TIME I WENT THERE WITH MY PARENTS. OR SNUCK IN, ON THE WAY BACK FROM SCHOOL, TO SEE IF THERE WAS A WEE BIT OF CHEESE THEY'D OFFER TO A WIDE-EYED, PRETTY HUNGRY SCHOOL-KID.

I WAS WAXING NOSTALGIC, WITH FRED ONE DAY, ABOUT MY GREATEST THRILL IN THE OLD-TIME GROCERY STORES OF MY VINTAGE….OTHER THAN MY PARENTS AFFORDING A CEREAL WITH A TOY INSIDE, WHICH WAS A DREAM TO THIS COLLECTOR IN TRAINING. IT WAS HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH STAFF, SLICING INTO THE GIANT WHEEL OF CHEDDAR CHEESE AT THE WOOD COUNTER. MY GOD IT WAS FABULOUS, AND ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T HAVE MONEY TO BLOW ON EXTRAVAGANCES, IT WAS A JOY WHEN MERLE WOULD HAUL ME UP TO THE FRONT OF THE STORE, AND ASK FOR A POUND OF CHEESE. HERE'S THE THING. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER OWNER, HAROLD FROW, EVER KNEW THIS OR NOT, BUT ALONG WITH THE SLAB WE PURCHASED, THE LADY CUTTING THE WEDGE, ALWAYS SEEMED TO MANAGE A THIN SLICE FOR THE KID WITH THE ASKEW TOQUE, STANDING WITH HIS MOUTH HANGING OPEN. I'VE ALWAYS LOVED CHEESE. FRED TOLD ME SIMILAR STORIES ABOUT THOSE WHEELS OF CHEESE, AND ALL THE OTHER NEAT SEASONAL FARE, OF CANDY AND NUTS, CAKES AND OTHER DESERTS HIS PARENTS ORDERED FOR CUSTOMERS OF KILWORTHY AND AREA. WHEN HE SAYS IT WAS A WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR TO OWN A STORE LIKE THIS…..I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE HOW GLORIOUS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN. I ONLY GOT MY GLIMPSES FROM THE CUSTOMER'S POINT OF VIEW. IT WAS GOOD, BUT NOT AS GOOD AS WHAT FRED HAD ON A DAILY BASIS.

I ASKED HIM ONCE IF HE'D EVER THOUGHT ABOUT TAKING OVER THE STORE, WHEN HIS PARENTS MOVED-ON, OR IF, AT ANY TIME AFTER, HE'D ENTERTAINED THE IDEA OF BECOMING A GENERAL STORE MAGNATE INSTEAD OF ENTERTAINMENT GURU, WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER. THE SMILE, THE NOD, THE TILT OF HIS HEAD, MEANT CLEARLY, WITHOUT A WORD SPOKEN, THAT IT HAD ALL BEEN VERY NEAR TO HIS HEART…….A "WHAT IF" THAT MAY NEVER BE ANSWERED. HE DID CONFIRM THAT HE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT IT, IN THE PAST…..BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WAS A TOUGH LIFE, WITH A LOT OF DEMANDS, AND HUGE COMPETITION FROM LARGER STORES. MOM AND POP SHOPS LIKE THIS ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN TODAY…..AND THAT IS VERY SAD.

I NEVER ASKED HIM THOUGH, IF HE HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, (A CLASSIC DO-OVER, AS I ASK OF MYSELF ALL THE TIME) WITH WHAT HE KNOWS NOW…..AND WHAT HE HAS LIVED THROUGH THUS FAR IN A BUSY LIFE, IF HE WOULD TRY A DIFFERENT CAREER……MAYBE IN GROCERY RETAIL. IF NOT, POSSIBLY WORKING AS A CONDUCTOR ON A TRAIN. MAYBE RUNNING A BUSINESS THAT SELLS TRAIN SETS TO LIKE-MINDED FOLKS, WHO LOVE TRAINS BIG AND SMALL. I WOULDN'T ASK SOMEONE THIS, IF I DIDN'T HAVE MY OWN DOUBTS, ABOUT THE DECISIONS I'VE MADE. I DID WORK IN A GROCERY STORE ONCE, BUT I WAS A DISASTER. I ALMOST KILLED A FELLOW WORKER WHEN I STACKED THE POP BOXES TOO HIGH, AND THEY TUMBLED LIKE DOMINOES, ONTO HIS HEAD. HE GOT OUT WITH A FEW BUMPS. BUT I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO WORK IN AN OLDER GENERAL STORE, IN A CLERK-TYPE POSITION WHERE, I COULDN'T HURT ANYBODY. AND I SURE WOULD HAVE ENJOYED WORKING ON A TRAIN. JUST NOT BACK IN THE COAL-SHOVELLING DAYS.

AS I WATCHED THE MOVIE "THE POLAR EXPRESS" THE OTHER NIGHT, ABOUT THE ENCHANTED TRAIN TRIP TO THE NORTH POLE, FOR THOSE YOUNGSTERS WHO HAD BECOME DISBELIEVERS IN SANTA CLAUS, I HAD THIS CURRIE-TYPICAL QUIRK, OF "OVER-ACTIVE" IMAGINATION, THAT KICKED-IN ALL OF A SUDDEN. SILLY ME. I WONDERED THE BIG WHAT IF? IF FRED AND I, AS TWO MID-LIFE VOYEURS, WITH SOME TIME ON THEIR HANDS, HAD JUMPED ABOARD THAT SAME TRAIN, TO SATISFY CURIOSITIES, ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE, TODAY, IF WE HAD DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS. SHARING THE ADVENTURE, TO SATISFY OUR WANDERLUST, ABOUT THOSE "WHAT IFS," AND "DO OVERS," THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED OUR LIVES COMPLETELY…..WOULD WE HAVE BEEN HAPPIER THAN WE ARE TODAY, THE RESULT OF WHAT OUR TRIP INSPIRED? OR WOULD WE HAVE ENJOYED THE TRAIN ADVENTURE, ALL THE UNIQUE AND FANTASTIC THINGS ALONG THE WAY, AND IN REVELATION, AGREED, ON ARRIVAL HOME, THAT THINGS HAD INDEED, TURNED OUT FINE REGARDLESS. AFTER ALL, WE CAN ALWAYS SATISFY OURSELVES, BY WONDERING AND PONDERING, ESPECIALLY AT THIS NOSTALGIC, MAGICAL TIME OF THE YEAR…….WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF OLD GHOSTS WE WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE, AND THANK, FOR THE WAYS THINGS TURNED OUT AFTER ALL.

I CAN'T GO INTO A GROCERY STORE TODAY, THAT I DON'T INSTINCTIVELY LOOK FOR THAT WHEEL OF OLD CHEDDAR……THAT SHOULD BE THERE TO GREET ME. I'M SURE FRED HAS MOMENTS, IN THE STORES HE VISITS, WHERE HE'D LIKE TO LET LOOSE, AND RUN A LINKAGE OF TO-SCALE ELECTRIC TRAINS TRACKS, TO ENHANCE "THE OLD FASHIONED" CHRISTMAS DECOR…..OR STACK TINS OF PEAS OR CORN, BEETS OR BEANS, IN THAT OLD, FAMILIAR WAY WITH A SPRIG OF HOLLY, THAT ALWAYS WORKED FOR SO MANY YEARS……IN THAT STORE WITH THE CREAKING FLOORS, AND THE BIG WINDOW, AND THE AROMA OF PLEASANT HISTORY, IN THE FADED BUT SEPIA TONE OF FOND MEMORY.

I DON'T SUPPOSE EITHER OF US WILL CHANGE PROFESSIONS AT THIS STAGE IN LIFE. I WILL CONTENT MYSELF WRITING ABOUT THOSE GOOD OLD DAYS, AND FRED WILL, ON OCCASION, INCLUDE A REFERENCE IN HIS WEEKLY COLUMNS…..THAT I WILL RECOGNIZE AND UNDERSTAND IMMEDIATELY, AS HIS NOSTALGIC NEED TO LINK BACK TO THE SCHULZ FAMILY DAYS, OF THE KILWORTHY GENERAL STORE.

AS FOR THE REST OF GRAVENHURST, I THINK FRED AND I CONCUR, MOST DEFINITELY, OUR CHOICE OF TOWN…….WE'D NEVER DO OVER, AND THERE ARE NO "WHAT IFS" ABOUT IT……THIS IS OUR HOMETOWN….OF THAT WE ARE VERY CONTENTED.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS MR. SCHULZ AND SCHULZ FAMILY. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.