Stars In My Eyes

The school year continued, improving daily. I was getting used to the routine at the home, and Mindy and I were such good friends. The walk to school was about a mile, and Mindy and I walked together every day, both to school and back. We really enjoyed the bite of the cool fall air, the sights of leaves turning and the smell of fireplaces scenting the area. The route to school took us through town. To get to town, you had to cross a railroad track and then come to the street known as Main Street. As in many small towns, Hapeville Georgia had it's shops lining Main Street. During the late '60's when I lived there, the stores were pretty much the same as they had been for decades. There was no department store, but lots of smaller stores offering individual needs. There was the pharmacy. It had a soda fountain offering ice cream, sodas, grilled sandwiches, and things like sundaes and banana splits. There was lots of kinds of penny candy as well as candy bars, nuts and chocolate by the pound. There was a long counter that ran the length of the store, and usually it was filled after school with students wanting a reward for themselves. In the pharmacy, there was an aisle with make-up, and all kinds of things that ladies wanted and needed. Face creams, hand lotions, toilet water, (I loved the one called Blue Midnight, as it was a midnight blue bottle with gold sparkles on it). There was also a scent called Gardenia, and I recognized it as one that a lot of the older ladies at the home and at church wore. Permanent waves, hair color, hair spray hair nets and deodorant, the packages marched across the shelves in a riot of color and designs. Another aisle offered medications for all kinds of everyday problems. There was ointments, creams, sprays and liquids. Rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, horse liniment, horehound cough drops, pills, seltzers, tooth gel, acne cream, Tums and Pepto Bizmol, chap stick and nose spray were a few of the remedies available. No point in going down that aisle, just boring stuff! There was an aisle for baby stuff, hosiery, lacy hankies and white gloves. At the end of this aisle was an area for costume jewelry, stationary and school supplies. On one display shelf sat boxes of Spangler chocolates. There were pecan chocolates, chocolate covered cherries and other delicacies. These chocolates came in wooden boxes that you could use for jewlery when they were empty, and they were made of cedar wood. I was planning to save enough to buy mother a box of chocolates for Christmas. All along the back of the pharmacy was the actual pharmacy where medications were dispensed. The "secret" things were there too- but we didn't dare ask about them. I think the pharmacist had been there for 50 years, he was really old, but a very nice man. The pharmacy was a fun place with something for everyone.
In Hapeville, there were other stores and shops too. There was a feed store that had hay bales in the doorway, and at this time of year the entrance was paired on each side with bales of hay, some pumpkins, dried ears of corn and other symbols of the fall. The smells coming from the door were solid and welcoming. Inside the feed store were huge bags of animal feeds of all kinds, tools and harnesses, large blocks of salt, bushels of fall apples and a few tables set with dominoes or checkers for anyone who wanted to stay awhile. Older men would compete with each other and a ring of cigar smoke surrounded the players as they chewed on cigars that were well smoked, down to a nub. Ashes from these cigars made little piles at the players feet, getting deeper as the day went on. When ladies or children were in the feedstore, there would be admonishments to the men to "watch their language". When it got cold enough, there was a space heater in the middle of the store, away from things flammable. The office had a place for veterinarian items; medications, combs, brushes and clippers. Near the back was a huge barrel filled with dried corn kernels to feed deer, and when I went in just to look around, I would plunge my hands into the corn to feel it's smoothness and volume. At any given time, the feedstore would have farmers inside, most of them wearing blue overalls and plaid flannel shirts. They wore straw hats too, most of the beige or white. Along with the feedstore was the hardware store, and the two shops were combined together with separate doors. Not much in the hardware store of interest to a young girl.
Just down the street was a clothing store, it's window displaying ladies dresses, a man's suit, little girls fancy dresses and little boy's sunday clothes. Depending on the season or holiday, that window was decorated in such a manner as to draw customers in just to look at the display.
Along Main street, there was a butcher shop. Customers, usually ladies, would go in and choose what they wanted from the meat counter. The only thing other than meats and lunchmeats in that store was seasonings for meat. The cuts of meat were beautiful, the steaks fat with marbling, the pork chops pink and lined in a stacked row, the chickens iced in a case of their own and sausages hung on broomstick-sized poles in a horizontal line behind the counter. A large tub of freshly ground beef was kept chilled in another case, and the butcher would take a scoop and weigh out the amount requested. Lunch meats had a place of their own, bologna, chopped ham, spiced minced ham, pickle loaf, hogs head cheese, and liverwurst. These lunchmeats were sliced only when the customer made an order. Next to the lunchmeats were the cheeses. Large rounds of cheddar and swiss cheeses lay up on a counter in a wooden wheel, and were cut to order as well. Loaves of American cheese stayed in the cooler, along with pepper cheese. Each order was carefully sliced, weighed and wrapped in white paper. Huge knives and cleavers were hung neatly on the wall and a giant oakwood block was centered behind the meat case. I didn't really frequent the meat store as I never bought meat. But, like a hungry cat, it was fun to look inside.
As in any small town, there was a shop to repair things, a filling station, the doctor's office and a Western Auto. Western Auto was the place to buy car parts, bicycles and wagons and offered some car repairs. The bicycles were lined up outside, (and not chained by the way) in colors of red and blue, some green and some black. You could get bicycle accessories inside too, bells, chains, tires, spoke flaps and baskets. We love to go into the Western Auto and look around. There was a bank in town, it was small and very old fashioned. I don't think I ever went inside the bank. Further down Main street was the appliance store. It really only offered small appliances, alarm clocks, electric coffee pots, can openers, toasters and such. If you wanted a washer or something large, (refrigerator, tv or dryer) you had to order it from a catalog. I don't think anyone ever bought a toaster there, as the bank gave them away for new accounts opened. There were other shops, but the one that I loved the best was the jewlery store.
On one particular morning, Mindy and I had a bit of time as we had left early. At every opportunity, I would stop and gaze in the display window of the jewelry store, and on this particular day, it was no exception. I stopped outside the window and drank in the sight of so many glowing colors and designs. I imagined each ring on my hand, or in my jewelry box, to take out and touch and caress. The colors of ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst, citrine, blue topaz and yellow topaz were hypnotic to me. The diamonds were not as attractive to me, but the pearls were pristine and lovely. Some of the rings were set in a solitare style, sitting proud and high above the band, simple and yet classic. Others were bands of gold, yellow and white, or studded with color. I loved all of it, but the stone that I loved more than anything was the star sapphire or star ruby. These stones were very popular in the late '60's. What they were was a round or oval shaped stone that had not been cut and polished, but smooth and cloudy. The attraction was that when light shone on the stone, a star with 6 rays would appear and dance across the stone as you moved it. The blue star sapphire was a deep midnight blue, and had a more prominent star. The star ruby was strawberry colored and did not display the star as well as the blue, but I loved it the best. There were several star ruby rings, earrings and pendants, and I could not choose one that I liked more than the others. I swore that one day I would have a star ruby, but for the time being, I could look and admire them on display. Mindy became kind of impatient with me for lingering at the jewlery store. She told me that I was wasting my time, I would never be able to afford any of those rings and I shouldn't let myself in for such dissapointment. She went on and told me that there were more important things in life, a home, food and a bed to sleep in. Jewlery was frivolent and only for those who were foolish in life. I felt so bad for Mindy. She didn't seem to have any dreams, and only lived for each day. I wanted to buy her a ring to show her that she could have something lovely, but of course I couldn't at the time. I thought about giving her my little green stone ring that I had found, but it was too precious to me, a symbol of the new life that I had been given. I vowed to myself, right then and there that one day I would have the jewlery that would make me happy, and would work to get to that point. One day, I would have rings that had meaning, a wedding ring, and maybe others that would remind me of special occasions. One day, I would walk into a jewlery store and pick out something that was special to me. I tucked away this vow, tucked it away into my mind to take out and look at on occasion. Yes, of all the stores in the little town of Hapeville Georgia, the jewlery store was my favorite. I had stars in my eyes, each time I walked past the display window. More tomorrow, love, nanasee