January 13 '01        
	  

	  Volume 241
	    

	  Train Memories
	    Songs Movies Toys 
	    

	  

	  Those of us whose highway speed is
	  slowed
	  or stopped by a passing freight train are often forgetful of the long and
	  rich history trains have enjoyed in this country and the part they played
	  in America's Manifest Destiny. Trains still move overland freight
	  effectively and efficiently, but improved highways and the growth of the
	  trucking industry have almost freed Americans from a dependency upon the
	  iron horse for transporting goods and products.
	  

	  There've been enough songs written about trains to fill a good-sized room,
	  and while I can't think of a current popular tune involving a train, there's
	  bound to be one. I grew up listening to classical country songs about trains.
	  Jimmy Rodgers and Hank Williams could make grown men want to "hop" a train
	  and ride. Gogi Grant sang of the "sound of the outward bound," a train that
	  called her lover away from her in "The Wayward Wind." Johnny Cash and others
	  thrilled us with the lyrics of the "Orange Blossom Special," a song that
	  doubles as a great fiddle tune. Willie Nelson sang about the "City of New
	  Orleans" a fast moving passenger train connecting St. Louis and New Orleans,
	  and long ago, Grandpa Jones encouraged listeners to take the "Night Train
	  to Memphis." Our musical heritage would be less than it is without all the
	  train songs.
	  

	  There's never been a really good western movie that didn’t have a train
	  in it, except perhaps, The Magnificent Seven. Consider High Noon
	  as a case study in the importance of a train scene in a good western. Cary
	  Grant spent some tense hours waiting for a train to arrive carrying the man
	  looking to gun him down. Wouldn’t you love to know how many trains were
	  derailed, wrecked, or had the bridge blown out from under them in the world
	  of motion pictures, not to mention how many cowboys leaped from a horse onto
	  a moving train, or bad guys who did the same but were bent on robbing the
	  train and or its passengers? On the modern movie scene "Schindler's List"
	  made good use of boxcars in certain scenes. Most any action-packed adventure
	  film of the nineties had a train or two in it, as did the eighties' comedy
	  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, starring Steve Martin and John Candy.
	  

	  These days we hear more about the love affair between Americans and the
	  automobile, but Americans were first enamored with trains. While more encounters
	  with romance have likely occurred in automobiles than trains, trains have
	  the upper hand in romancing one's heart.
	  

	  Trains evoke a sense of wonder untouched by the automobile. Many a youth
	  of yesteryear popped the hood of an automobile and tinkered with the working
	  parts inside, but how many folks have you heard popping the rivets on a
	  locomotive and tinkering with the workings? Sure, automobiles appeal to one's
	  individuality, which is why we have numerous manufacturers of automobiles
	  and innumerable models and colors.
	  

	  Trains are ill suited to individualized customization and, like the smile
	  on the Mona Lisa, are subjects of mystery and legend. Train legends
	  would include tales and songs associated with Casey Jones, the wreck of "Old
	  97," or "The Wabash Cannonball," immortalized in song by Roy Acuff.
	  

	  Within the heart of every man lives a small boy. Though, not earth-shattering
	  news, it is sufficient to explain an adult interest in model trains. I have
	  the notion that model train enthusiasts all had a model train in their boyhood
	  or else knew someone who did. This writer enjoyed playing with the model
	  train that Santa left him and his dad and brother to play with back in '48.
	  

	  During the days of Jason's childhood, toy trains were not as popular as were
	  racecar sets, so Santa did not leave my son a train set. However, around
	  the time Jason had grown too old to experience the boyhood wonder of an electric
	  train, I came into possession of a used train set from a friend who wanted
	  to sell his. After Jason had enjoyed it for a season, it was boxed up and
	  stayed in the attic until we moved into our present home a year and a half
	  ago.
	  

	  
	  

	  My son-in-law found the train set when we were moving and asked if he might
	  have it in order to set it up as a decoration beneath a Christmas tree during
	  the holiday season. It seemed a better use for the relic than keeping it
	  in the attic, so the train set moved to Belmont.
	  

	  During one of the few trips I made shopping with my wife, prior to this past
	  Christmas Season, I spotted a battery operated electric train in K&B
	  Toys in Greenville. It was continually circling the base of a small Christmas
	  tree, set as a focal point, just inside the front door of the store. The
	  price was reasonable, so I purchased one to place under our tree in Pontotoc.
	  

	  Afterwards, I discovered it had a remote control unit. Also, tiny puffs of
	  smoke poured from the smokestack when the train was operating. If that were
	  not enough, realistic train sounds, starting, running, and stopping were
	  available, as well as the voice of a conductor shouting, "All aboard." All
	  in all it was worth the money even if it only lasted one Christmas, though
	  I expect it to make it through a few more.
	  

	  
	  

	  My youngest granddaughter, Merilese, quickly learned how to operate the small
	  train set and has had as much enjoyment with the toy as has her granddad.
	  No doubt the train set will help cement a lasting Christmas memory for her
	  to recount someday.
	  

	  For readers who might feel inspired to skirt their next Christmas tree with
	  a train set, I would highly recommend it, but admonish that the train takes
	  up valuable space, normally occupied by Christmas presents. In the case of
	  our artificial tree, the lowest branches were too low for the train to pass
	  beneath, so the train tracks extended beyond the footprint of the tree. Perhaps,
	  next year, I can talk Rayanne into not using the first ring of branches,
	  and the train tracks can be reduced to a small circle rather than a large
	  oval. 
	    

	  Ingratitude
	  Shown   At The Table 
	    

	  
	  

	  Two weeks ago I mentioned how much my daughter, Rayanne, is becoming like
	  her dad, and the problem that arises with two persons being too much alike.
	  The problem was not spelled out, but readers were expected to understand
	  that "like personalities" compare favorably with "like magnetic poles," in
	  that they repel one another.
	  

	  Were I to borrow a favorite line of my sister, I'd say, "I've got two of
	  the most ungrateful children, God ever let breathe," but I can't provide
	  the vocal inflection and facial expression she uses when she says it.
	  

	  Jason is grateful for his heavily subsidized, affordable housing, but he
	  has not come to the point in his pilgrimage where he realizes just how grateful
	  he should be. Rayanne, on the other hand, has found a way to express her
	  gratitude negatively. For the past several years, Rayanne has found her way
	  back to the dinner table in Pontotoc with a predictable regularity.
	  

	  
	  

	  Almost every weekend, on either Friday or Saturday, Rayanne shows up for
	  supper in Pontotoc. We look forward to her arrival, because we know one or
	  more of the "young'uns" will be with her, and, unless it's a night he has
	  to work, Anson will be there, too. Rayanne is forever involving herself in
	  the arranging and rearranging of the furnishings of our home, and there's
	  no place better to accomplish this than at our place.
	  

	  I think this last pregnancy of hers has her out of sorts, about a half bubble
	  off plumb if you please. Everyone who has had any experience around pregnant
	  women knows how they can be temperamental at times. She was not very far
	  into the pregnancy when she developed an aversion to red meat, and she let
	  me know she preferred grilled chicken to steaks or burgers. Thereafter, I
	  tried to make certain to have chicken on her plate, if the rest of us were
	  having red meat.
	  

	  Weekend grilling at my house just hasn't been the same since the Sunflower
	  Store locked its doors. Sunflower was downtown and closer to our house than
	  any of the other grocery stores. I've looked over the red meat selections
	  of the two remaining stores and have not found them to my liking, so it requires
	  a bit of planning if I want burgers or steaks.
	  

	  McCoy's Grocery in Ecru has a limited offering of groceries, produce, and
	  meat, but, for a small store, the meat is excellent. I have to figure on
	  being gone close to an hour, if I decide to shop at McCoy's, which you'd
	  think would be sufficient time, and it actually often is. Yet, Rayanne changes
	  her weekend plans at the drop of a hat and is apt to show up when least expected.
	  Therefore, a quick or last minute dash to the market to grab some "grill
	  food" is not as convenient as it once was.
	  

	  Inconvenience and cold weather during the months of November and December,
	  plus holiday meals and resulting leftovers contributed to my grilling out
	  far less than normal. That, plus the convenience of plunking a few breaded
	  chicken tenders into a "Granddaddy Fryer" pretty much left my barbecue grill
	  unused for weeks on end.
	  

	  Instead of expressing gratitude for all the good foods she had eaten at Dad's
	  house over the years, Rayanne found the recent menus disappointing and made
	  her displeasure known as follows:
	  

	  "It used to be Daddy had something wonderful cooked on the grill every weekend.
	  I always looked forward to coming over for supper, but lately we haven't
	  had anything good to eat around here," she bemoaned, as she sat before a
	  table filled with red beans and rice, a broccoli casserole, and some coleslaw.
	  

	  "I wouldn’t be surprised to come home next weekend and find y'all eating
	  rice crispies and sliced bananas," she concluded, obviously picking up on
	  the fruit and cereal fare that Lillie Belle would sometimes prefer over what
	  the rest of us were eating, and hinting that our tastes in food might be
	  slipping into that of our aged family member.
	  

	  I managed a chuckle, but my thoughts ran more along the lines of, "If she
	  doesn't hurry up and have this baby, I'm going to kill her."
	  

	  And so it was, that I silently resolved to satiate my daughter's hunger for
	  grilled food the following weekend, and resisted the temptation to set her
	  down to a bowl of Kellogg's rice crispies and bananas. I further resolved
	  that, if I couldn't find suitable ground meats and steaks in Pontotoc, I
	  would go to Kroger in Oxford, if need be, but somehow, I would find a way
	  to please her palate.
	  

	  However I was later tempted to refrain from being a good daddy, when I learned
	  that she complained to her father-in-law about what she was being fed at
	  my table, and he grilled her a hamburger that very night. The temptation
	  to encourage her to stay in Belmont for a few weekends was very real at the
	  time, but subsided after a night's sleep.
	  

	  I suppose you're wondering what Rayanne wanted to eat the next weekend at
	  my house. I planned to grill both burgers and steaks thinking this would
	  surely be sufficient. Yet, upon learning Daddy had a small package of chicken
	  breast, Rayanne asked for a grilled chicken breast. I cooked it. She ate
	  it. I have a feeling the next six weeks of her pregnancy will be the
	  hardest…for me. 
	    

	  Bodock
	  Beau   Bits of Wisdom 
	    

	  

	  There are a lot of brilliant minds found on this earth, but some of them
	  are wasted in bodies of persons with little else to do than to compile lists.
	  The following is an example, to prove my point.
	  
    
	    
  • 
	      He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      A day without sunshine is like…well, night.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      On the other hand, you have different fingers.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      He's not dead. He's electroencephalographically (EEG) challenged.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted,
	      then used against you.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Honk if you love peace and quiet.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how it remains so popular?
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      It is hard to understand how a cemetery raised its burial cost and blame
	      it on the cost of living.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Just remember...if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right,
	      there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end to end, someone
	      would be stupid enough to try and pass them.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who
	      got there first.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      It was recently discovered that research causes cancer in rats.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter since nobody listens.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      I wished the buck stopped here, as I could use a few.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.
	  

	  
    
	    
  • 
	      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until
	      you hear them speak
	  

	  

	  The following news, from the Internet, was dated January 7, 2001:
	  

	  TOKYO (Reuters) A vacuum cleaner saved the life of a 70-year-old man when
	  it was used to suck out a rice cake on which he was choking, local officials
	  said on Saturday.
	  

	  "His daughter used the vacuum cleaner to suck out the mochi," a local official
	  in the northern island of Hokkaido said.
	  

	  The sticky mochi, made of glutinous rice, is traditionally served during
	  New Year's in Japan, but it can be lethal to elderly people. Every year the
	  Japanese press has reports of elderly people dying from eating mochi during
	  the holidays.
	  

	  The government this year issued a special warning on the dangers of mochi
	  for the elderly and very young.
	  

	  While the vacuum cleaner successfully sucked out the mass of mochi, the official
	  cautioned that it is not an accepted way to dislodge such items.
	  

	  "Although he is all right, you have to be careful since such actions can
	  harm your intestines," he said.
	  

	  (Very informative, but what some of us would like to know is which end was
	  vacuumed.)
	  

	  The executive was interviewing a young blonde for a position in his company.
	  

	  He wanted to find out something about her personality so he asked, "If you
	  could have a conversation with someone, living or dead, who would it be?"
	  

	  The blonde quickly responded, "The living one."
	  

	  (This should prove that all blondes are not dumb!)
	  

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