Jackie's Crayons



The Friday flea market at Rogers, Ohio is a destination for us.  True, it’s only a short drive, but the pickings are pretty magnificent from time to time.  We usually have something to eat, a Gyro or an Italian sausage.  Do some people watching.  Buy some plants.  There are other places we frequent for such scavenger hunts, but Rogers is the best.

We usually buy some produce and some homemade bread.  Maybe a cookie if we’re feeling a bit naughty.  I bought the sledgehammer that I use for splitting firewood there.  We bought our dog there too. 

We bought lots of doo-dads and incidentals there.

I draw the line at military memorabilia, old military uniforms, and used police gear.  I figure that some family member ought to honor those things.  They are not for me.  Other personal items, especially personally signed ephemera, have a hold on me.

I found an old box of crayons, probably dating from the 50’s or early 60’s, on a table for sale, but no price was on the box.  Crayola Drawing Crayons by Binney & Smith Company, New York.  24 colors.  The box was yellowed but the crayons were all there—Well used, but put away carefully and stored for some future use.

On the front of the box, in the faintest cursive pencil, was written “Jackie”.  No way of knowing if Jackie is (or was) a boy or a girl, but Jackie took good care of those crayons.

I asked the 20-something year old man-boy who had them for sale “How Much?” and he replied a dollar.  Sold.  All the crayons meant to him was one dollar American.  They mean more than that to me.  Those crayons will be well taken care of for the foreseeable future.

My understanding is that the ancient Greeks believed that as long as your name is spoken on Earth, you remain immortal.

Jackie—You still remain.

 

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