Sad Things

Today is HG's Last Day.

Really.

I am not making it up.

He is retiring.

He is over 70 so I guess it is time and all.

Click here to remember HG.

Sigh.
He told me he worked 65 hours a week for the first 35 years.

Then he dropped down to 46 for the last 9.
He said back in the day they used to sweep the floors EVERY DAY,
first thing in the morning
WITH A BROOM -- the ENTIRE STORE!!
I just can't imagine the store without HG.
I went down special this afternoon to heckle him for the last time.
OMG I am going to miss him!!! (there... 6... tada!)

I told HG to look happy and wanted to retake the photo but he said that this was close enough. I told Verne to look sad. I think he did a good job.

A Sugaring Drama

So the sugaring supplies were flying out of the store today

and I was all like,

"Oo! Oo! Lemme take a pic of your purchase please, Sir/M'am!"

I scored a hit with this filter and grading kit purchase.

A Minor Lid Purchase

All morning long there would be pleas over the loudspeaker for hardware to come up to the front for jug prices. Last year we had this quart syrup jug at the register that had all the prices written on it but it wasn't around this year. I guess the customer is supposed to notice the price and tell the cashier? Anyway, hardware eventually got tired of the confusion so one of the guys bustled up front and put this on the window by register #2.

 Then, a couple hours later, H.G. came up and announced that some of the prices were wrong. I tried to get him to stage a dramatic sign removal scene but he just laughed and told me I better be quick if I wanted my shot.

And that was it for the price sign for the rest of the day.
I bet it will be back tomorrow.

HG In Action

It was a kick ass day from start to finish. It started out kick ass when, first thing, I caught HG stoking the little stove in the basement.

He told me about this old stove sitting off to the side. Funny I had never noticed it before.
He said he stoked this stove in the store for about 30 years. But it was cracked and they had to replace it. He said he always thought that he would throw a log in the front and it would come out the back though the crack. He said the stove was old when it came to the store from the train station at Lewiston. Lewiston was spittin' distance from Norwich but doesn't exit anymore. It was wiped out when the highway went through in the 1960's. The train station building is still there. It is an architect's office now.

When it is cold in the store I love to walk past this stove. It is always warm and inviting and you want to pull up a chair and sit and pass the time in idle conversation with people like HG.

The Hardware Guru Revealed

Shhhhhhh.

Do NOT disturb the HG when he is perusing hardware catalogs at The Nail Bench.

Oops. He caught me.