‘Why America is a great country’

9 Responses to ‘Why America is a great country’

1. Darin says:

   May 29, 2013 at 14:09

   Thanks for the compliment KG,I maybe lucky or blessed,but most of the people I have met from all corners of the globe have been decent folk.There is an unspoken code that exists in areas where work is hard and life worth living and I like to believe that it is more common than not.I can tell you a tale from when I first encountered it if you don’t mind.
   I was barely 5 when this was going on and I worshipped Grandpa and Grandma.They had a farm along with all the usual goings on owning a Farm brings with it.At this time most of the roads outside of town were unpaved and mostly unpopulated.Hearing a car coming down the road was an event and we always looked to see who it was.Every Friday Grandpa would go into town to pick up supplies and pay bills.
   I remember one particular trip when we went to Thigpen’s Hardware Store in town.That place had been in business since 1917 under the close watch of the owner Mr Thigpen or Grandpa Thigpen as all the kids in town called him.He was a very busy man,he owned not only the Hardware,but also a real estate company and an insurance company along with hosting a twice a day radio show from the store.He always made time for his customers and always kept his help offering prompt service as according to him”the customer’s time is worth money to him too”-but that’s another story.
   My Grandfather finished his business there and we left headed home.I remember him counting his money several times at other stops that day,but didn’t figure out why until we were almost home and Grandpa abruptly turned the car around in the middle of the road and headed back to town.I asked him why and he said he had under paid Mr Thigpen $7.00 and was going back to square with him and “a man always pays what he owes”
   Flash forward a couple months towards the end of July.I didn’t know it until a week later,but my Father had been in a bad wreck and nearly killed that morning on his way home from work.He would spend the next three and a half months in the Hospital before coming home to another three months on Crutches.
   My parents had insurance to pay for most of the hospital bills,but nothing to cover daily living expenses.Between bills and building expenses the house wasn’t going to be finished in time for Winter and my Mother was at her breaking point.
   Then something happened,as small towns go word began to spread about our plight.Soon everyday men from the local Church would be there at the house working.Every night my Mother would come home and find that there were more lights in the house,more wire had been ran.The plumbing was going in and Appliances were showing up in twos and threes,but there were no bills to match.The work was volunteer,but the materials and Appliances were new,how were we going to pay?
   Two Men,Grandpa Thigpen and another named A.E.Sanders had supplied everything.Mr Thigpen the Appliances and building materials and Mr Sanders the plumbing and electrical.When my Mother asked how much she owed,they both said “not a thin dime until you and your husband are more than able”. It was nearly a year before my Father could return to work and pay back what we owed after which he discovered that everything those men supplied was supplied at cost and of course no interest.
   That was my first encounter with the code.Call it what you will,the golden rule ,karma or whatever,but living by it has served me well ever since.
   
   Thigpen Hardware circa 1940
   Edit:shortened up a bit cause too many allergy tablets and too much caffeine make me long winded
   • Carol-Christian Soldier says:

     May 29, 2013 at 15:37

     Thank You-
     Carol-CS
   • KG says:

     May 29, 2013 at 17:14

     What a wonderful story, Darin!
     Many thanks for sharing it. That’s the first thing that’s made me smile like this in a long time.
     • Darin says:

       May 29, 2013 at 22:59

       I’ll send you some more stuff on Mr Thigpen and his store maybe tonight,off to work right now.I still remember that place like it was yesterday.Bought my first rifle there a single shot .22lr Stevens,color blued finish,Walnut stock,the gun and 500 rds of Federal ammo cost me $62 in 1985.$20 down and $5 a week until it was paid out.
       Every customer got free peanuts and were encouraged to throw the hulls on the floor which kept the dust down and the Oak floor boards polished.If they didn’t have what you wanted on the sales floor you went upstairs to see Mr Rosco the store’s purchasing agent and he would find what you needed and arranged shipping.
       Heaven is a place you don’t want to leave and Hell is finding out you can never go back.
2. MvL says:

   May 29, 2013 at 17:43

   “That was my first encounter with the code. Call it what you will, the golden rule ,karma or whatever,but living by it has served me well ever since.”
   Yep…we are rapidly moving two generations away from people who would understand this for what it is. A genuine desire to live a life of honesty and respect for your fellow man.
   Thank you for taking us back to those times Darin.
   I love the photo. Maybe late 30’s?. I see a 36 ford coupe cruising in from the right and what looks like a 38 Chev parked on the right……Second thoughts… maybe a 38 Pontiac as the Chev did not have chrome boot hinges Third one along must be the Chev. Tung oil? I still have some in my shed.
   Picayune?
   • Darin says:

     May 29, 2013 at 23:08

     At one time our local area was the Tung Oil capital of the world until Hurricane Camille hit and wiped out the groves.I barely remember picking Tung nuts.You took a burlap sack,picked the Tung nuts when they were about to drop off the tree,filled the sack with them and hung the sack in the tree to dry.Later the sacks were gathered and emptied either into a wagon or a small dumptruck and hauled to town.In town the processor paid by weight and oil content.40lbs of Tung nuts brought about $1 and yielded about 1 pint of oil.From there it went into paint and varnish sold under the Vartung brand name mfg by Southern Coatings which was tied to Higgins Boat works.

     Picayune-Spanish in origin meaning “a small insignificant coin”or so I am told
3. KG says:

   May 29, 2013 at 17:46

   Good to see a man who knows his American iron.
4. KG says:

   May 29, 2013 at 17:53

   “Yep…we are rapidly moving two generations away from people who would understand this for what it is. A genuine desire to live a life of honesty and respect for your fellow man.”
   I just love (sarc) the common reaction to such a statement nowadays, MvL—“old people always think thing were better in the past”.
   Well, yes, they do..because they were.
   • MvL says:

     May 29, 2013 at 18:04

     “Well, yes, they do..because they were.”
     Well said KG, better and simpler
     And yes I love early American iron and regret every one I either sold or trashed.
     …Third thoughts…not a Chev…. the badge is wrong