Musings
~by Mark Blackwell
Bad Dream, Daydreaming I
am not prone to outlandish dreams, but I recently had a real doozy of a dream that veered into the path of an on-coming nightmare. I can’t say for sure what brought it on, but I am suspicious of the salami and onion on rye with Dijon mustard sandwich I had for a bedtime snack. Whatever the engine was, I’m reasonably sure the inspiration for it was a quote I read from Kin Hubbard (you know, that “Abe Martin” guy). Kin was quoting one of his Brown County characters, Tipton Bud, who said, “It is only a question o’ few years till… great chains o’ stores o’ one sort or another are managed by one head, an’ it is only a question o’ time till there’ll be an automatic chain store manager invented.” Well, that certainly is a thought to ponder, but not before bed, and not after a
36 Our Brown County • July/August 2022
salami sandwich. My thoughts that evening reminded me of an idea that arises in Brown County from time to time. That is the idea of coaxing one of those big box stores to put down roots outside of Nashville. That quote got me to thinking about how even littler stores have been competing, not so much with pricing, but with convenience. You know you can’t go down to the grocery store for a gallon of milk without seeing a rack with socks and small appliances and patio furniture. And you can’t go to a drugstore without seeing racks of snacks, and beach balls, and other assorted “seasonal items.”
