<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16674" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oh, to be retired with a hardware store nearby!  I LOVE browsing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Over the years, I became known as a frequent visitor to my local 'True Value' in Florida.  I had a good chuckle on one of my first visits there.  I was looking for some particular thingamagig to adapt for a player piano that I was rebuilding.  I was quite content exploring when a salesman came to assist me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"What are you looking for," he asked.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"I need a thingamagig, approximately one quarter diameter," I replied.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"It would help if I knew what you needed it for," he said.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"It won't help to know."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"I think it would," he insisted.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"It's for replacing a missing whatchamacallit on a 1925 Baldwin Manualo upright player piano."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"You're right, doesn't matter," he answered.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>After that they would ALWAYS ask what I was up to!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the very small town where I now live, the hardware store is where you meet up with everyone you know.  Well, there...and the dump (which has a metal pile and a swap shop, yippeeeeeeeee!)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Debbie Legg</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>