It was a good weekend here on N. Wintzell. Our Sunday services were blessed, and I want to thank the folks who took the time to come out and share in them. Later on this week, I hope to share a few thoughts in regards to those services, but for the time being, I'd like to take a moment and move from the realm of the sublime to that of the ridiculous as I reflect on my experience Saturday at the Mobile Flea Market.
We spent a good part of Saturday afternoon with my in-laws, and as always we had a good time enjoying each other's company. In the midst of our time together, we made the decision to visit the flea market on Schillinger Road. Prior to Saturday, I had only made one trip to the flea market, and that trip left quite an impression on me. In spite of my earlier experience, I went this time and had a blast. I overcame my native impulse to avoid the flea market, and I'm glad that I did. There's an awful lot to do and see there and, as an observer of the human scene, I feel compelled to share a few observations from my time at the flea market.
1) The name flea just sounds odd. I think that's at the base of my long term flea market avoidance. In my world, fleas are nasty bugs that hitch a ride on pets. Putting flea onto the name of your market doesn't seem like the best possible strategy for attracting business. According to Wikipedia (and if you can't trust strangers on the Internet, who can you trust, really?), the origins of the term are disputed. The name may refer to the activity of the folks involved in the sale, the quality of the goods (ok, so neither of these pieces of information are encouraging me at all), or it may come from the name of the Vallie Market of Manhattan. You can find out more about flea markets here.
2) There are no pretensions at the flea market. If there is any place in Mobile County where you can come as you are and feel welcomed and at home, it's the flea market.
3) If you ever need to sell something with absolutely zero perceived value to anyone that you know, take it to the flea market and it will probably sell within minutes. Flea market vendors, I'd like to take a moment and salute you for the finest collection of nearly useless items in the world. I can't tell you how many things that I saw people buying that made me think, "nobody could really want that". You need a copy of The Carpenters 1970 LP Close to You? You'll find it at the flea market. You need 9 Hellmann's mayonnaise jars from 1983? Flea market. Pigeons? Flea market. The flea market was your one-stop shopping destination long before Super Wal-Mart came to our area.
4) Apparently there are still elementary school-aged children in Mobile County with rockin' mullets. Congratulations, young men (and women) on having parents who aren't afraid to let their kids wear the greatest hairstyle of all time. I saw a 7 year-old at the flea market with a haircut that looked something like this:
Here's lookin' at you rockin' kid.There were many other examples of extreme parenting on display at the flea market. Another personal favorite was the 2 year-old drinking Coca-Cola from the bottle. The baby bottle, not the glass kind.
5)Kudos to the flea market for having the finest selection of foods available on any given Saturday in Mobile. There are so many foods that I thought I could only get in the Fall when the fair rolls into town. Imagine my surprise when I saw the golden, buttery goodness of roasted corn being sold near the entrance! There are some food items out there that I just can't ever pass up, and the roasted corn fits that description. Unfortunately, I had to pass it up. But beware corn, I know where you live the other 51 weeks out of the year now.
6) The flea market is a great place to go to find a pet. Here's a quick list of the animals that I saw for sale: dogs, cats, pigeons, ducks, chickens, rabbits, hamsters, geese, goats, and pot-bellied pigs. The flea market is a particularly good place to find a pet if you want your pet to be a pit bull. I didn't know there were that many pit bulls in the entirety of the southeast. I like dogs ok, I guess, and I certainly have no problem with anybody having a pit bull as a pet, as I know that they can be fine dogs. That having been said, I've never sat down and thought, "I'd like to get a dog for the family, something the kids can play with. Let's see... we could get a golden retriever, or maybe a lab. What about a small dog, like a dachshund or a chihuahua. I've got it! Let's get a pit bull!" Pit bull salespeople of the flea market, best of luck selling in the most competitive market in the entirety of the bazaar.
7) I'm definitely going back. I'm not sure exactly what I need, but I know where to find it!
As a pit bull owner, and a parent, it's worth noting that they're actualy great with kids:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.badrap.org/rescue/owning.html
Also, I've really been enjoying the blog. It's fun to see someone I grew up with living the life I grew up in (in my house, no less).
Thanks for the info, and thanks for reading! They were beautiful dogs and all seemed to have a great disposition. My wife and I got the opportunity to serve as volunteer dog washers at the Elmore County Humane Shelter a while back, and we fell in love with a pit while we were there. Unfortunately, my dog aversion has more to do with my inadequacies as an owner than breed fear. My worst dog experiences have all come from chihuahuas.
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