It was an ordinary day. On my way out of Stauffer's of Kissel Hill grocery store near the small town of Lititz, Pennylvania. Every week my wife and I make a visit to Stauffer's to buy the special items that they bake themselves. Speciality items such as apple dumplings, baked oatmeal, ham balls, cornbread.....and the list goes on and on. These are items that we can't purchase at our regular grocery store where we shop every week. The reason we don't do all our shopping at Stauffer's is due to overall cost. We find it less expensive to do our regular shopping needs such as canned goods, bathroom products, bread, etc. at our local Giant Supermarket. Plus, we enjoy our visits to a variety of stores since most every week we can find specials not available at another store. On our way out of Stauffer's I always pick up a free copy of " The Fishwrapper" which is an inspirational newspaper which contains uplifting articles and information everyone can use. It is for both young and old alike since it has both thought provoking and motivating stories that we all face in everyday life. So...where did the name come from? The Fishwrapper name comes from a practice done long ago. Merchants would wrap fish their clients purchased in old newspapers so they could be easily carried with little mess. The newspaper of course became soaked, smelled of fish, and was probably best discarded. Eventually people made an association between the worthlessness of the paper and the credibility of a questionable comment or story. They would reply with a bit of sarcasm, “Yeah I saw that in the Fishwrapper”, indicating that it was meaningless and doubtful and perhaps even offensive. Today's "The Fishwrapper" is a fun newsletter to read. It has "Household Hints," ask "Kathie's Kitchen" column, a weather forecast, a SUDOKU puzzle, MEMORY LANE column, Help Wanted column, spiritual stories and plenty of advertisements. This week's "The Fishwrappeer" is 20 pages long and 8 1/2" X 11" in size. Fun read and I always make sure I pick up a copy on my way out of Stauffer's. After unloading the groceries from the car, I plop on my recliner and begin reading "The Fishwrapper." By the time my wife has finished putting the groceries away, I have finished reading "The Fishwrapper." I often ask if she would like to read it, but it's not the type of publication that interests her. Today's front page story was titled "A Trap for a Turkey Thief" and covered page 1 plus half of page 5, page 6, page 7 , page 8 and ended on page 9 with the thief being caught. The remainder of page 9 was given to the latest "Weather Forecast." Went like this.... (1) "Pop, how do the people in the weather bureau find out what kind of weather we're going to have? "They don't, Son." (2) A TV weatherman broke both legs and arms in an accident. He had to call in from the hospital to explain his four casts. (3) What do you call a weatherman who really likes steak? Meateaterologist! The final page of the 20 page publication features two large advertisements and the list of stories that appear in the newspaper. One thing I enjoy the most about the publication is that it is printed on what appears to be 24 lb. white paper rather than newsprint. Interesting publication that is always fun to read while my wife puts the groceries away. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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