By Clyde

“The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel to make atonement for our souls” (Exodus 30:15). 

Where does he get his money? Some have it to spend; some have it to give away. “Out of 2,420 people in little ol’ Salisbury in 1860, only 352 were listed as taxpayers. Only six paid over $100 a year. Nathaniel Boyden, judge, Brown, Coffin and Mock; livery stable operators, Dolphin A. Davis, cashier of the Bank of Cape Fear (on Bank Street), Dr. Joseph W. Hall, Wm. Murphy, merchant and John I. Shaver, hotel owner. Mr. Shaver paid $322.68 on his $19,000 income.

Farmers like Caleb A. Helig, Jacob File, Charles C. Torrence, Soloman Beaver, Christopher Lyerly, Peter Kerns, James C. McConnaughey, Tobias Kester, Henry Smith, Mary Graham, Richard Davis and William Locke owned valuable real estate. There were 75 blacksmiths, 40 shoemakers, 21 wagon makers, 15 carriage makers, 24 carriage makers, three hatters, eight silversmiths, 25 physicians, nine lawyers, 11 clergymen, two innkeepers, 10 teachers, one druggist, 50 miners, 14 merchants. Which of these are still around?

Bernhardt and Co. featured farm machinery and wagons. He also sold engines and boilers and the best “clover huller” ever offered. Threshers, reapers, mowers are carried, also Avery and Dixie plows. He had an extremely large stock “for a town of this size” with a complete assortment of tools, paints, oils, glass, cutlery and blacksmith supplies.” Who’s looking for any of these lately?

“Every visitor to this house will meet with a cordial reception whether he proves a purchaser or not” still dictates what stores offer. We can “do without” a lot but trends and fashion that we “must have” soon fade. We can’t all be on the magazine cover and we don’t need to buy one of everything, there are way too many choices, most impractical and end up just more plastic landfill fillers. Choose from the following for goofy, gregarious, gratis, glowing, glorious, gluten-free, gag, glotto-chronological, ghoulish, greedy, green, ghastly, grand, goodliest, Grinch, gifting. Most at little or no cost and not hard to find for a cheap thrill:

• Prisms

• Stained glass

• Origami

• Sno-cones

• Old snapshots

• Bells

• Bird songs

• Horns/whistles

• Harmonicas

• Finger paint

• Post cards

• Cinnamon toast

• Medals

• Bow ties

• Hair bows

• Sand piles

• Bubbles

• Haps’ Hot Dogs

• Balloons

• Homemade cards

• Scavenger hunt

• Shopping downtown

• Leftover pizza

• Playing tag

• Shade trees

• Morning glory

• Sunflowers

• Peanuts in R.C.

• Creamsicles

• Porch swings

• Kits

• Flip flops

• Jump rope

• Nursery rhymes

• Taffy

• Candlelight

• Box turtles

• Hoppy toad houses

• Water sprinkler

• Swingin’ on the vine

• Feeding a chicken

• Dentyne

• A fall leaf

• June bug on a string

• Hopscotch

• Marbles

• Inch worms

• Jaw breakers

• Buttercups

• Straw hats

• S’mores

• Rice crispy treats

• Zipline

• Feet off a pier

• Joy ride

• The Sunday Post

• Rain on your head

• Snowflakes on your tongue

• Watching a spider

• A small painting

• Corny jokes

• Take a hike

• Sing a song

Most of these can’t be gift wrapped at Caniche. Some would be a chore to deliver and St. Nicolas doesn’t have North Pole Amazon, jingle-eBay, load-er-up Rudolph, or sleigh lift — or does he?

Fed-X doesn’t stand for Fed-Xmas. Oh, for the simple life, Christmas cards, carols at the spinet, a chicken in every pot, alms for the needy, to have and to hold, snow on snow, O beautiful star, peace on earth. This year, give a simple surprise gift from a secret admirer from the lonely heart club band member. Go find something they really, really need. Like soap for a dirty Santa. “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4). Shop around. Re-gift. Recycle.

Grocery carts were invented in 1937 by Mr. Goldman. What did we do until then? Two Million are stolen each year and more than our share end up under the Fisher Street Bridge.

Clyde is a Salisbury artist.