The other day as I was fetching some sunblock for a Buzzy customer heading down to the Pt. Lookout, I noticed this old container of Johnson’s Baby Powder on the shelf.
I say old because notice how it contains Buzzy’s grease pencil price marking $1.69. (Little tip for you – any item you see in Buzzy’s still displaying his grease-pencilled price is probably a good deal since it’s been there awhile. (Some items may well be past their Sell-by Date; but as they say “You pay your money and you take your chances.”)
Ironically, I had recently used up the last of a container of baby powder that has lasted me more years than I can remember. I only use baby powder when I travel somewhere and put a little of it in my socks and shoes. On my recent trip to Chicago I used the last of the baby powder the morning I left and made a mental note “Get some more baby powder.”
OK, I hear you saying “Baby powder on feet?” Well, here’s that story and yes, Buzzy gets the credit/blame for how I began using baby powder in my socks and shoes.
But first let me tell you how it goes back to when I was in Basic Training in the Army. Our Drill Sergeant made us purchase Dr. Scholl’s Foot Powder to put in our socks and boots daily as he explained to us “You do this to take care of your feet because we’re going to march your asses off.”
Post Army and through my adult years I would then use Dr. Scholl’s whenever I expected to be on my feet for awhile either playing ball, hiking or out and about for an extended period of time. I continued this to include going on travel either for work or later with my Dad Buzzy.
When Buzzy first noticed me dosing up my socks and shoes with Dr. Scholl’s he said “You do that too?” Whereupon he broke out his container of Johnson’s Baby Powder and squirted a dose into his socks and shoes. I asked him “You’re using baby powder on your feet?” He said “Oh yeah. It’s a lot cheaper than that stuff you’re using and it does the same thing.”
Well, he had me at “it’s a lot cheaper.” I’ve been using baby powder ever since. And at the slow rate I go thru it, this old and last container from the Store will last me whatever time I have left here in this country store called life.
It also reminds me of an exchange I had with son Shea when he would come home after being out working on the water all day. He would come in the house and proceed to kick off his Redneck Reebok’s (i.e white boots) and stink up the whole damn place. In turn, I would “suggest” to him that he think about using some kind of foot powder. And while he mostly ignored me and my advice, I think our working compromise was that he leave his stinking boots outside.
Jimmy with the trifecta just came came to mind: