More than a frog's jump, but not too far down the road from Mound Bayou, is Merigold, MS; home of McCarty's Pottery, Merigold is a quiet little town. Most downtown businesses no longer exist, but we do notice an "Antiques and Art" sign hanging on the door of one of the aged brick buildings. I try to imagine how things may have been when Marigold was an active little town. The Merigold grocery has a wood screen door and the old meat scales can be seen through the window. An "OPEN" sign still hangs on the door. I can't help but connect to these little towns and suddenly find myself strolling once again down memory lane. My grandparents owned one of the 3 groceries in their tiny town. Their grocery store was adjacent to the U.S. Post Office. A long porch stretched across the front. The porch held a few rocking chairs and a table for playing a game of checkers on a nice day...a place to meet and greet. On cold days, a pot belly stove inside would keep the chill away. One could say, "the front porch fellowship provided it's own warmth". The library, located in the small post office, actually was a bookshelf consisting of about 25 books. A mobile library would replace the books every few weeks. Nearby-across the road, was the railroad track, where the train would run a few times a week. As a young girl, I would walk the rail as if it were a balance beam. Black berries grew along the tracks and I often picked enough to take home for a small cobbler. One day, when the train was scheduled to come through, I watched from across the road as the train neared. I gave a bid wave to the conductor as the whistle blew...toot...toot... then I heard a quick splat...spat...splat...and spotted pieces of wrapped candy scattered on the road! Looking back at the train, the conductor waved a big wave as I smiled. Sadly, times were changing and those friendly acts are no longer permitted. I'm sure this town holds similar stories. Posted by Valerie
