A Personal Note from 19 February 2016, and before

       A CHEAPSKATE’S DAY ------  Hugh Murray

I am notoriously cheap – perhaps not as cheap as I once was, but still cheap.  I cut my own hair.  It’s a long story of how it began, but since the mid-1960s, I have cut my own hair.  I was doing research on the old Scottsboro case of the 1930s in 1960s Alabama, and had driven to the northern part of the state to see records in Scottsboro, over the state line to Chattanooga in Tennessee, to Decatur, Ala., through Birmingham, and then to the Alabama capital city of Montgomery.  (Some maintain that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was a fictionalized version of the Scottsboro case.  Harper Lee died today.)  I did some research in the Alabama state’s archives, which were located in the basement of the State Capitol Building.  Another researcher told me one could get a good, cheap lunch in a state cafeteria, so we went there for lunch.  Coming out of the cafeteria, a short guy with glasses walked up to me and introduced himself by saying, “I’m George Wallace and I’m running for President.”  I did not recognize him.  On TV, he appeared much taller, and in those days I don’t recall seeing him with glasses.  He was a leading segregationist; I was an integrationist.  I did not know what to say, and probably appeared to him like an idiot.  I probably just said, Glad to meet you.  He moved on.  The other researcher told me Wallace often appeared there and greeted potential voters.

Another reason I was tongue-tied was that before the other researcher told me of the nice, inexpensive place to eat, on other days I had wandered on the main street, Dexter Ave.  I had noted Blacks picketing a store, and asked about it.  Next day, I had joined the picket line on Montgomery’s main street, a few blocks from the state capitol.  George was at that moment no longer Governor of the state, but his wife, Lurleen was.  I had even gone at night to the church to paint signs for the picketing – it was the church where Martin Luther King, Jr., had been minister during the bus boycott begun by Rosa Parks.  I only picketed a few days, for the store gave in an promised to hire a Black.  Anyway, I was surprised to see the leading segregationist of that era, George Wallace by the entrance of the cafeteria.

Because I had picketed on the main street, I soon faced a problem.  I needed a haircut.  This was before I ever tried to shear my own.  I decided I did not want a segregationist to use a razor on my neck (part of the regular haircut in those days).  So, what to do?  I walked about downtown and on a side street found a small Black barber shop.  Walked in.  Others looked at me.  Waited.  Barber called me to the chair.  He was very nervous.  He held the clippers, but his hand was shaking.  People opened the door of the shop, “Ooh, what’s goin on here?”  I suddenly realized, it may have been illegal for him to cut my hair.  His hand shook so much, he was not really cutting my hair, but pulling it, cutting a little.  He looked almost like he was going to have breakdown.  I finally told him to stop.  I said I would pay him, and did so, even though half of my head was uncut.  I returned to my hotel room and used scissors to try to cut my own hair.  Next day I bought a small comb-cut plastic devise.  Since then, I have usually cut my own hair.  Last time I went to a barber was in 2006 in China, and he did not know how to cut my hair either.

Around 1995 there was a nice bookstore in Milwaukee, and it carried attractive calendars.  I bought 2.  I liked the photos.  Next year, instead of purchasing 2 more calendars, I simply used a magic marker, to change the S,M,T,W,TH,F,ST   to W, TH,F,ST, SN, M, T.  So I got to see the nice photos for another year (one photo a month).  I had to get accustomed to starting the calendar week on a Wednesday or whatever.  The following year, I tried that again, but there were too many marks at the top and it was just too confusing, so I had to break down and buy new calendars.

Some people pay to join a gym.  Even at age 77, I too need exercise, but rather than pay for a gym, about once a week I walk 2 miles to the nearest supermarket.  The real exercise comes in walking back carrying a week’s groceries.  I could take a bus, but that is $2.35 for most passengers, but only $1.10 for seniors like me.  Were it icy, and too dangerous to walk carrying the food, I would take the bus, but most times, I walk both ways for the exercise.  I have often walked the miles when it was 95 F, 35 C, and once when it was -10 F or -23 C.  Brrrrr!

Today, Friday 19 Feb. 2016 I had planned to do several things but changed my plans.  The average temperature for this day in Milw. Is 34 F, or 1.1 C.  One year ago today it was 5 F, which is -15 C.  But today the high was 57 F, or 13.9 C.  I scrapped my other plans and decided it would be a great day to go to the supermarket.  They predicted clouds, but no rain.  They also predicted winds from 35 miles per hour, up to 63 mph! (was the highest wind recorded today, along with trees blown over, electric wires knocked down, etc.)  With the heavy winds, it did not feel warm at all.  I bundled up just like on a cold day.  Sometimes I found it hard to walk in a straight line on the sidewalk, being blown this way and that.  Some large trucks were indeed blown over on their sides.  Got to the store.  Bought the food.  Walking back, it took much more energy because I was walking against the strong winds.  I really got my exercise today.