What I Buy Wednesday

I was in St. Louis last week. I don't usually shop when I'm there, but Jennifer wanted to run by Bed Bath and Beyond. I came across this.

Now, I don't need another thing. I've been pretty good about that. I'm trying to get rid of stuff! But I just loved this. I loved the detail. So much of it has meaning for this Missouri girl. So, I bought it. The cost was $30, but Jennifer gave me an expired coupon for $10. off. BB&B doesn't care if the coupons are expired. Twenty bucks---I couldn't pass it up. The company is Totally Bamboo. They have all the states (I think).

I have to admit, this also attracted me to the board:

OMGosh! What a beautiful tag! Of course there's Route 66. That looks like an Indian on the horse. There were definitely plenty of Indians in this area, but usually a man on horseback is King Louis IX for whom St. Louis was named. That statue is iconic.

I had no idea who the Indian was. So, being the good Missouri girl that I am and since we're the "Show Me" state, I looked it up.

The first thing I had to look up was why we're called the "Show Me" state. The most widely known story gives credit to Missouri's U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver for coining the phrase in 1899. During a speech in Philadelphia, he said:

"I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me. The phrase is now used to describe the character of Missourians; not gullible, conservative, and unwilling to believe without adequate evidence.

Then I looked up the statue. It's called "The Scout" and overlooks Kansas City. We lived in KC for 4 years, but I don't think I ever saw it. I'll have to add it to my list.

And, as one thing leads to another, I decided that I needed to figure out the significance of the banjo. I figured that had to do with hillbillies or something. On the other hand, there is the state bird atop the banjo---the Missouri Blue Bird. Perhaps the banjo is the state "instrument."

I did the research and found that banjo music became so popular that there was a place called St. Louis Banjo Palace in gaslight square. Here's what I discovered:
Clubs like Shakey’s (pizza), The Red Garter, and Your Father’s Mustache, meant to evoke the romance of the Gay Nineties and the Jazz Age, were so popular, lines formed around the block. As late as 1973, Shakey’s employed as many as 30 banjo players over a weekend, and Banjo Palace downtown was so popular people would leave ballgames early to get a table (and sometimes, later on in the night, would even dance on top of it).

So there's our history lesson for the day. Who knew that little tag would prompt so many interesting questions? 

Anyhoo, back to the cutting board upon which no cutting will take place.

Upon closer inspection, you can see that Route 66 is also clearly defined on the board. 

My thought about this purchase was that I would hang it on the wall above the counter. Well, it was a good idea, but as it turns out, the under cabinet lighting goes all the way back. There is no where to put a nail. I guess I'll have to see if I can get some sort of double sided, removable tape for hanging things. I certainly can't use any more sitting around stuff!

That one little purchase has lead to a couple hours of enjoyment for me. Who knew? I'm so easily entertained!