Shopping at the Salvation Army Thrift Store

In these trying economic times, the smart shopper will explore every money-saving avenue she (or he) can find. Some of my favorite places to shop are thrift stores, and one of the best is the Salvation Army Thrift Store. I think most people will recognize the Salvation Army musicians that can be seen and heard around the holiday season, but there is more to the organization than that. Not only does the Salvation Army do wonderful work by helping humanity all over the world, but it runs stores where good clothing and household items are available in just about anyone's price range. My family and I have donated gently-used things to the Salvation Army's stores many times, and we encourage others to do the same.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store in my town is one of the most caring and community-supportive places I've ever seen. For example, if a family loses their home to fire, the Salvation Army Thrift Store will give them clothing, furniture, and household supplies to start again. This organization will assist those in need in any way it can. They also have a shelter for homeless folks. Their goal is obviously to help, not to make big profits. That's one of the reasons I love to support them. They operate from the heart, not from the pocketbook.

Today, my mother and I went on a fun little Salvation Army shopping adventure. Between the two of us, we purchased several clothing items--mostly pants and shirts, a few cookbooks and two novels, three ceramic potpourri containers, a basket or two (one of my weaknesses), some bedding, and a few miscellaneous items. And together, our total was just a little over $39.00! Although you can often find things with the original store tags still attached, none of today's purchases did. However, they all were in excellent condition. (Regardless, I still wash everything before we wear or use it. I think that's just a safe practice and do it no matter where I purchase anything.)

So I recommend that you check out and support your local Salvation Army. Shopping at the Thrift Store just makes good economic sense, and donating to it helps both you and those in need.

Micky Dolenz Concert

Guess what?!! I saw Micky Dolenz in concert! What a treat! He was the headliner at our town's summer festival, Summer Motion.

For those of you who are too young to remember the 1960's, Micky Dolenz is a former member of a fabulous group called The Monkees. The Monkees were four young men--Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Michael Nesmith--who were, basically, the original "boy band", I suppose you could call them. The group was actually created to be America's answer to the Beatles, so I've heard. However, The Monkees started with a TV show of the same name, and their music hit the radios at about the same time. The show and the group became the center of a major merchandising campaign with everything from collector cards to lunch boxes available for fans to purchase. Although the show lasted only a couple of years or so, The Monkees as a group continued making hits and staging concerts for several years after that. There was a reunion tour or two over the decades since, and individual members of the group still tour and perform. Some of the guys have branched out into other branches of the industry (Micky included. He is also a successful director and actor.). Some of their songs have even been covered by contemporary groups.

I think I was the queen of Monkee-mania in my neighborhood, even though I was only about eight years old when they first came to the public's attention. I've been a major fan since day one, and I can't imagine that ever changing. I was never able to see any of them live until Micky came to our corner of the world this past Thursday night, and I was thrilled to see him.

My son and new daughter-in-law went with me, and I believe they had as good a time as I did. Micky may be 61 years old now, but...the man has still "got it"! He's still the same funny, energetic, mesmerizing, and talented entertainer he always was. He and his band did many of the old Monkee songs (anyone remember "I'm a Believer"?), plus a couple more that blew the crowd away (and there was a major crowd!). It was his drummer's birthday, so we all sung Happy Birthday to him with Micky. For about 90 minutes, he had us on our feet dancing, clapping, and singing along, and it was over way too soon!

I was fortunate enough to get an autographed photo, even though it meant standing in line for quite a while. He was very pleasant and approachable as he signed autographs, even though he must have been exhausted after his performance. But...what was really cool happened afterward. I went home (dummy me!), and my son, daughter-in-law, and a friend went to a local diner for an after-concert snack. They'd been there just a few minutes, when who should walk in but Micky Dolenz and his band! Stephen (my son) said Micky had his hat and sunglasses on and sort of slipped in quickly and sat down, so no one else seemed to recognize him. Stephen debated for a minute about speaking to him because he really hated to bother him when he obviously didn't really want to be noticed. However, how often do you get a chance to speak with a legend?

So, Stephen quietly went up to him, tapped him on the shoulder, and spoke with him. Micky was actually very warm and welcoming and not put off at all by a fan interrupting his time. They had a brief conversation, Stephen told the drummer (a friendly, talented guy named Sandy) Happy Birthday again, Micky let Stephen take three pictures with he and Stephen together, and then Stephen left him in peace. Stephen called me later and told me all about it. He was so sad that I hadn't gotten to be there, but...that's okay. I'm just happy that he got to have that special moment.

If you ever get the chance to see Micky Dolenz in concert, go for it. He puts on a great show that even non-Monkee fans will get a kick out of, but Monkee-maniacs like me will be in heaven!

Now, if I can just get to see Davy, Peter, and Mike....
Sigh....