Owed to JC Penneys

There's a light in me

That shines brightly

They can try

But they can't take that away from me

From me

Oh oh

No, no, no, no, no, no

They've taken away so much.

BUT

  . . .some things we can always count on, especially when they're entities that have been around our whole lives---all 72.90 years of our lives in my case.

Clear back to Leona Lindt and Mary Perry and Edna Spealman and THE most unique way of getting change and receipts I have ever seen and have never seen since the good 'ol days of shopping at JC Penneys on First and Cedar in downtown Sandpoint. 

How many remember standing alongside your mom while she put the items on the center counter and made her part of the transaction.  Then, the clerk put money or the check in a tube, slipped it into a slot, and it went upstairs where Edna, I believe, recorded the sale and sent back the change and the receipt. 

That process always kept me mesmerized, sparing my mother of those moments of misbehavior that sometimes happened when she took us to downtown stores. 

Years later, how many remember Santa showing up at downtown Penneys only to have about 90 percent of the little kiddies leave kicking and screaming with their frustrated parents cuz Santa scared the beejeebies out of them?

How many have a JC Penney's purse, of course, one of those fancy ones that looks like it really came from a glitzy department store?

J.C. Penney provided that kind of product for us regular folk who wanted to look nice but didn't exactly have the cash to shop at the spendy stores. 

For me, J.C. Penney's has always been a savior, providing basic but classy looking sweaters and polo shirts and blouses and blazers. 

When I needed to look nice, I could simply drive to Penneys, pick out items, sometimes trying them on, pull out my credit card and then make manageable payments on time.  

And, that's been for a LONG time cuz I've had and have used my JC Penneys credit card longer than any other plastic I've carried my whole life.  

We've always confidently counted on Penneys, which at its Bonner Mall location in Ponderay has been bustling over the past few years.

I've got the sweaters and polo shirts to prove it.  

Heck, I figured I would even be able to go charge a nice outfit for my final final adieu----letting the kids pay off the bill!

Well, that's not gonna happen so I'll have to start researching Plan B for my final final ensemble. 

Several of morning's news sources have revealed the sad news that "OH NO," they are even taking our J.C. Penneys away from us. 

"They can't take that away," the song suggests, but they are----just like my latte mix a few years ago and Bill's Canada dry green tea.

Not fair.  

We've had enough disappointments this year and now the Sandpoint area suffers yet another blow.

The only good thing about this news is that I haven't charged anything at JC Penneys for the past three months.  

So, nothing "owed to Penneys," but consider this my ode. 

I kinda wish I had charged something cuz it would be nice to save the bill as a memento to a satisfying lifetime of shopping for reasonably priced and quality clothing and accessories.

I do have a small Coldwater Creek bag tacked to the wall behind me.  Remember them?

Keith and Penneys staff, we'll miss you. 

And, I'm sure the Bonner Mall will miss you too AND seem even emptier. 

What's next?

At least, out here in Selle, we can count on the flowers, the cows, horses, Liam and the pretty fields distracting us from more bad news. 

Happy Friday.