Still Doesn't Mean Anything

More years ago than I care to recall, I got my first taste of a genuine Maine accent. I met some college dude who was obviously a lifer, and he was going on about how cool he is in various towns or whatever. Wasn't so much interested in what he was saying, and I didn't really think twice about his accent until he invoked the word "Biddeford". Then my life changed. What he pronounced was, phonetically, "Bid-eh-fid".

And the rest is history, but I so enjoyed it that, in every conversation I have, I look for a way to work that word into it, using that pronunciation. Rarely does it come up, which leads me to today's entry.

A few years back now, a grocery store opened up pretty near my house. The name of this grocery chain is "Hannaford". When they opened, I immediately wondered to those around me, "Hey, wonder if they have one in Biddefid? Then I could say, 'I'm goin' up ta Biddefid to shawp at Hannafid.'" I would further annoy with frequent and pointless juxtapositions of the words "Biddefid... Hannafid", and so on.

Last week, I made a rare cash transaction over at the Hannafid in Biddefid. (Note: it was not actually in Biddefid and I do not live in nor am I from Maine.) For my change, I was handed a ten. Not just a tenner, mind you, but an Old Timey tenner. An Old Timey tenner with a stamp on it. From Hannafid.

Get yourself a nice, close look at the stamp there on that sawbuck...



It still doesn't mean anything.


But I'm keeping it.