You've heard of the college kids fad that passed around a few years back where everyone was trying to find out how they were connected? It was a game based on a play by John Guare that claims humans are all connected within six degrees of separation. It was more fun than anything else.
I'm claiming a connectedness to the Piggly Wiggly Markets. First, my folks were enamoured of Piggly Wiggly way back when they were a big outfit. We lived so far into the backwoods that the little shopping we did was from in front of a counter. You told the store clerk what you wanted and if the clerk was notoriously slow, or in a gossipy mood, you waited a long time for your can of peas and quart of milk. Basically, Piggly Wiggly was the first "supermarket". Everyone told him people would steal him blind and warned him what a fool he was to open up the store and let people grab things from the shelves. Well, he had faith in human beings and he made a fortune.
My second connection is that we came close to buying the Red House Ranch in Calaveras County, CA. A ranch that belonged to the family that owned the Piggly Wiggly Chain. Most likely not the original family. And, third, I met a widow on my trip to China who was heir to the Piggly Wiggly fortune. I can't say I remember her name. (I know I'm reaching. This is the thinist of connections.)
The truth is, I thought Piggly Wiggly's were an endangered species. So, I looked them up on-line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piggly_Wiggly
