A Few Words of Note to the Traveler

As I stare at the mounds of notes on my desk, their margins aflutter with sheets from yellow stick-on pads, I think of Buddhist prayer wheels whirring through the high winds of Tibet.

Closer to home, I think of all of you who have said that you’d like to write about your travels, but you don’t know where to begin.

I could begin with a succulent tip about a new peanut butter in a tube that’s made by Red Wing peanut butter of Fredonia, N.Y. It’s branded “upscale adult peanut butter,” so don’t search in the diet foods section. A 4.5-ounce tube costs $1.50 at Macy’s; it can be ordered by credit card from (800) 654-5473.

“Tuck it into your luggage,” they suggest, “and you’ll never have to settle for a plain croissant again.” You also may never have to settle for clean clothes again.

About That Devil . . .

I could begin with the sermon topic I read on a sign by a Unitarian Meeting House in Cohasset, Mass.: “Anthropomorphic Evil: Is the Devil a Real Person?”

As I mulled, actor Jack Nicholson went flying down Main Street in a storm of feathers and papers. They were propelled, I learned, by a mighty wind machine, all part of the filming of John Updike’s novel, “The Witches of Eastwick,” in which Nicholson plays the devil.

I could begin by reporting that the wallet-size 15% Tip Tables I mentioned not long ago are made by Target Promotions of Santa Monica; they have moved from their Los Angeles address.

Bit of Geography

I could begin with the geographical fact that a notch is a gap is a pass, depending on which mountains of North America you are trying to get through.

I could begin with the thought that it helps to write down the name of the person who answers an airline’s telephone if you call for information or reservations. In the first place, getting a real voice is such a joy in this hectic world. In the second, an agent appreciates being called Miss Ballard or Mr. Smith. In the third, if your plans change or confusion sets in, you can call back and ask for the name with whom you dealt. It does not always work, because of schedules, but it does not hurt to try.

I could begin by thanking flight attendant Nancy Moss for her sensitive manner recently when I sought to move to a more private seat--a window by the bulkhead--on a flight home from a family funeral.

But maybe I won’t begin today. I’ll just end.