After one of the snowstorms last week, there was heavy traffic — by Rumford’s Congress Street standards — and parking places were hard to come by.

I finally found a spot outside Stanley’s and grabbed it. There was no tine to get up to the post office to mail tax stuff to the accountant, and it was a little too early to meet Jolene Lovejoy for lunch on Exchange Street.

Linda Dupil has been on my mind since Rob passed away, and so I popped in to say hello. Linda and her daughters are minding the store, Stanley’s Furniture and Appliance Mart, together in fine style. We caught up on some news, including the Rumford Public Library’s efforts to restore some hours to its schedule and dollars to its budget.

Then off I went to the Grill on Exchange Street. Hadn’t been in the Grill in quite a while so the improvements in the side room were a pleasant surprise, especially the new big booths.

Dave Duguay had the day off and so he and Patty could have lunch together. A lot of the regulars were there, and they all know Jolene.

One of them, Glen Tompkins of Peru, sat down with us for a visit. Glen makes all kinds of furniture, including the drying racks sold at Reny’s department stores. He told us all about the folding Adirondack chair he’s designed and built, and he sells quite a few. A little kid’s folding Adirondack chair is his latest.

Glen and Jolene talked about which stores they miss most on Congress Street, “The Mall,” or the grocery stores, or Wardwell’s. My vote was Wardwell’s. They didn’t mention Freddie’s restaurant, maybe because the Grill brought its spirit along to Exchange Street.

All too soon the BLT and chips were history. Time for All That Jazz. But Julie hadn’t finished her lunch and maybe I had time to get to the post office. Time, yes, but post office, no. Closed from noon to 1 pm. Instead I strolled by Camelo “Joe” Puiia’s shop, missing his smile-and-wave.

Back at All That Jazz, Julie Dickson started to work on the coif. To the news that parking spaces on Congress were at a premium today, she asked, what day is it? Tuesday, right? Court Day. Oh ho, court day.

The courtroom in Rumford’s Municipal Building is architecturally very beautiful Art Deco. And the mural! Gazing upon the huge rendering of Moses and the Ten Commandments surely has turned scads of people away from a life of crime. But doubtless that would require their knowing something about the Ten Commandments.

Remembering the muralist’s name was not going to happen, but a few calls — to Dee Holman and Claudia Reynolds and, the pay-off, to Jean Hersey down in Auburn — got it: Henry Cochran. But, oh dear, Jean, his actual, in-fact name was Harry Hayman Cochrane, according to a newspaper tribute to him at the time of his death in 1946.

The courtroom mural was one of maybe half a dozen he did here. When the Rumford Methodist Church on Franklin Street closed down, Doc Hersey negotiated the installation of those murals in the Monmouth Museum. (Yes, you can Google Monmouth Museum.)

Musing on the Ten Commandments made time fly. Back out on Congress Street once more — with the kind help of Jamie Violette, I did not mar my new manicure — I dropped a glove in the slush, threw it on the floor of the car, and went to the post office.

Linda Farr Macgregr is a freelance writer; contact her at [email protected]