It's not a phone number, nor is it the winning number on a lottery ticket. 4711 Glocken Gasse is the house number and street address of the inventor of a pleasant little concoction that was known as "Koelnisch Wasser." Translated into French, it became Eau de Cologne, better known today as Cologne. The inventor felt that a little fragrance from a few beneficial herbs would be helpful during summertime, when disease ran rampant in overcrowded cities with little sanitation.

It was Napoleon who first decided on street names and house numbers for the cities he conquered during his brief reign as Conqueror and Emperor. The little house, number 4711, is located on a small side street adjacent to the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne (Koeln) Germany. Since the bells rang often, especially during turbulent years, the little street resounded with bell tones. It received the name Glocken Gasse; in English, Bell Street.

That little concoction henceforth known as 4711 survived Napoleon, the Black Death, typhoid, and all sorts of diseases. It outlasted conquerors and war after war. It traveled across the globe and could be had most any place except in Springfield.

4711 was the fragrance of my youth. Needless to say, I missed it when I came to America. Friends and family mailed me care packages from Germany with a little 4711. I finally located that rare item in St. Louis in a small shop in a German neighborhood. My mother-in-law considered it an extravagance to purchase cologne when money was short in supply.

Time passed, my kids grew up, married, and had families of their own. Life changed a little from five people sharing one abode to what is referred to as an "empty nest." The kids never forget my attachment to a little bottle of 4711. We gather as a family for Christmas and as regular as clockwork, there is always 4711 under the tree.

With the advent of the computer, the Internet, and search engines, it is possible to procure 4711 from many Web sites. All I have to do is Google a little. Google makes it even more exciting.

"You know you can translate with Google," Mary Phillips told me as we talked about the possibility of ordering merchandise Springfield merchants do not sell. A challenge like that was just like waving a red handkerchief in front of a bull ready for action. Not only could I find a place where I could order my heart's desire, I could also order it in any language I chose. I didn't have to be told twice to go to my computer. "Go to Google Language Tool," Mary said. It was Christmastime all over again, and Mary and I played with our newfound toy. Thanks to Mary, understanding where to go and how to follow the computer direction wasn't nearly as difficult as it used to be. It was a little like magic.

Mary looked at all the languages that were available. "There must be a hundred thirty of them!" she said. Two kids in a candy store couldn't have had more fun. "Look," she said, "there is even Pig Latin!" We both laughed as we typed in phrases to be translated into Pig Latin.

"How about Elmer Fudd?" I asked. We both knew that little Elmer qualified for ham, but we never thought of him as a language. We never got around to checking out how "Sweetie" would translate into a language called Bork Bork Bork. Responsibilities sort of clipped our wings and placed a limit on our playtime.

The next day, I returned to Google and my search for the least expensive price of a bottle of 4711. I was running low and the summer had just started. Imagine my surprise when Google once more had a new surprise for me. I could Froogle and get a really good price. Froogle, I found out, is a search engine which shows photographs of relevance to the product. And sure enough, there it was. It was advertised as a man's cologne. It is not a man's cologne. It is a fragrance that brings together the healing essence of Bergamot, lemon, basil, oakmoss, patchouli, cedar wood and musk. It was Aroma Therapy before that word became a buzzword for anything having to do with smells. I have no doubt that it can be used by men. It can be used by anyone who likes a clean, fresh fragrance. And it's available, if not in Springfield; just take a hop, skip and a jump from Google to Froogle.

I was aware of Grandmama's presence when that little package arrived.