diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index 43ca0ff..2f313b2 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -195,8 +195,9 @@ ZKClient.prototype.connect = function connect(cb) {
 ZKClient.prototype.close = function close(cb) {
     assert.optionalFunc(cb, 'callback');
 
-    cb = once(cb);
-
+    if (cb) {
+       cb = once(cb);
+    }
     var log = this.log;
     var zk = this.zk;
 
@@ -225,7 +226,7 @@ ZKClient.prototype.close = function close(cb) {
 
 ZKClient.prototype.create = function creat(p, obj, opts, cb) {
     assert.string(p, 'path');
-    assert.object(obj, 'object');
+
     if (typeof (opts) === 'function') {
         cb = opts;
         opts = {};
@@ -240,7 +241,13 @@ ZKClient.prototype.create = function creat(p, obj, opts, cb) {
     if (!this._connected(cb))
         return;
 
-    var data = new Buffer(JSON.stringify(obj), 'utf8');
+    var data;
+    if (typeof(obj) === "string") {
+        data = new Buffer(obj, 'utf-8');
+    } else {
+        assert.object(obj, 'object');
+        data = new Buffer(JSON.stringify(obj), 'utf8');
+    }
     var f;
     var flags = opts.flags || [];
     var log = this.log.child({
@@ -309,14 +316,16 @@ ZKClient.prototype.get = function get(p, cb) {
             try {
                 obj = JSON.parse(data.toString('utf8'));
             } catch (e) {
-                log.trace({
-                    err: e,
-                    data: data
-                }, 'get: failed (parsing data)');
-                cb(e);
-                return;
+              try {
+                  obj = data.toString('utf8');
+              } catch (e) {
+                  log.trace({
+                      err: e,
+                      data: data
+                  }, 'get: failed (parsing data)');
+                  return;
+              }
             }
-
             log.trace({data: obj}, 'get: done');
             cb(null, obj);
         }
@@ -373,7 +382,7 @@ ZKClient.prototype.mkdirp = function mkdirp(p, cb) {
 
 ZKClient.prototype.put = function put(p, obj, opts, cb) {
     assert.string(p, 'path');
-    assert.object(obj, 'object');
+//    assert.object(obj, 'object');
     if (typeof (opts) === 'function') {
         cb = opts;
         opts = {};
@@ -387,7 +396,13 @@ ZKClient.prototype.put = function put(p, obj, opts, cb) {
     if (!this._connected(cb))
         return;
 
-    var data = new Buffer(JSON.stringify(obj), 'utf8');
+    var data;
+    if (typeof(obj) === "string" || typeof(obj) == "number" || typeof(obj) == "boolean") {
+        data = new Buffer(obj.toString(), 'utf-8');
+    } else {
+      assert.object(obj, 'object');
+      data = new Buffer(JSON.stringify(obj), 'utf8');
+    }
     var log = this.log.child({path: p}, true);
     var ver = opts.version !== undefined ? opts.version : -1;
     var zk = this.zk;