Mystery Solved!

The mystery of the black bag left at the antique shop is solved! It was indeed Linda Smiths, and, unhappily, she and her husband are victims of the Michigan disaster - her husband was layed off from three different jobs, all auto business related. They finally had to make the tough decision to leave their home. Her husband found a good job down south, Linda is going to have to give up her teaching job and her rural life style and move into an apartment.

UGH! I gave up teaching when I retired and I still miss it. I'm uncomfortable every September when school starts, like an old workhorse put out to pasture, and I often see or do things that I'd like to share with students. Maybe Linda is young enough she won't feel that way - she'll find some kind of teaching to do down there. But - giving up rural living?? Not me, not ever, No Way!

I grew up with neighbors right next door - so right next door that I could stay awake at night and hear them carrying on their lives, just like listening to a soap opera on the radio. Now, my nearest neighbors are not within shouting distance, and I like it that way. When I was driving the tractor on a hot summer day during haying season, I could whip off my T-shirt and only worry about being spotted by low-flying pilots. So, I doubt I could do what Linda is doing - moving far away, leaving her mother, sister, and son behind. I suppose it's a lot like what our ancestors did when they loaded up their wagons and looked for greener pastures.

Linda is going to leave her chickens behind. Two of them. A rooster and a hen, pets that she hatched from eggs ordered from Maine. Lucky for me, she's going to leave them with me. I'll try to take the best of care of them, in case she eventually becomes a rural person again.

Maybe I'll try to finish hooking her rooster mat so she can take it with her.