Small Town Living

My neighbor across the street is 80 years old and was born and raised in the house that he lives in today with his wife Andy. His name is Bo and everyone in York knows Bo. I think secretly he might run the town!


He has great stories about York and comes from a long line of people with lots of "colorful" history. My favorite thing and not so favorite thing about Bo is that he loves to shoot squirrels right in his yard. He does this so they will stay out of his prize vegetable garden and I've learned that shooting squirrels is a southern tradition around here. Needless to say when we first moved here and I heard a shot gun go off across the street, I nearly had heart failure. These days when we hear the sound of gun fire even our kids say " there goes Bo shooting a poor squirrel". ( We of course do everything we can to make our yard a squirrel habitat because squirrel shooting is...well kind of....horrible.)

Yes, I do know that most everyone out there HATE squirrels but someone has got to give them a break.


The other great thing about Bo and Andy is that in the summer time they sit out on their huge Charleston looking porch and have cocktails every night. They call these drinks " libations". I can always count on seeing them around 7pm watching whatever is going on around our street.( Most days I'm sure we are their main entertainment since we are right across the street and we are a little nuts! ) I also can count on hearing them calling from their porch "JENNIFER"! And I know to go right on over because there is something important that I need to know about or retrieve like vegetables or a history lesson or local gossip.


Last night when we came in from taking the kids on a bike ride , Bo called me over to show me this hunk of clay. He told me how he was down at our local cemetery that day watching the guys dig up some earth and they came across all this clay. He told me if I wanted it there was tons and I just needed to let him know. He then explained to me that even though he doesn't own the cemetery he could get me all I wanted. ( This is one of the reasons I think he must own the town. Well this and also the fact that I know the police will never come over to his home when ever someone complains about him shooting squirrels in his backyard...in a residential section of town I might add.) On hearing this and explaining to him about having to test it and such I asked him if I could go down and look at the hole they had dug to check it out. He told me...and I quote , " well, no you can't go down there tomorrow because there putting a body in that hole but I know they can dig you some more!" On that note images of old caskets and such being dug up for this free clay came to mind.


Joey and I go back and forth a lot about trying to move away from our small town but this is what I like about a small town also. Here is a man who is not the mayor of York. Can shoot squirrels out of trees in a residential neighborhood with out getting in any sort of trouble. Does not own the cemetery but can get a back hoe right near some poor souls grave sight to dig up clay for the local potter with out even having to ask any ones permission! Now that is power..................