Tam Goddard, now there’s a personality for you. If Tam isn’t at the walking path, she is picking up branches on her property or feeding her cats. She’s a little eccentric and a lot opinionated. She’s the one with the purple hair. Now you know who I’m talking about.

Well, when it comes to picking up branches she is a pro. She’s been doing it for years and it is one reason her property is pristine. We refer to it as the park off North Main. Well, she was out gathering branches when the garbage truck pulled up. She quickly scooped the last pile and stuffed them into the garbage so Dean could haul them away. Without thinking she not only dropped in the branches but also her favorite “stick.” This is not just any stick. It is an old shovel handle she uses to stuff the branches down into the garbage so more will fit. She has had it for years. It is a very useful tool. Dean dumped her can and then drove down the street. When it dawned on Tam what she had done Dean was nowhere in sight. She panicked.

She needed her “stick” back. She jumped in her Jeep and navigated the streets looking for the garbage truck, which usually isn’t too hard to find. It’s big and it’s noisy. However, it was gone, so up to the dump she went. She pulled up to the shed and asked if Dean was dumping the truck. Sure enough, he was at the upper level. So up she went and found the truck and Dean, jumped out of the Jeep and hollered, “I need to find my ‘stick’.”

That got a look from Dean. I can’t even wrap my head around what he must have been thinking.

She explained her “stick” was actually a shovel handle and added the helpful clue that her garbage sacks were pink. So, she deduced that the “stick” would be near a pink garbage sack. Admittedly, there aren’t many pink garbage bags, and being the good guy he is, Dean helped her locate a pink sack. They poked it to see what was inside. It was not Tam’s so there was no use poking in that area for the “stick.” Dean walked with her around the perimeter of the garbage hoping to find another pink bag. Suddenly, Tam spied a big empty bag of cat food and as they got closer a small corner of pink garbage sack protruded from the smelly pile. Sure enough, with a little prodding and poking the “stick” emerged! Success!  

Life’s Good when you have a friend that helps you find your lost “stick” amid the city’s garbage. And Life is Really Good when your neighbors keep a tidy yard!