Before I continue with my saga of the deep, dark, dusty recesses of the corners of my garage, let me tell you that I just saw an armadillo. He was hurrying, if armadillos can hurry, across my neighbor’s driveway to disappear around the corner. Aha! A night forager, a nocturnal snoop. And now, believe it or not, a fast-moving rabbit follows nearly the same path. Only his way of hurrying is a lot quicker than his armor-plated friend. What next? A ‘possum? A squirrel? Do the animals know something I don’t? Should I be alarmed? Maybe this is a sign of something or other.
The garage is, slowly but surely, emerging from beneath layers of forgotten cast-offs. Another load will go to the Samaritan Shop today and more will fill a garbage bag. Why did I keep those cute little apple juice bottles? Oh yes! I had visions of making my own juice and re-filling the bottles with the homemade variety. And, the glass gallon jars? Well, they don’t make them like that any more, do they? A red plastic tent that my grandchildren outgrew years ago, a door ornament, a never-used picture frame. And, windshield wiper fluid, de-icers, the list goes on. I can hardly wait to see what my garage looks like. After all these years, I’ve forgotten. Let me hasten to add: those little pinecone owls are treasures I’ll keep forever, as are the gourd creations. They are not among the cast-offs.
Sure enough, here comes a squirrel across my neighbor’s yard. I’m not going to ask, What next? I don’t think I want to know.
It’s a mystery. Which reminds me of other mysteries–the cozy variety. If you are curious about strange goings on in small Oklahoma towns, perhaps one of these would appeal to you: the discovery of a dead body atop a brush pile in a small, country cemetery, a letter that looked innocent enough until Flora opened it, a secret buried in an old well since WWI, a murderer who slips through Levi, Oklahoma, striking at will, a lovely, old Victorian house with lots of secrets.
As you head on into this month of October, may all your chills be found within the pages of a cozy mystery.
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