Redheaded Jill

Sometimes I look around and feel like I’m living in a comic book. People do funny things, people say funny things, and there are funny unwritten rules about life.

I have lived in my town (well… my rural area) for 31 years. We moved here when I was 2. Before that we lived in a town my mom went to high school in and moved back to after getting married. We are what I would consider local. My Grandparents moved here. They died and are buried here. I plan to live here and likely die here. My family is based here.

But guess what… that’s not enough. Kind of like how Texans won’t let you be called a Texan if you’re not 87 generations of Texan, people in a small town won’t really consider you local if you haven’t always been here.

My good friend Brenda lives in a neighboring town. Her great grandparents helped found the town, they served on different boards and committees, her parents own a restaurant and patronize local businesses, her brother farms and she lives in a historical 1910s house. She can’t go ANYwhere without meeting people who knew her grandparents, used to live in her house, work with or for her parents… She is a tried and true local. The funny part? She moved there from Florida 5-6 years ago. But she’s a heritage townie. She is considered local.

It’s not a bad thing, I think it’s very sweet. I’m just making an observation.

In our town they don’t trust newbies for things. We have a mayor from somewhere else and he’s a corrupt little booger. There’s a lot of tension because he’s an outsider and also your text book shyster. We had some amazing guys running for school board this year, but one of them isn’t from here and they lost the race.

Maybe by the time I have kids they’ll be considered local.