I love living in the country. I went to Dennis Yushak’s deli in Shushan – his meat is famous around here, people come from miles to buy it – and I wanted to take his portrait. Martha told me he was back in the freezer making sausages but she would tell him I wanted to see him.

I was delighted when he came out in his hoodie with some sausage meat in his hands, he asked me if I wanted him to take the hoodie off, and I said, no absolutely not, I couldn’t have asked for more, he just laughed. Dennis is a very good man and is much loved around here. I was delighted to get  a portrait of him in his hoodie, and with sausage meat as well.

Outside, four or five men were gathered around a hole in the street, they were all engaged in intense conversation. I came over to see what was going on and there was an intense debate about what the hole represented and who or what had created it. Some thought a hedgehog, some moles or rabbits.

My opinion was solicited but I am an outlander, and I knew better than to debate this with these big men in trucks – more trucks were arriving by the minute, more big men getting out. There was talk about filling in the hole, also about not killing whatever built or dug it.

Eventually someone came out with an orange cone and put it right next to the hole, hopefully to warn drivers away. Somebody else volunteered to call the sheriff to report the hole. I listened for awhile, and as the number of trucks and men grew, I left, waving goodbye with my bag of groceries and hamburger for Red.

I love living in the country. We have not forgotten what is really important.