Life in Mayberry

We live 11 miles out from a rather small town. Life in
a town of 1900 and something is fun and interesting.
We have a running log of stories we entitle "Life in
Mayberry...or things that could only happen in
Doniphan."

Today as I was chatting with one of the librarians I
was reminded of one of my alltime favorites. She was
quite harried as I was checking out my books and
made the comment that the Library circulation has
doubled in the 8 years she has been working there.

I know that after we had only lived here a few months
I could call the library and ask a question without telling
my name and they would know who I was...but onto the
story.

One day I went to town and did all my normal errands;
I went to the gas station, bank (maybe a couple of banks),
the Post Office, Fred's, and the grocery store. After I
returned home I got a call from the bank. "Mrs. Harding,
did you leave something here." I thought a minute and
then replied, "Oh, my keys!" I have two sets in my purse
and I just dug out the second set without thinking when
I returned to my car.

I didn't think to wonder how they knew they were my
keys. Then the phone rang again and it was my mother
at the library. "Laurie, I heard you left your keys at the
bank, shall I pick them up for you?" I, of course, was
amazed. How did she know?

Well, the library had just changed to a new way of checking
out books that required a little card with a bar code on it.
I hung my card on my keyset. So the bank called the library
to find out whose card had my bar code...then they knew to
call me. Then, right after they called the library my mother
happened to walk in, and, being Mayberry, they knew she was
my mother, so they told her the whole story.

I have been off a party line for about 10 years, but some things
never change in Doni, oops I mean, Mayberry.