The mouths of babes

I love the old barn, even though it's old. And decrepit. And cold in the winter, and lots of other things. But it has something pretty cool: history. Even if that history can lead to a put down.

The Shop began its history as a horse barn more than 100 years ago. Most folk don't realize it, but at the end of World War I the car hadn't really taken over yet. As such, a lot of neighborhood households still had carriages, and carriages needed horses. So the old barn was built, well, as a horse barn for the locals. It went through several manifestations, as a mechanic shop which morphed into car detailing, then welding and welder rentals, and now my snake repair shop.

One day a customer was in to pick up a few things. Obviously not working but merely doing some running around, he had his nine year old daughter in tow. The customer, who I'll call Cloyce just to give him a name, asked about the Shop's origins. So I started into the tale, "Well, it began as a horse barn..."

The youngster wrinkled up her nose and said, in that honest way young kids talk, "That explains the smell."

Cute kid you got there, Cloyce.