This bothered me. I couldn't figure out how or why an old woman like me had come to the attention of the Sheriff's Department. I pondered over the incident for the rest of the day. What about me could have put that mean look on his face? Why did seeing me outside stop him in his tracks?
Later, I put my tomato plants outside. Because I badly sunburned them earlier, they have no lower branches, just a leafy crown on the top. Because I ran out of room under the fluorescent lights, I had to put them in a window, so their stems are long and slender. Because I work early AM hours much of the time, that window, which faces the street, is often backlit by the kitchen light in the wee hours of the morning, making these odd-looking tomatoes especially visible to passersby.
I think I know why the Sheriff's Department is interested in me. I also think I am insulted. I don't mind that they think I am growing marijuana. Back in the day . . . well, that's not important. I do mind that they think I would be so incredibly stupid as to grow it in plain view
