Last weekend My Beau and I were on a shopping expedition. Our true intent was to visit our favorite nursery to pick up some blooms for the garden. During the drive, I remembered there was an estate furniture store was near. I mentioned it to him. And although he griped a bit about it he stopped. Griping for him is sometimes a way to disguise the fact that he enjoys shopping as much as I. So we wandered from room to room, admiring cast-offs from embassies and homes of the Washington elite. I spotted a chair. It was a lone chair. It was a pretty, little, high-backed chair. I pointed out to My Beau. “Honey, it’s that a nice chair?”

“Yeah. But that ain’t a sittin’ chair,” he grumbled.

“Honey, I know there’s no way our American behinds would survive more than 30 minutes in that chair. But I’m thinking about putting it in the foyer. Imagine a droopy plant in a pretty little planter. Can you see it?”

“Yeah, ah, that’ll work.” So we carried the chair to the checkout area and informed the clerk we wanted to buy it. We proceeded to continue our browsing. After checking out the lay of the land, we went back to the counter.

“That’ll be $21.99,” chirped the clerk. My Beau reached in his pocket to retrieve $22. “Oh, no, sir. We only accept checks or credit cards.” They would accept a check before cash? I couldn’t believe it. There was a time in my life that the only wise choice was to accept cash my cash. I was so broke that paying rent and utilities was done on a system timing and luck. I kited so regularly that I couldn’t afford to take a day off from work. One miscalculated paycheck meant certain financial disaster.

How did we get here? Is cash out of vogue? I don’t know. What I do know is cash is always the right color, the right size and always in fashion. Cash will never be returned for insufficient funds. And no one will ever tell you that your cash has been “declined.” So if your local retailer refuses to accept cash, Auntie Lindy always will.

Keep you heads up, Chickens!

Love,
Auntie Lindy