Advice from a small town girl

I recently had a discussion (some might say an argument) with a transplant to our community.

The discussion opened with a disparaging remark (not one made by me) about the lack of availability of apparently anything this person wanted (ranging from fresh vegetables at a local restaurant to a pair of socks) in Odessa.

Well, duh.

I’m really sorry, but if you choose (and I can’t emphasize that word enough) to move to a town of 900 that is 40 miles from a settlement of any size, you’re just going to have to take your lumps. Globalization still has its limits.

I’m not a native of Odessa, but I have...