Case of the mising dish towels

Does anyone else have this problem or is it just an Eastern Colorado Ranching thing?

I regularly purchase dish towels for the kitchen, sometimes they come with hot pads but most of the time I just need the towels. See, my hot pads never disappear; only the towels... I swear last month I had 4, today - none. Not a single dish towel, not even a remnant of a dish towel. No goodbye note or dear john letter; just *poof* gone.

Ah, there they are... In the garage covered in what I will presume to be grease. Nice!

So I ask, 'what is my dish towel doing out here?!' The response you will never guess... 'the picture was faded so I thought it was a rag, and I know how you hate rags in the linen closet.'

. . . *crickets chirping* . . .

'OK. Thanks for trying to help! Maybe next time, ask me before you cover it in grease?'