...And Then I Jumped In

A few days ago I posted about Craig breaking the ice with Edna, the neighbor across the street with the empty lot I so covet. So what if we've only lived by her for ...gulp... 11 years. Better late than never?

Well, today I jumped in.

I had just returned from the farmer's market (how fitting) and she was standing in the driveway with her grandson (who I'd mistaken as her son at one time...oops. Though, isn't it better to mistake a man being older and his grandma being young enough to be his mother? Yeah, I'm going with flattery for the woman. Always.) I hesitated only a moment, then marched over there. I'd been wanting to talk to her and become a better neighbor to her for a very long time. Her grandson stood and talked with us for a few moments as we talked about the plum tree. The plum tree was to be my icebreaker, as you can read in this post. Sadly, there will be no plums this year. The weather has not been kind to the tree, and the last straw was the 'dericho' blowing all the blossoms off the tree. Although we'll not have plums this year, I did gain permission to harvest the plums in the future. Edna said she missed making plum jam, and I said that was one of the very things I'd hoped to do with her plums...to share with her, of course. I can be so very full of charm when I need to be.

Once her grandson made his exit, I told her I wanted her to have my number, since I was right across the street, in case she ever needed anything. She immediately told me no, and that she could handle things on her own. I insisted, and it didn't take much convincing. I had no paper on which to write my number, so she invited me in. I have never in my 11 years here been in her house. That's so sad, isn't it?

Well...THREE hours passed before I exited her house. What a visit! This lady is a hoot. She is feisty, smart, stubborn, super healthy and spry for 90 years old (her birthday is on Tuesday--July 2--same as Simon). She is incredibly interesting, and she LOVES to talk.

We talked about everything and anything. Except, that is, the empty lot. We only talked about IT for about 30 seconds, and though I wanted to, I didn't make a peep about me setting up a garden there. I decided I was going to dedicate this visit to getting to know Edna a bit, not to immediately go in for the kill.

You know what? It was a great time. She is very fun to talk to, and I found that my personality and hers do click. I can't wait to have another visit with her. In time, I'll broach the empty lot topic. In time.

For now, I have to admit I look forward to talking to her again. It's never too late to become friends with a neighbor. She even shared her pumpkin pie recipe--with a secret ingredient--which her family clamors for. The sharing of secret recipes is a SURE indication that one has made the beginnings of a bond!