Bad Fences Make Good Neighbors

I was working in my yard yesterday when a stray dog ran up to our beagle, Dirk.  The dog had tags and was recently groomed, but wouldn't let me come close.  As it ran off again, I made a quick mental inventory of the dogs in our neighborhood (all small and well-groomed), and finally decided he might belong to a couple around the corner from us.  So I left my gardening and walked down to inquire.

I'd met the lady before and remembered her dog's name was Khaki.  Khaki was home, but the neighbor lady said "let's go down to see if this is Jerry's dog!"  So off we went through the neighborhood.  We walked and talked, found the dog's owner in record time (not Jerry, but another neighbor's college kid home with the dog, which promptly escaped under the fence).   However, my new friend and I weren't done talking...so she came back to the house with me to see the chicken ladies.  The dogs all came out to investigate her and we sat and talked a while longer, then looked at my garden, admired the flowers, and she invited me down to see HER garden, her dobro-playing husband and her 25 year old cockatiel.  Off we went, talking all the while.

My new friend's name is LaVada Partain.  She and her husband Jim are retired and have lived in our neighborhood for 42 years.  Like me, she is an animal lover, gardener and big talker.  Despite our age difference, we have many mutual acquaintances and share a love of cooking and talking about cooking.  She had actually saved the newspaper article I was interviewed for because she saw my recipe and wanted to try it.  Was I ever flattered, and was she ever shocked to see me quoted in the article!  And most amazing of all--her birthday is September 4th, same as mine.

I left LaVada's house with a handful of herb clippings to root for my own garden, a phone number and e-mail address so we can keep in touch better, and a huge smile on my face.  Thank goodness for a fence that wasn't dog-proof...and for the unexpected Saturday blessing of a new friend.