Neighbors!

We have a next-door neighbor, Andy, who makes a huge lovely garden every year on the lot between his home and ours, and he works that garden diligently; in the fall he burns leaves and turns the ashes down into the soil; in the spring he turns the soil again before planting. Nearly every summer evening he tends to his plants and the soil, as well as the lawn surrounding the garden.

Then, when his plants start producing in later summer, he takes what he can use and puts the rest out on a table for the neighbors - no charge, just generously shares the fruits of his labors.

On Tuesday I made a big pot of chili with peppers and tomatoes from his garden and sent him over a big bowl of it (several servings). Yesterday evening Pete and I went out for a while, and when we came home, there on our porch was our clean bowl, plus 2 boxes of fresh tomatoes and peppers! I think I will dehydrate the peppers, because I want them to last; the tomatoes we can easily use up, even though there are a couple dozen of them. I can make tomato sauce to freeze, or we can just eat them!

Anyway, we love our little 3-block neighborhood here, and our neighbors are great, but Andy is pretty special, sharing what he has with anybody who will enjoy it.