got enough money ahead to take care of the problem.
I weeded through the flower bed that edged the picket fence separating my front lawn from Drake’s parking area. The roses planted there were attention hogs, always wanting their diseased leaves stripped off and yummy amendments fed to them. I was letting hips form for the winter, but there were still a few buds and blossoms. I raked up the yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground, and attacked some renegade violets. Whoever said violets were shy, shrinking flowers was wrong. They’re aggressive invaders, capable of beating back ivy in a single season. I thought they were pretty when they popped up along the edge of my flower bed, but their relentless advance was changing my mind.
I was still on my knees in front of the roses when Barker growled. Peering through the foliage toward the street, I saw Lois heading down the driveway again, like some horrid déjà vu. She had nearly reached the fence when Barker went into his ravening-dog routine.
“Nice doggie,” she quavered. She hadn’t yet seen me. I thought of crouching behind the fence until she went away.
Barker ran along the gate, growling maniacally. I hoped he remembered that he wasn’t allowed to leap over it. When I’d put it up, while he was a puppy, I’d had no clue that he would one day be so large, with such long legs.
Lois wouldn’t have been enough to tempt him to jump, if she hadn’t gotten frightened and begun backing stealthily away, in a manner very enticing to a young and enthusiastic dog.
Reluctantly I got to my feet. “Back,” I said in my sternest voice. “To the porch, Barker.”
He complied, though glancing at me a couple of times to make sure I really meant it. When he sat on the porch, I turned to Lois.
“Will he bite?” She was frozen to the driveway, her gaze fixed on Barker as if he were the Antichrist.
“Maybe. He is protective of his space.” I doubted that he would bite; he’s more interested in playing. But I wasn’t about to reveal his pussycat nature to someone who might not have my best interests at heart. “Why are you here, Lois?”
She came a step nearer. “As long as questions have been raised, I have a duty to investigate.”
“Questions?”
“About you selling the things you grow in the community garden. That’s absolutely forbidden.” Since Barker stayed on the porch, she came right up to the gate. “I want to check out your claim that you only sell what you grow here.” She looked around, taking in the raised beds that marched along the back of the yard. “You have a fair amount of space, I’ll say that. I didn’t notice yesterday.” She sounded disappointed.
“Check me out, by all means.” I opened the gate, and Barker leapt to his feet.
Lois hesitated. “Can’t you put the dog inside?”
“No.” I was angry all over again. And in the face of her rudeness, there didn’t seem to be much reason for polite pretense. “Just don’t yell at me and he won’t attack you."
I shut the gate behind Lois. Once she was in, she seemed reluctant to start her inspection. “Oh, what lovely roses. Do you sell flowers, too?”
“No. I like to have flowers to give to my friends.” I had been thinking while I weeded that the buds on Margaret Merrill and Oklahoma would make a nice centerpiece for Claudia’s birthday party. She, too, was fond of roses.
“The veggies are over here,” I said, and led the way to the raised beds.
Barker followed us, his nose extremely interested in Lois’s pant legs. She winced away, but he couldn’t be discouraged. “You must have cats,” I said, finally snapping my fingers to make him leave her alone. “He loves cats.”
Lois shivered. “I can imagine.”
We stopped beside the beds of salad mix and root vegetables. A few cherry tomato plants still produced in one bed, next to the brilliant ruby ribs of kale.
Lois inspected, her knife-blade nose twitching. “What’s this?” She was looking at one
I weeded through the flower bed that edged the picket fence separating my front lawn from Drake’s parking area. The roses planted there were attention hogs, always wanting their diseased leaves stripped off and yummy amendments fed to them. I was letting hips form for the winter, but there were still a few buds and blossoms. I raked up the yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground, and attacked some renegade violets. Whoever said violets were shy, shrinking flowers was wrong. They’re aggressive invaders, capable of beating back ivy in a single season. I thought they were pretty when they popped up along the edge of my flower bed, but their relentless advance was changing my mind.
I was still on my knees in front of the roses when Barker growled. Peering through the foliage toward the street, I saw Lois heading down the driveway again, like some horrid déjà vu. She had nearly reached the fence when Barker went into his ravening-dog routine.
“Nice doggie,” she quavered. She hadn’t yet seen me. I thought of crouching behind the fence until she went away.
Barker ran along the gate, growling maniacally. I hoped he remembered that he wasn’t allowed to leap over it. When I’d put it up, while he was a puppy, I’d had no clue that he would one day be so large, with such long legs.
Lois wouldn’t have been enough to tempt him to jump, if she hadn’t gotten frightened and begun backing stealthily away, in a manner very enticing to a young and enthusiastic dog.
Reluctantly I got to my feet. “Back,” I said in my sternest voice. “To the porch, Barker.”
He complied, though glancing at me a couple of times to make sure I really meant it. When he sat on the porch, I turned to Lois.
“Will he bite?” She was frozen to the driveway, her gaze fixed on Barker as if he were the Antichrist.
“Maybe. He is protective of his space.” I doubted that he would bite; he’s more interested in playing. But I wasn’t about to reveal his pussycat nature to someone who might not have my best interests at heart. “Why are you here, Lois?”
She came a step nearer. “As long as questions have been raised, I have a duty to investigate.”
“Questions?”
“About you selling the things you grow in the community garden. That’s absolutely forbidden.” Since Barker stayed on the porch, she came right up to the gate. “I want to check out your claim that you only sell what you grow here.” She looked around, taking in the raised beds that marched along the back of the yard. “You have a fair amount of space, I’ll say that. I didn’t notice yesterday.” She sounded disappointed.
“Check me out, by all means.” I opened the gate, and Barker leapt to his feet.
Lois hesitated. “Can’t you put the dog inside?”
“No.” I was angry all over again. And in the face of her rudeness, there didn’t seem to be much reason for polite pretense. “Just don’t yell at me and he won’t attack you."
I shut the gate behind Lois. Once she was in, she seemed reluctant to start her inspection. “Oh, what lovely roses. Do you sell flowers, too?”
“No. I like to have flowers to give to my friends.” I had been thinking while I weeded that the buds on Margaret Merrill and Oklahoma would make a nice centerpiece for Claudia’s birthday party. She, too, was fond of roses.
“The veggies are over here,” I said, and led the way to the raised beds.
Barker followed us, his nose extremely interested in Lois’s pant legs. She winced away, but he couldn’t be discouraged. “You must have cats,” I said, finally snapping my fingers to make him leave her alone. “He loves cats.”
Lois shivered. “I can imagine.”
We stopped beside the beds of salad mix and root vegetables. A few cherry tomato plants still produced in one bed, next to the brilliant ruby ribs of kale.
Lois inspected, her knife-blade nose twitching. “What’s this?” She was looking at one
Similar Books
