Olive Branch of Peace is a Fig

[Nyboy]

Across the street from me is a lady 2 days younger then air,I call her Gladys Kravtiz. Every day Gladys sit on her porch with binoculars and watches the neighorhood. If Gladys sees something she doesn't like she waits till the witchng hour, under cover of darkness she leaves her lair and puts a note in the mailbox. She is the joke of the street. Living across from Gladys I have gotten more then a few notes over the years. Last night I was at my mailbox when I noticed Gladys hobbling towards me. I thought this is going to be bad if its to big for a note. I had never spoken to her, part of me wanted to take flight. A morbid curiosity made me stay and face the beast. Without out greeting she crocked out " You have a fig tree"". I didn't see that coming, I planted a small one last year behind my house over a stream in back field. Gladys must have binoculars 007 would envy. She then told me growing up she had a fig tree in the backyard,its been years since she had a tree ripen fig. I got a flash of a little girl picking figs from a tree, on the otherside Adam and Eve where picking fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Gladys asked me if she could pick a few when they ripened, she promised to only take a few. I was so shocked Gladys was asking for a favor!!! I told her she could have all the figs she wanted but I didn't want her climing the tree. Her mouth made some movement not sure if it was a smile or a burp. She said in a couple of years when the tree was really producing she would makes fig bars. A couple of years this woman is a few hundred years old . I might just look into places that make fig bars and put some in her mailbox.

 

[baymule]

Oh Nyboy! I am cracking up! I have a vivid picture of you innocently minding your own business in your own yard, getting your mail without a care in the world. Suddenly you are accosted by the wicked Transylvanian witchy werewolf of childhood fables, and find out that she is indeed real and in your yard. Do you run for your life or stand your ground?

In spite of her bad attitude toward her neighbors, you rose above her pettiness and offered her a piece of her childhood back. That goes back to your tag line, Forgive your enemies--it messes with their heads. Only this time you just might have awakened a tiny portion of her heart.

About those fig bars........if that is responsible for her having walked with the dinosaurs, you might want to starting those yourself! Worth checking into!

 

[Carol Dee]

Awww, How sweet. We had a neighbor like her growing up. Without the binoculars though. She would stand guard in her yard waiting for one of us kids to dare to enter her yard! She nabbed our kickball one day and my friends Mom marched over and retrieved it. Ah the memories. LOL
Still she really was just so lonely. At Halloween the kids brave enough to visit would get yummy homemade treats. Usually popcorn balls. (Something no one would dare handout or accept theses days.) So Sad.

 

[Nyboy]

Carol kids are scared of her . All the mailboxs on our street where smashed one night but hers LOL

 

[thistlebloom]

That was a very humorous read NYboy!
Good on 'ya for the compassionate insight into an old woman's life.

 

[ninnymary]

We never know when or how we touch someone's life. You are a sweatheart Nyboy. Hopefully next year the fig tree will have just enough for those fig bars. Imagine what that will mean to her.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

In truth, G. Kravitz sounds like a pretty neat lady. At least she goes directly to the "problems' source" instead of spreading gossip through the neighborhood. Someday she just might prevent a serious crime with her constant vigilance. She may have already.

Talk about "Forgive your enemies -- it messes with their heads.", sounds like Mrs. K. managed to get a seat in yours.

 

[seedcorn]

Nboy, great idea. Too many people would rather cause problems rather than kindness.

 

[journey11]

What a heartwarming story, Nyboy. Makes my day just thinking about ol' Gladys bringing you some of her famous fig bars.

 

[digitS']

Not everyone can do magic with figs ...

A little tree in what seems a distant place and time is part of my childhood memories. They say, we can never go back.

You did good @Nyboy ! Just being kind to her probably healed one or two of life's wounds. She's from a different age, or feels like she is, I bet. There is magic around her but she may overlook it with those binoculars.

I had a different experience yesterday evening. I was late leaving one garden and a guy was outside one house where there seems to be about a dozen residents these days. I don't remember having seen him before and he was trying to get someone to play catch with a football. I think there is no question that he was seriously, seriously high.

I'm afraid he was disturbing the neighborhood and the Asian immigrant family across from him. There are already 2 nearby houses vacant. The neighborhood doesn't need another family moving out...

Of course, the 2 empty lots where I have the dahlias and little veggie gardens are probably only empty because of the undesirable nature of the surroundings for family homes.

Back at home, I am glad that my own busybody Mike will be in his front yard as much as he is. He's getting olde and doesn't seem to be as busy as he once was.

When I moved here, we had a wife abuser across the road, I was told. The guy was a "corrections officer" of all things! Mike called the cops on him twice that I know about. Good for him! The wife finally left and the guy moved within weeks. Must have felt uncomfortable not having someone at home to push around.

It takes all kinds - they say. I'm glad that some folks think that their business extends a little farther than the end of their own nose.

I have a feeling that your Gladys now has a different perspective when she is looking into the NyBoy yard .

Steve