Neighbors!

It feels more like we really live here now that we're meeting people.

Yesterday we met our neighbors on one side (Terri and Rick) and behind us (Missy and Bob). Both have lived in Prescott Lakes for over 10 years and love Prescott and our area. Missy is a master gardener, and this morning she brought us grapes from her arbor.

We went to a local garden store and had a wonderful talk with Peggy, who seems to know everything about plants and trees. She gave us an armful of information about watering our shrubs and trees, crucial in this dry climate. It's like the Goldilocks story:  we need to water just enough, but not too much.

While I was at the health club yesterday I met Burt, a local runner, who told me about some upcoming trail races. And then this morning while I was out on a new-to-me trail near our house, I met Karen. Karen and her husband volunteer with the city trails organization, and she told me she works on trails every day.

In Vermont, every place I went in town I ran into someone I knew by name, or at least recognized. That's partly because Manchester is a small town, but we also lived there for 22 years. Now I don't expect to know anyone. Prescott is much larger and we've been here less than one week. It almost feels like we're on vacation in a new location:  finding our way around town, getting lost, checking out new stores, and every face is new.

Each day I'm making an effort to talk to someone other than Mike. Tonight we're going into town for dinner and to watch Prescott Idol, a local competition sponsored by one of the radio stations. We'll sit on the courthouse lawn, listen to local people sing, and hopefully have the opportunity to talk to the folks sitting near us. I'm waiting for the day when I walk into a store, or down the street, and I see someone I know and can say hello to them - by name.