Durham Salad Days

As I cut the grass in our front yard today, I met our new neighbors that have just moved in across the street from us.  Their number consisted of a wife with her toddler-aged son, a mother-in-law, and the mother-in-law's teenage daughter.  I let loose with some of my trademark banter and welcomed all to the neighborhood.

During our conversation, our next door neighbors also came out to meet the newcomers, and they were followed by their cat, Pepper.  Pepper is a very friendly long haired cat that spends as much time in our yard as she does anywhere else, and Jessica has become enamored with her.  As the next door neighbors made excuses for their cat running wild about the neighborhood, I mentioned that we liked the cat, and that Jessica in particular had missed seeing Pepper when our next door neighbors were gone for their most recent vacation.


The mother-in-law's eyes immediately lit up, and evidently hoping to find a playmate for her young grandson asked, "And how old is Jessica?"  I paused for a moment and answered, "She's twenty-five."