All Glass On Deck

The guy who owns the house across the street is replacing its rotting siding this week, and a greenhouse window, which had been attached to the house, was sitting in the middle of the lawn when I came home from swim lessons with the kids. I'd glanced at that window several times and thought it would be nice as a cold frame. Seeing it sitting there, in the middle of the lawn, made me think it might be going to the dump. But the landlord was just leaving in his truck. I dashed after him as he drove down the street in his truck and asked him if he was planning on reusing it after he'd finished the siding. And if he wasn't, could I have it. Sorry, he said, his neighbour wanted it. We'd never met before, so I felt rather guilty about giving him my best Sad Winsome Gardener In Need look, but I did it anyhow. "Oh, darn. It would be perfect as a cold frame," I said sadly but bravely. "Thank you anyhow." He waved uncertainly and roared off.

I shuffled dejectedly back up the road and over to where my other neighbour, an older fellow, was standing with my kids, watching me race up and down the street after the truck. For some reason I amuse this neighbour. "You have no shame, do you!" he said. "No I don't," I replied, "I want something like that for my seedlings. It's perfect. But his neighbour is going to take it. Drats."

"You never know," he said, "the neighbour might not want it." "Who wouldn't want that?" I said, trying to stifle the image of my husband's rolling eyes and comments about all the junk I attract to our back yard if I were to acquire that window. I could think of one person who would not want that window. Not that that makes any difference to me wanting it, though. Oh no, no.

A few hours later the truck neighbour was back. He knocked at the front door. "Want that window?" he asked.

Do I?

Do I?

You bet I do.

And here it is. Happy as a clam on my deck.