At last! I returned from Mexico and got a lasting taste of tropical sun with the delivery of my ceramic bowl — filled with luscious lemons. The fruit was hand-picked in Palm Springs, California and smuggled across the Oregon border by my neighbor. Though, come to think of it, bringing fruit out of California is okay, it’s just forbidden to bring it in. “We don’t want your backyard fruit flies,” the Californians say. “Yeah? Well, we don’t want YOU,” the Oregonians have been known to retort in response to the swarms of human population moving north.
This neighbor — this “Bad Borrower” — lost points for lack of timeliness but gained a few back for following the “never return a dish empty” rule. Which is not my rule. My rule is “return it clean and promptly.” Still, the lemons are lovely. And I got my bowl back. So all is forgiven. Oh, and did I mention, I loaned this same neighbor a jacket and a blouse a few weeks ago? Maybe I’m an “Ignorant Loaner” or a “Slow Learner.” I’ll have to think about that and get back to you.