In Akron, Ohio, the branch library was about a mile from our house. We walked there when I felt ambitious. We met some people along the way. In those days homeschooling was much more rare. I felt that if I introduced myself and my children, people would be less suspicious and less negative towards them not being in school all day. It had the benefit of showing my children how to converse with adults and how to introduce themselves, too.

One man who had obviously lived there many years let us into his backyard. It was a small lot, long and narrow; he had the entire space between his house and the tiny garage at the alley covered over with trellis. He had trained plum trees and grapevines. They were prune plums, delicious and beautiful in their oval dark purple skins. He sold us some, along with some grapes. It was amazing. I went back a year or so later to get more. It made me want to grow more myself.