Harmony in the 'Hood

Friday afternoon while the kids were burning off some steam in the front yard, I had occasion to chat with Madame X. I told her the arborvitae looked very nice, and she thanked me. She showed me what else the guys had done, and she was very proud of how it looked (rightly so- it all looked nice). She told me that this was it- she had finished the inside of the house, and now with the back yard done, she was happy with how things were. (That reminded me of something funny I read not long ago- you are done with a house when you move or when you die. That's how we feel about the old houses we love so much!). Anyhoo, I asked about her landscapers opinion of the ash tree in her treelawn. She said he told her that the tree should never have been planted there in the first place. It doesn't have the right kind of trunk, and with the new tree in our tree lawn, the shade will be better for her. So now I think she sees it as win/win, which brings more harmony. It was a pleasant conversation to be sure, but we'll see how they go in the future. I hope this means there's detante on West Drive!