I often have front-porch chats with my neighbor Rosie. She's an absolute master of this important and neglected form of social interaction. She agreed to go on-the-record this time around.
Peter: Did I hear your birthday’s coming up?
Rosie: This September. The 25th.
[I didn’t ask her age because that would be rude.]
Peter: How long have you lived here?
Rosie: Since 1969.
Where did you come from before?
The University area—right where the hospital is now. We lived in a house in that area.
Why did you choose this house?
This was the one we could afford! It wasn’t very expensive then.
