photosynthesis: noun; the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

I wish I could photosynthesize. Food and eating are an uninteresting but necessary part of being for me. Not that I am a bad cook- actually I am really creative and efficient, yielding tasty things. The problem is I think art- my focus on food is minimal, nonexistent... Until I get hungry.

My next door neighbor friend, Sue, is totally different. She lives alone and is so happy to do her culinary wizardry for me and Bob (and whoever else is around our house). She's thrilled to be in the kitchen whipping it up, and loves to have a hungry audience. It is an art for her.

I have a box of organic produce delivered weekly, I sharpen the knives, I clean up afterwards, I give her $ to buy our groceries & full artistic license. Her inspired work has done much for my health and well being, and she gets to eat "free". Before Bob and I would do take out from the great restaurants in town. He gets more home cooked food now, thanks to Sue.

A last weekend the three of us were talking about our troublesome neighbor's actions of that day. This guy has been aggressively bothersome to Sue and Bob (and every other neighbor for years!). Sue's tact is being invisible as possible, but Bob is utterly obsessed with retaliation!

Bob was blabbing on about his latest scheme to "show who's the boss". I felt irritated hearing the obsessive pole pissing territorial crap. Sue did too. His current plan would make things ugly for her. She told him to shut up. I seconded the motion. Bob got riled up and said something really rude back. A few minutes later she said she'd heard enough and went home. Sue hasn't come over to cook since.

Tonight when Bob came home from work he said, "what's for dinner" and "where's Sue". I looked at him and started to cry. Then I explained how his mindless obsessive talk had ruffled something that means a lot to me, and he would sure be upset if I treated friends he plays music with like that when they were here.