It was an enchanting place, she said, despite it not having electricity, plumbing or telephone. And the water had to be pumped. She also sets her clock by the coming and going of the Block Island ferry, which she can see just over the edge of her acreage. When we acquired it, except for a mowed area around the house, the three acres were overgrown with brambles, honeysuckle, poison ivy and various weeds. Beets, asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, cukes and zucchini are among the edibles she plants and nurtures.
Flowers range from climbing clematis to asters.
In winter, house plants fill her need to nourish vegetation, however limited. You just pay close attention to these things if you garden. She recalled a Labor Day weekend when a surprise frost had the island residents out by the light of their automobile headlights covering plants with newspapers for protection. You can't control some of these things. Gardening, reasoned Foster, may be a reason why she is healthy and active at 93.