SUNDAY SMILE-LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

One of the things I was looking forward to when we moved into our new house was meeting our neighbors.  At our old house we couldn't even see our neighbors but at our new house we are close enough that I can wave to my one neighbor through the window if we are both doing dishes at the same time and if I am out on the deck reading I can wave to the neighbor on the other side if she is sitting in her porch reading.
So let me tell you about our neighbors.  The lady on the one side of us is in her eighties.  Her husband is in a nursing home so she has her daughter living with her.  Up until about last week when the weather got colder I could count on her swimming by at least two times a day.  She is an inspiration to me.  I only hope that I am as active as she is when I am that age.
The neighbors on the other side of us are an Italian couple also in their eighties.  Fortunately they are all hard of hearing so they really don't mind when all seven of the grandkids are here whooping and hollering in the water. Anyway... the Italian couple often call me over to chat when I am in the yard,  this can be entertaining as neither of them hear well and both have thick accents.  One day John (83) calls me over.  "I have some cucumbers from my garden I wanna give you." he said to me in his thick Italian accent.
I told him I'd be over in just a minute, I just needed to grab a grocery bag to put them in.  I quickly ducked into the house because I was only dressed in my rather revealing bathing suit and I joked with Emily that I needed to put a cover up on or John might want to give me more than a cucumber. I headed next door and John told me what cucumbers I should pick.  The conversation went something like this.

"Your husband, how come I never see him?"

"He works for a living.  He'll be home tonight."

"He no stay around much?"

"Yes, he's just busy right now because we've been away a lot and he has some catching up to do."

"Ah! When he at home, he spend all his time with you?"

"Mostly but he likes to golf too."

"Okay so here all the cucumber I gonna give you."

"Thank you so much, I appreciate it."

"That's okay.  You give me a little kiss now eh?"

I wouldn't normally kiss the guy but we'd been to his house a couple of times and both he and his wife as I was leaving kissed me... on the lips...I thought it must be an Italian thing. So I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and that's when he slipped in a little tongue action.  I couldn't believe it.  I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.  I pushed him away and gave him a little slap on the chest and I think I said "that's not okay".  I would have slapped him a little harder had he not been 83 and had I not been in total shock.
Later that afternoon we all went for a swim and I dove off the dock.  I happened to glance into their yard and there John was working on the retaining wall on his beach.  The next thing I know, off comes his shirt and he shovels away topless.  I would have put it down to coincidence except a couple of hours later he does the exact same thing.  I go in for another swim and the next thing I know, he is shirtless again.  Needless to say, my family has been having great fun at my expense.

TWO WEEKS IN

We have been at our new house for two weeks now on and off (we've been doing work at our old house as well).  So far...

• two bedrooms have been painted.
• three trees have been cut down.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the next time I leave town a fourth will fall.  Dear boys, if you touch that maple I am going to be very angry!
• we've been visited by Daniel, Olivia, and Waverlea twice.
• we've had two visitors from North Bay.
• I've hit the garage door post with one of the vehicles.
• Ian's got grease on our white carpet, fortunately I noticed this right away and got it out.  Ian wishes I was as good at noticing the side of the garage door.  
• we have a quarter of the two car garage cleared.
• we've come to the conclusion that we own way too much stuff.
• Olivia introduced herself to our Italian neighbors twice,once when she ran the kayak into their beach and then again when she ran the kayak into their fishing boat.  This all happened within the space of about a minute.  
• I met our Italian neighbors sans bra and in my pajamas.  It was four in the afternoon. (I was painting, don't judge.) We're making quite the impression.
• we've swum in the river every day.  It's not getting old.
• we wage battle with the Canada geese that like to come poop on our lawn every single day.  It is getting old. We're not winning...yet! I think this one is going to get it's own post someday soon.