Friendly Neighbors

On Sunday, Matthew and I went on a walk. I usually go on a half hour walk (or two) on Sundays, and this time he came with me. When we were at our halfway point to turn back around, an older couple out on their back patio stopped us to chit chat. 

First it was about the house that was for sale across the street. She yelled out that it was $399, but they should just bump up the penny and call it $400. Matthew and she went back and forth for a minute, and we tried to wish them a good day. But then they called out and asked us if we wanted tomatoes.

She initially apologized for one of her dogs yapping, saying the dog can't hear her when she tells him to shut up. But! If we put our hands backward to the fence and let him lick us, he will stop. He both licked us and barked at us, while the lady's husband Gail picked some tomatoes for us. 

We stood there waiting for tomatoes and got a big long story about her dog. Her daughter told her that her dog was getting fat, so this lady kindly informed her daughter that the dog was pregnant (she had visited a dog across the road). We got details on the birth story, and the mama dog's trip to the hospital. And we learned that her dog, the yapper, was the only one who was too big to come out of the mama, so she had to be cut open for him to come out.

Then we got to hear about how difficult it was to train him. And she went on about trying to place him in a home, but then how her two dogs were already attached, so she couldn't get rid of him. And that's how she ended up keeping him.

We also learned that they live in the basement of this house, and that Gail's brother lives upstairs. Apparently, it's a very nice basement, but one of the main bathrooms in the house also has the laundry in it.

While we were trying to end the conversation, she wanted to offer us some kale, at which point we learned about all the lady bugs she had bought for the aphids on the kale, how they must have had a two night feast, and then taken off. 

Her husband let us know that she would talk all day, so we better get a move on. 

After all was said and done, we left there with a lot of tomatoes and some kale, and a good story to remember. So I'm documenting it because I think these small connections are what make life interesting. Plus, we used the tomatoes for a wise purpose:

Maybe Matthew will want to come on more walks with me now.