Today I am thankful for our
landlords! They have been exceedingly kind, gracious, and hospitable from the
moment we met them. Some people would have reservations about living in a
duplex with their landlords above them, but really I love it! They are right
there if we have any questions or needs, house related or otherwise, and when
Troy can't be around (and let's be honest, in the military that often means,
not much) I have no fear for my safety in a strange house in a foreign land
when I can hear the bustle of feet and the clang of pans above me. I am never
alone for one of them is always home. (likewise we don’t worry about our house
when we leave because, they are always here!)
Last night the woman brought
me an all vegetable soup (in accordance with my diet of course), all of the
veggies of which they grew themselves.
They let us garden on their
land and asked our son to call them nono and nona (grandma and grandpa) and
they dote on him as if he were their own, knitting him socks and blankets,
kidnapping him to show off to the neighbors, and watching after him when I need
a break.
They involve us in their
Italian lifestyle in every way they can, from teaching us their words to their
way of life. The woman has offered to teach me how to cook Italian food. (How
many people do you know who get personal one-on-one Italian cooking lessons,
for free at one's own home!?) Upon our last lesson she taught me how she makes
Minestrone, and shared with me the Italian cooking mishaps of her former
American tenants. (Some didn’t sound like mishaps to me, but they laughed and
shook their heads, so I made mental notes not to repeat such actions)
When it was time to harvest
the wine from their vineyard they showed us how to make wine. They kill their
own chickens and turkeys for meat and the woman cans their fruit and veggies as
well. They are kind souls and a wealth of knowledge on subjects Italian and
beyond.
We have had a few trying moments,
like the time after putting the baby to bed, I decided to take a shower.
While lathering my hair, I heard a strange voice. I come out of the shower and
in my hall I find the landlady. She had let herself in and even though I stood
there, dripping in my towel, how could I be mad with someone who had just
brought down a hot Italian meal? They can be rather bold, they often stop me to
converse when I'm running late for some occasion, and sometimes they forget to
wear all their clothes... But I love them and it is such a pleasure to have
them here and a part of our lives. I am very thankful for our landlords!
Below are pictures of the day
in mid September when we harvested the grapes from the vineyard to make wine.
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| They had a large truck load of grapes |
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| Some hunk helped them bucket the grapes out of the truck... and you can bet I invited him to dinner that night ;) |
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| and into this machine |
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| The machine separated the grapes from the vine |
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| The grapes were then pumped into a large vat |
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| Sooo many grapes! |
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| Our Little One observed the entire process with us. I hope he's taking notes! |
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| Care to help squish the grapes son? |
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| Successfully removed all the grapes! |
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| And here are the Landlord's themselves! He's 82 and she is 76 and they still garden and farm daily. Lovely people! |
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