some days i still just bliss out about living over here - like this afternoon - we went walking into town to have a nice lunch. as we returned down our street, we passed the house where kai has befriended the older woman who lives there, and she calls out to us from her window, "signorina, signorina!"
when she came out, she brought with her two little wrapped gifts. this sweet little sailboat for kai (which kai and i decided must be a pirate ship!) and a silver frame for a photo of the baby. this woman doesn't even know our names but is someone whom we stop to chat with whenever we see her. she invited us into her garden and we sat and spoke with her for a bit (as best we could as we still navigate through the language - thankfully, j, knows quite a bit more as i am at a loss to respond but can understand context of what is being said...most of the times).
i complimented her on her beautiful garden. even before we met her, i loved walking past her home and admiring her garden. it is completely eclectic - with containers of every size, shape, and design all housing a beautiful variety of plant life - all thriving. upon this compliment, she promptly got up - moving at the speed of a hummingbird - and carefully selected several plant starters for us to take home with us. we thanked her immensely for her kindness and headed for home -- all the way home, i kept thinking about this sweet encounter and how happy i am to live here.
