Great Neighbors

I don't know if I have mentioned how fabulous my neighbors are, but they are! Well most of them.

The Bradley's herd... I will start with Blue since I can hear him right now. He is a little mixed breed pup (part pit bull) that is ferociously defending the yard right now from... hold on I will go check. Ah, the wind. It is 12:30 am in the low season. I can't wait until next month when there are actual people to defend the yard from. My favorite is Max. He is the oldest dog and the best guard. If he is awake and moving about or lying on my porch, he always greets me by wagging his tail and whines a little as I approach. He is 15 years old and loves me. I know this is true because he greets his people the same way. Then you have Poppy Chulo. He is a little black dog that has grown on me greatly. His mom, Sweety is not a favorite. But that could be linked to the youngest daughter Stacey squealing the dog's name, loudly, at my bedroom window at 6:30 in the morning on several occasions. You have the cats, Baby and Nuggy also known as Meow by me. Nuggie is my favorite since we can have long conversations and will actually purr for me. I think there are a few more cats, but I am not their type. Amy has Trapper, aka Fat Boy. If Trapper could actually talk he would say, "Hoooowwllll, I'm a hound dog." (In a southern accent. He is a Wilmington dog.) Trapper always makes me feel like I am a great chef. Whenever I cook anything, (or even open a can of food,) I can find him drooling at my screen door.

Then we have the people... The Bradley's are my landlords. Mrs. Bradley is Maritza and Mr. Bradley is Alberto. I usually call her Maritza and him Mr. Bradley as I usually want to call him Alfonzo. Don't ask me why, but I do. They have three kids. Christina is the oldest at 16. She has changed a lot over the last year. At first she was helpful, then obnoxious, and now pleasant again. Shadonny is 14 and has grown up a lot since I have been here. Right after I moved in I caught him and several friends throwing rocks at a guy that the dogs don't like. He is now actually polite to me and others. The youngest is Stacey. I think she is 13. I would love to say that she is a great kid, but the fact that she yells and squeals ALL of the time prevents me from noticing some of her other qualities. One of the nicest things the Bradleys do for me is bring me fish. It doesn't happen often, but it did on Monday. I was in the middle of working when I got up to do something. Mr. Bradley was at my door with a huge tuna fillet and 2 wahoo steaks. I had the tuna the other night and I am saving the wahoo for when I get back from my trip on Monday. The best thing however is the fabulous discount they give me on the rent.

I don't think I have mentioned Amy and Sterling much, but they are the best. When I went to North Carolina for Christmas, I went to visit my Aunt Pat in Wilmington. When she was later asked what she did over Christmas by a co-worker, they figured out that I happened to live in the same country, then on the same island. While we knew each other were from North Carolina, Amy from Wilmington and Sterling from Brevard, and we had all graduated from UNC Wilmington, we did not know that our family members work together. Such a small world! But it gets better. Not only are they my neighbors, but they and their son William used to live in the house that I now live in! Whether this is the reason, they feel sorry for me, or what ever else, they also let me use their washer and dryer for FREE!!!! While this is something that may seem trivial, this literally saves me $150 to $200 BZ a month. To have laundry done here it is about $17 a load and I generally do two a week. I will be treating them to something special when my time here is up! When I need something I know I can go next door and borrow it. I really can't say enough good things about them. William is not yet two but he is really smart. Amy told him to say Hi to Alli. Since that point he says Hi Alli when he sees me. Too cute!

Well, I best head to bed. I should get up early so I can head to the mainland and do some work.

Have a fabulous weekend!