Feb 12: Neighborly

 

When we were first looking at our house during the buying process, we were pleased to see that there is essentially only one neighbor that has a good view of our house (and us them). Stephen said to me "It looks like a little Bavarian house!" And much to our pleasant surprise, when we were doing the inspection testing, our potential new neighbor came over to introduce himself and in a thick German accent he welcomed us. How perfect that he should live in the Hansel & Gretel house! 

I actually really enjoy the view of their house from our dining room - in the snow, it looks like a little Swiss (or Vermont) chalet to me. It makes me think of warm maple syrup, hot chocolate, and downhill skiing. 

We have become friendly with Michael as he pops in to check on the construction. And Nora has been wonderfully patient as we scramble to move the workers' trucks out of the way of her driveway and free-standing garage. We've invited them both in on separate occasions to see the progress of the house and both have extended offers to have us over. I'm not always great with the spontaneous thing, so Stephen and I decided that Friday would be the night. 

We went over with a bottle of wine at 6:30, expecting to stay for an hour or so. But then ended up cooking up extra pasta and we stayed until after 10:30. We talked politics, marriage, Westchester, music, work, house repair, children and grandchildren.  They are two lovely, interesting, passionate people. And afterwards we got a tour of their adorable, colorful, warm house. Michael works for German NPR - he has a home studio where he broadcasts directly from his house to Germany (and the internet). He also is the Editor-in-Chief of a German folk music magazine.  Nora also works in music - as a producer and collaborator. Her specialty is punk rock and rock n roll. She used to be a dancer and recorded her own music as well.  She's also the overseer of her father's archives - he's a famous folk singer (I'll respect her privacy on this blog), and she won a Grammy for a compilation of his work that she produced. Their house is lined with CDs, Posters, magazine covers, beautiful photography, and lots of well-loved art. Their house made ours feel barren and sterile - I can't wait until we can hang our pieces and cozy-up our place. I could have stayed forever, but by 10:30, the yawns had taken over. 

So far, Michael and Nora are the second best thing about moving up here (the house being #1) - I feel incredibly lucky that we ended up next to two such thoughtful, self-aware, and fun people. I hope our trips back and forth develop into a deep friendship. I look forward to it.