hunting and gathering

So, this morning I did the usual going out and about with the doggies. Each time we go for a walk we go in a different direction. Well, there are only three choices - up, down, or over. Down takes us down the road which is safe to do only when a) it's not high traffic time in Maberga and b) when I'm feeling up to the physical challenge of coming back UP the road. Over takes us across the road to a large, flat terrace that's good for chasing lemons. Up takes us to our own terraces. We only go up there if I'm feeling ok with the inevitability of the dogs swimming in the pool (aka: our water vasca).

This morning we went up. To get to our terraces you have to cross through some other people's terraces. You know you're at ours when you see the little metal gates at the end of two of the terraces. These gates were put there by our pals (some times I've referred to them lovingly as "the hippies"). They lived in our house for a few months before we moved in. During that time they diligently worked the land, planting insane amounts of veggies. Robert put up the little gates to keep the wild boar from digging up the insane amount of veg from the earth.

When I crossed the neighbors' land this morning, approaching our land I noticed something was amiss. The little gates were gone. Just gone. Just like the opposite of my melanzana...one day no melanzana, next day a melanzana. One day two little gates, next day no gates.

So, this leaves a girl with kind of a bad taste in her mouth. When you're walking down the street and someone snatches your purse, well, that's a bummer for sure. But when that happens, it's not really personal. I mean, that snatcher doesn't know you from Adam, he just wants your purse. When someone takes the time to dismantle your little gates from off your land in Maberga to take them, that person knows you. That person knows those little gates are yours and they took them anyway.

Granted, we don't really need those little gates any more. There are no veggies on our land any more. But that's not really the point, is it? They still belonged to us. I mean, come on. We're not using all our olive trees right now but they still belong to us and are not open for the taking.

The only upside to this episode in Maberga life was that I was having a good time with Das Needle ladies when it must have occurred.

While someone was hunting and gathering from my land, Natalie finished her first pair of socks.



Those are some nice socks!

She also finished this great sweater by sewing on a button that she made herself.



And Mette made a helicopter!



And while someone was hunting and gathering goods from my land, Mette's husband Teddy was doing some hunting and gathering of his own.





I don't know exactly how I'm going to deal with the little gate theft in Maberga. One thing for sure though, whoever took them did so because they needed them for something. Given that they weren't the kind of gates one puts in their home to, say, give privacy to a bathroom or to stop small children from tumbling down stairs, means that they will be used on some one's land.

I'm watching to see if this bold, neighbor, gate-thief has the balls to put up my gates on his land. I'm watching...