Monday, April 24, 2006

The people that you meet, when you're walking down the street

Scene: a street in SE Portland
Time: Sunday afternoon

Ada and I were on our way to our local overpriced but super conviently located grocery store, when someone called out to me. It was the ever charming and self-depricatingly sarcastic Bridgermama, along with her adorable child and lovely husband (the latter won't be mad that I called him lovely, will he?) They were out for a stroll in Ada's local park, with a side trip to a cute kid's clothing shop in the neighborhood. Well, that's what they said, anyway. Bridgermama has already copped to stalking my house. Not because she likes ME so much, but apparently she's planning where she'll put her sofa once she convinces my family to move out. (I planted some dahlia bulbs this weekend, I hope that works with your overall plans.)

While we were all stopped for a little chat and baby-ogling, a woman walked by and admired the kids.

Woman: Oh, what cute babies! How old are they?

Bridgermama and me, stumbling over one another to say: Nine months and ten.

Woman: Are you, like, best friends?

(awkward pause in which we try to understand why a stranger would ask us that, and consider how to say no without insulting the other person)

Bridgermama: No, we are just friends.

The woman walked on, and so did we, laughing. After I said goodby to Bridger, et al, I went into the grocery store feeling very glad I am friends with this family. Bridger is adorable, but I know lots of cute kids who have parents that are not intreesting to me at all. Both of Bridger's parents are funny and sarcastic. They are so entertaining that I am not sure how they can be from the northern plains. Call me a coastal snob, but aren't those people supposed to be earnest and unironic? Maybe they are just putting on a good act for me, and at home it is all hotdish, lutefisk and hard backed chairs. Whether their sense of humor is an act or not, I am enjoying getting to know this sweet family.

Plus, our kids have similar taste in toys.

8 comments:

  1. Very cute. Portland sounds like a wonderful place. Granted, anything sounds better than Mississippi. Talk about un-ironic. I don't even think they know the word. That and "joking" or "drive fast"

    okay... enough.

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  2. You're SO lucky to have a cool blogger living near you AND that you get to live in a hip, progressive city (excluding Fred Meyer, of course)

    I'm terribly envious!

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  3. The everything in the mouth phase seems to last soooo long. What great kids. I am glad to know that there are such cool blogging mamas in Portland.

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  4. "Are you best friends?" How old was the woman, 11?

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  5. Oh silly, silly girl...I am not thinking of my sofa at all. We would definitely write up a deal that included your furnishings. Oh and I think you should plant some roses near the porch.

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  6. Parenting synchronization relationships can be weird. There were three pregnancies in my husbands office the year we had our girl; I loved spending a lot of my maternity leave time with one of the other moms. But is sort of blew up for us once we went back to work.

    I am glad you have got a great hookup with Bridgermama, she is all you say.

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  7. love the Baby Legs. we have invested in about four pairs of them so far and they are well used. during the winter they went under pants and skirts now they even go with just the onsie at times. that pattern is wonderful did you get them at Polliwog?

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  8. You ARE lucky to have a blogger nearby. I know that none of my friends blog, and quite frankly, I enjoy my 99.99% anonymity most of the time. Great post!

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