Chinese Kissing

This weekend Dread Pirate Joe decided to up the "Kissing" Ante. Apparently all the Axe (Bow-chicka-bow-wow) he's been wearing has him thinking this baby "peck" kissing is no longer good enough for him. He climbed into my lap and proceeded to give me the longest kiss. Ever. And by this I mean, he grabbed my face with his little hands tilted his head slightly, closed his eyes and leaned in slowly until our lips met and even moved his head back and forth (for effect). He pulled away with a big smile and proceeded to try to "rinse and repeat". At this point, I stop him, "Hey what's up?" I ask. He giggles. And I begin to wonder where he learned this new move..... And then I remember the moment, when I was his age, that I too, decided to "Up the Kissing Ante" with my mother.

My mom almost always had soap operas playing on the TV while she busied herself around the house. (I can vividly remember crying during General Hospital when Luke and Laura were reunited after everyone thought she was dead and Christopher Cross's "Think of Laura" played to a montage of Luke and Laura moments. My mom even bought me the 45 I liked that song so much! Can you say sappy?) So what most little girls learned from Fairy Tales, I learned from Soap Operas! I saw a lot of soap opera "action" when I was young (which was mild by today's standards!) and decided this long wet kissing with tongue looked kind of fun. So who better to test this new "French Kiss" on than my mother. So the first chance I got, I laid one one her: Opened wide and inserted tongue. Startled, my Mom grabbed my by the shoulder and pushed me back. Actually, the truth is, Shock and Awe had nothing on my Mom's reaction! I learned right then and there not to try that again. At least not until years later with that boy under the tree with her.

I tried not to be so shocked with Dread Pirate Joe. I explained that this type of kissing wasn't appropriate for someone his age. I laughed at his innocence and told him my "French Kissing" story. He laughed and laughed (and I mean big belly laughing that is so adorable when you are 7!), until his face was red. Apparently, me kissing my mother WITH TONGUE was the funniest thing he has ever heard! When Chris walked into our conversation, DP Joe can't wait to share my story. He says "Did you know my Mom Chinese kissed her Mom when she was little?" Chris smiled and raised his eyebrow. Once I explained, he said "Maybe I can get a little Chinese action over here?"

Deck Buildin'

One of our favorite things to do is to sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee and people watch. Yeah Springtucky has some of the most weird interesting people around. So we like to sit out there and check out the local folks and yell at the people who insist on leaving shopping carts in the yard across the street wave at passer-byers. It has always been the case that our front "stoop" was a less than desirable place for this due to the lack of space. Yeah, basically both our fat arses barely fit side by side on the cement step.


Plus, we've been doing a lot of work outside because, well, tis the season and we have an abundance of slave labor. Now that the pad looks so good, I really want a place to sit and enjoy our little piece of earth.





So I begged, and pleaded and made some kick ass Pesto Pizza, and lo and behold, look what I got:
And that's not all! I also got a BEAUTIFUL Adirondack chair too. Nothing like sitting on the porch with a tall glass of tea, fire going in the chimenea, while the kids toss a ball to each other in the yard, chatting with the neighborhood folks, while the cars lazily drive by. OK, well, some of that is partly true. You decide which parts! I don't want to spoil your mental image.