This weekend my daughter and I were working with our neighbors on a joint project - a new fence between several of our properties. We spent two days staining the back fence on both sides, between my home and our back fence neighbor Cindy's home. Cindy and her husband both know and accept that I am transgender. So far they are the only family that have met me as Ceera and actually talked with me enough about me as Ceera to know for sure that Ceera is the same person as the male owner of my home (me). I was doing the work in male mode, but as usual for me, I was still wearing earrings and have my nails painted.
Well, the neighbor to the East of us also replaced their back fence as part of the same project, and that family had mentioned to me that they would like to work with me on replaceing the fence between their property and mine as a future project. That husband and wife have met me only as a male so far, but surely had noticed my painted nails and earrings in male mode.
My daughter, my neighbor Cindy and I were in my back yard, staining my side of the fence, and we started to talk to the neighbor to the east about that next fence replacement task. He and his wife were both in their back yard. I stood on the lower rail of the fence between us and clutched the top of the six foot fence so I could look over the fence while we talked. That placed my painted nails right below my face... The neighbor wife smiled at me and commented, "We have the same nail polish!" Sure enough, we were both wearing the same shade of purple polish, though I had gold glitter at the tips, and she had a subtle glitter all over on hers. I smiled back and told her where I had them done. Meanwhile, Cindy looked over the fence herself and said to that neighbors husband, "Well Joe, you and I match too. I don't have my nails done today."
No one acted as if it was unusual that I have pretty nails. I really love my new neighbors, and think I'll be very happy here as Ceera.
