Neighbors

[ancient-one]

When I moved here I had good neighbors on both sides of me. One was a man and wife, I knew the man by sight from a long time ago. I quickly became friends with both of them. He had heart problems and passed away one night in his sleep. His wife was in poor health and soon moved a few miles away into a assisted living place.
The neighbor on the other side moved about three years ago and the lady that moved in will just barely speak, that is if she is spoken to. I have given up on her.
The unit that my friend moved from sat vacant for nealy a year, a period of time that there were several vacancies. Now, in 150 units there is one vacancy.
A lady finally moved in next door. My daughter happened to be in the office when she was checking in and overheard the lady say that she had a bad experience before moving here and appeared scared. I found out later that her husband is in a nursing home and when awake which he seldom is, he does not know her. She is 74 and one of the few African Americans living in this Senior Living Complex.
After about a week of not seeing her out and about, I made up my mind that I was going to reach out to her. I tried calling and she would not answer her phone. I called the lady in our office and explained the problem. She called the lady and told her that was her neighbor calling, that I was 94 and a decent person.
She finally answered the phone and said who are you. I explained that I was her next door neighbor. She then asked are you 94. She said what do you want and I told her that I just wanted to welcome her as my neighbor. Not much else was said. I let things rest for a few days and then I saw her out and she spoke. Soon she was making a little small talk and she has turned out to be a really friendly neighbor.
Today I was getting out of my car and she came out and she told me that in case I didn't get the call(which I didn't), Monday we were to park our cars across the street because they were going to start painting the inside of our carports at 8am.
Every time that she finds out that I am going to the doctor she prays for me. I appreciate that.
All the above has been said to show that most times, with a little effort you can make a neighbor out of the person living next door to you.

 

[walter o]

A smile and a friendly word to someone else makes ME feel better and sometimes causes the other person to smile,I do think it is catchy

 

[Rustyt1953]

I am blessed with great neighbors.

Two days ago, Ruthie had just left for work when her 2011 Honda Fit broke down with a loud bang. The motor ran but the car wouldn't move and the steering wheel was possessed. She was a block away. She walked back in tears and caught the attention of several neighbors. Four of them pushed to car back to the house.

Our neighbor across the street called one of his friends who, unbeknownst to us owns a garage and body shop. He lives two blocks away. He crawled under it and shouted "tain't nuthin'...hit's yer front axle".

Around 1900 his tow truck showed up and hauled it off. We were worried about the cost and how long we would be without a car so imagine our absolute shock when he drove it back at 1700 yesterday. He handed us the bill....$225.00!!!

I wouldn't trade my street with its closely spaced houses full of kind hearted, selfless hillbillies for Mount Olympus.

Being a good neighbor begets good neighbors.

 

[rubiranch]

My closest neighbor lives over 2 miles away.
And I like that.

 

[pawngal]

2 of my 3 closest neighbors hate my dog so not much chance of being friendly.

 

[Targets Guy]

We are on a dead end block. Five familes, all in single homes. We all get along. I consider us very lucky. One family will be moving next year. Fingers crossed.

 

[6518John]

A smile and a friendly word to someone else makes ME feel better and sometimes causes the other person to smile,I do think it is catchy

Amazing how you get back what you give out! I think there is some old rule or recommendation along the lines of treat people the way you want to be treated.

 

[NYlakesider]

When I lived in the big burb outside Albany (Colonie) I had a very good neighbors. The man that lived next door to me I have mentioned on here a couple times, he was in the D Day invasion and went all the way into Germany. His wife was a army nurse.

We had keys to each others house and we watched out for each other. The other neighbors were OK

Now up at the lake where I now live I realy only have one neighbor. Their flatlanders and come up mostly on summer weekends and occasionally a overnight if the snow has not made it too difficult to get to their camp. They are obnoxious, cheap and serious pain in the rear and after finely contacting a good real estate lawyer who laid out the law to them they are better. They were here about 10 years before us!

Other than that we are rather desolate other than the good weather, my house is a 1/4 mile off the road at the end of a steep driveway.

I have always believed in trying to be a good neighbor, who wants a constant problem neighbor you are always exchanging words with? I tried and when that only made things worse I got the lawyer. My property separates theirs into two segments so I have to drive by their camp (about 20') to start up the hill to mine. The dirty looks I can live with!

 

[ladder13]

My new neighbors here in NC are great. In fact we just got back from Marco Island and Naples FL with David and Diane. We know them two years and they are like family, the good kind.
Six days together, day and night, we laughed all the time. My other neighbors are fantastic as well, and all transplants just like us. Just a great bunch of folks. We all go out to dinner and hang together often.
I’m happy, and most important, my wife, to be just where we are.

 

[Jinglebob]

While we were moving into our new house the neighbor lady across the street came over. She welcomed us to the neighborhood and told us if there was anything we needed help with to let her know.

The following week my wife and her were talking and my wife mentioned that the dirty clothes were piling up because we were still waiting to have our washer and dryer delivered.

The neighbor lady told my wife to collect the laundry and she would do it. She said that she had three young kids and a couple more loads of laundry was no big deal. That evening her husband brought over a laundry basket with our clothes neatly folded.

I had reservations about moving to town and living close to other people. Farm living conditioned me to be more isolated. But, the neighbors I have met so far have been very personable.

 

[mr-mom]

We are blessed with wonderful neighbors. A little bit of friendly outreach can work miracles.

I have lived in rural areas for most of my life, places where people typically know their neighbors and help one another out. When we moved five years ago to a small lake shore home (downsizing), we reached out to the next door neighbor, only to find out they had owned their home for three years and knew no one in the close neighborhood (small lots, dead end street, somewhat congested).

We began to converse frequently when outdoors and soon invited the new neighbors to dinner in our home. As we reached out to more of the neighbors, we found that few knew anyone in the area. After making an effort to get to know more folks, and introduce one to the other, we shortly became a very close-knit group. We help one another, look out for others, frequently go out to dinner together, gather in groups when boating on the lake, attend local events as a group, entertain each other in our homes, and share family happenings with everyone.

I wouldn’t trade our current neighborhood with anyone! Reach out, make an effort, and great things can happen.

Dave
SWCA #2778

 

[kmyers]

We have wonderful neighbors. It is interesting that we are the youngsters on the block here, me almost 56 and Wendy at 47. Most of our neighbors are older, more relaxed and laid back so we fit in well with how folks here do look out for each other. She has known most of them for 20 years or so, they have always looked at her as a surrogate daughter or granddaughter and have always checked in on her over the years way before we got together and we have always done the same for them. Her and my favorite couple are in their 90s and he is a Marine who served in WWII, Korea and the beginning of Vietnam before retiring. A few years ago he was laid up so I mowed their yard all Summer. His wife asked how to repay me and I just said a few Sunday fried chicken suppers with all the fixings.

 

[Chukar60]

When we first moved to our little town outside of Boise, the neighbors were all great except the one immediately next door.
Older couple, she was fine but he was a real pain on the behind. Had a fit every time my trash can sat out longer than he cared to see it. Wife and my hours are erratic and sometimes we get home in the later part of the evening.
Worst habit was when he mowed his yard and felt mine needed it, he would mow a strip into mine along the sidewalk. This one really set me off. Was tempted many a time to go and have words with him about it but the wife counseled patience.
One day we were at the ranch and cleaning out an old barn. I came across an old 3 wheeled Columbia bike with a grocery basket on the back. Had no idea what to do with it, but decided it needed someone who would appreciate it. I brought it home and the neighbor saw me unloading it. He came over and i could tell he had an interest in it. After a couple minutes I decided to let him have it for his wife to ride.
He quit mowing the strip, we got friendly and I stop over and make sure they are doing OK if I don’t see them outside for several days.
We are good friends now.
Sometimes patience and tolerance pays forward. Glad that we have developed the relationship.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Whatever neighbors I get in the future, they will not erase the privilege of having Bob for a neighbor. Bob smoked like a chimney. Bob and his Venezuelan model wife did not want or have children, Bob had been a LURP Huey pilot in Vietnam. When he re-enlisted for a third tour of duty they told him to go home, the story is that they said "we need guys who are a little crazy, but not insane" Bob drove and maintained the same Mercedes for all the decades that I knew him. Our wives never got along well, so it was usually Bob and I working on something in the office or doing yard work together. If I was out of town and any of the trees in my tree lot(we lived in a very wooded area). It was cut to firewood and the stump ground before I got home. I assume Bob took his cut. If any of the concrete chipped or cracked, Bob would notice and fix it without a word. Snow removal? Bob had a snow blower and often just did it, before I shoveled. Grass cut when I was on vacation. Bob had it. I would help him when he needed or wanted help, but knew better than to do anything in his absence, because he was infamously meticulous about the way everything should be done. We worked in the same office and Bob had a reputation for meticulous honesty and attention to detail. He had ping pong balls hanging from his garage to tell him exactly where to park their cars. We would meet at restaurants or his house (where he usually picked up the tab over my (eventually pro forma) protests) because his wife would not eat the cooking "where both adults worked full time". His last name was often used as a verb, to say that any job was overdone. One day Bob retired and moved away to Florida, I was sad to hear that he died of cancer only a few years later.

 

[paplinker]

I am just starting to let to know my neighbors. Since we moved in I made it a point to introduce myself and say hello whenever we see each other.

It appears now we will be buying the house we rent so I am making a more concerted effort to say more than hello.
I have been dropping off a lot of tomatoes from our garden and sharing a little time sitting out front on the porch with them.

Turns out both my neighbors are WWII vets !!
You think I would have known, given their age and the fact they are the only two on the street with flag poles and the flag always flying.

I hope they will get to like me and share anything they might feel comfortable with about the war and the great generation.

I try my very best to be a good neighbor and they both have volunteered how happy they are having us here.