Saturday, August 19, 2017

Neighbors

In my rural community, you either like (a measure of love) or dislike (meaning hate) a neighbor. It's probably that way everywhere. Usually, there is no middle ground since neighbors are important fixtures, in a rural community. They will help watch your property when you’re absent. They wave from their vehicles when they pass or from their lawn mowers in their yards. They call an ambulance for you and take your kindergartener into their home until you get back from the emergency room. Good neighbors also bury your nineteen-year-old cat that has crawled upon their deck to die. They rally around you when times are tough and cheer you on when good things happen. These are good neighbors.

I’ve talked to my eastern neighbors a lot this summer. There was the issue of my thirty-year-old tree needing to come down, that kept getting in the power lines and shutting off everyone’s electricity. It was an emotional issue for me, the tree. My neighbors never said that I needed to take it down, in fact they mourned the passing of the tree with me. There was the issue of limbs that fell out of that tree and damaging my eastern neighbor’s shed. This is a shed they’d just reroofed and painted a pretty shade of gray to match their house. I wanted to pay for the damage. They said no that it wasn’t that much damage. The male of the house cut up the limbs that fell on their property, before I could get someone to do it. They hauled that away plus a pile of limbs in my yard. There was the exchange of family matters, between the female and myself, on sad stuff like their kid and grandkids moving to another state. She talked about her debilitating autoimmune illness and a new treatment that is working. I talked about my being dumb and exposing myself to heat exhaustion this summer and wearing a heart monitor for thirty days.
I’ve lived near my eastern neighbors forty-one plus years. Forty here. One year at another location. My first house after marriage happened to be next door to them. After we both moved, they invited us to dinner at their new house. I even remember the menu and that I read a book (or ten) to their oldest child. I was pregnant at the time so I felt motherly, I guess. I looked out of their patio doors that day and asked about the house being built behind them. After our baby was born, we moved in.
I've lived next to my western neighbors, my daughter-in-law's parents, for the same forty years. Funny thing is that one out of each of the households graduated high school with me. To the north, there is an older couple that I absolutely adore. They moved in from CA about seventeen years ago (I think). One of their kids (with family) lives northwest to me. They are all wonderful.
I am blessed with good neighbors.

4 comments:

Pat Hatt said...

Having such great neighbors sure is a win. We have good ones on either side, but the ones in the back, nope lol

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Teresa - I thought this was going to turn into a tale of woe - but you have been so lucky with your neighbours (forgive the 'u'!!). They sound all good sorts and delightful to have around ... wonderful to have the tree logs chopped up before you got there and not to worry about the damage - nature does its thing ... but I bet everyone will be pleased that their electricity stays on!

Rural communities can be the best - yours sounds that ... cheers Hilary

Susan Kane said...

Rural communities look after each other, as you are doing here. When trees become a danger, they move on. We had six ancient towering maple trees at the farm, and all of them tumbled down, naturally or with help.

Arlee Bird said...

Good neighbors are indeed a blessing. Where I live now few neighbors seems to associate with each other. A few I recognize by sight and we'll acknowledge each other in passing, but I know few of their names. I am among the handful who actually attends neighborhood association meetings, but most neighbors here seem happy to stay within the confines of their worlds. There is a lot of racial/cultural diversity in this neighborhood so that could have something to do with it all.

I wouldn't mind having a few outstanding neighbors on whom I could consistently rely in time of need. I don't do much outreach in that respect so it will be slow in happening if it ever does.



Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out