The Neighborhood Where I Live

I live in the best neighborhood in the world.  I know you hear that a lot from me, but I honestly think I do.  Have you thought about your neighborhood, lately?  What do people do for each other?  What happens when there is an emergency?  My neighborhood has a couple who are now recovering from a COVID spell.  Fortunately, their confinement has not been too difficult.  Next door neighbors brought groceries, snowplowed the sidewalk after a snow; in general, were long distance caregivers.  Because I’m eighty -three now, my job was to stay away, when I got home from Wisconsin – even though I did offer assistance that I would be able to provide long distance.

Now, Greta and Kyle have been exposed and found to be positive.  School, you know.

You know that I spent all of December 2021 in Wisconsin.  While I was gone, my neighbors checked on and took care of my house and property.  And, this neighborhood does not include only people who live on my block.  Also helping was Keith (Handyman) who lives a short drive away.  Keith (neighbor) and Rita helped with pushing mail into the house.  Keith did a walk-through the house to be sure that all seemed well.  Keith (HM) parked his truck in my driveway for the appearance that someone was at the house.  And, he, too, did walk-throughs of the house.  He looked at different things than Keith (neighbor); he remembered a place in the basement bathroom when he was working on it earlier in the year that looked suspicious at that time.  And, there it was (even with the house water turned off), clear evidence that something had been dripping from the bathroom, immediately above the basement bathroom into the ceiling space.  And, because it took longer for me to get home from Wisconsin (weather, as it was), he had time to repair the problem.  Neighbors take care of each other.

From our first snowstorm of the year, Keith has not allowed me to use my wonderful, electric snow blower.  The morning after each snowstorm, I receive a call from neighbor Keith.  He asks if I am home and in the house.  Yes.  “Stay there,” he says.  “I’ll be over, soon.”  True to his word, he arrives and starts the snow blower and cleans the driveway and sidewalks.  All I have to do is be sure the batteries are recharged for their next use.  And, when I’m out on the snow for some reason, Rita walks with me.

This last snowstorm, both Keith and Trevor used snow blowers cleaning everyone’s sidewalks.

Kyle and Greta helped their mom and dad push the mail that arrived at my house all the way through the wall mail slot to drop into the waiting box, inside of the closet.  Of course, relatives are part of our neighborhood.  Daughter #1 also spent time attending to my house.  She made sure that the mail that had been pushed through my wall mail opening and fell into the waiting box was really what I would have wanted to read.  Catalogs, etc., could be stacked in a different place.

Dogs are also part of our neighborhood.  I am given the privilege of having Katie the Border Collie, who lives with Keith and Rita across the street¸ come to visit on a regular basis.  She and Lady Patricia seem to be good friends and get along well.  Although Katie is the alpha in her natural habitat when she herded sheep, she allows Lady (my small schnauzer) to take away her bones and, in general, be an occasional bully toward her.  But, in my house, everyone knows that I’m in charge, and, I think that makes me the alpha.  So, they do what I ask.  Occasionally, Greta comes to my house.  She loves to hold Lady Patricia, who loves being held.  I think she would hold her all day if she (or I) had the time.

Sometimes, I think about how far my “neighborhood” extends.  Is neighborhood a location?  Is it all of the people that I interact with?  Like the members of the clubs and organizations I belong to and for whom I take the minutes?  The friends in those organizations?  Staff in the restaurants where I pick up food?  The grocery stores?  The nonagenarian (Kathie) to whom I send fancy cards every month?  Are these folks part of my neighborhood?  I think so.

It is so good to live a wonderful and safe neighborhood.  Have you thought about your neighborhood, lately?  What do people do for each other?  What part have you played in all of that?

Be safe and be well.

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.