Neighbors come and go

Friday, 7:25 pm

By Kate

Jun

02

2006

While out poking around the yard this morning, my next door neighbor’s daughter came by. She and her family live up the street just a couple of houses and they are the nicest people. A little over a year ago she convinced her parents to rent the house next door to me. She wanted them to be closer as their health had been a bit precarious in the previous year. It has worked out well for everyone. Including me. Nice neighbors can never be praised enough.

Today, however, she was very sad. They also rent their house and were informed that they have until August 31 to vacate. The landlord’s oldest son just married and the landlord is presenting the house to the kids as a wedding gift. Very nice for the kids, but it surely isn’t a good development for the couple who live there now. Or for the rest of us. They’ve lived there for a few years now and the entire neighborhood loves them. Even the crankiest, crabbiest neighbor loves them and that’s saying something.

She is worried that they won’t be able to find a place nearby so that they’d still be able to keep tabs on her parents and stop by as often to do yard work and kind of keep a daily eye on things. I think she was hoping that I’d offer to keep my eye on her parents and help out with some of the yard work if they can’t. That is not a problem for me. I used to mow their front yard before they moved in—the land lord wouldn’t even mow his own grass when he lived there (grrr!). So I really don’t mind at all. Just that simple offer seemed to lift a lot of weight from the daughter’s shoulders. But I told her that I really like her parents and will be more than happy to watch out for them and let her know if anything seems amiss.

She also told me that her dad wanted me to know that I can use his power lawn mower any time that I’d like. I’d never asked him before so this was unexpected, but a very nice offer. It’ll make mowing their lawn much easier, of course. But I don’t think that was the intent. He’s just exhausted from watching me using my push mower and has remarked on that several times. ;)