David was out brush-hogging along the road when the axle on his tractor broke. I don’t want to talk about the fact that virtually every part on this tractor has been replaced since we bought it. However, looking on the bright side of things, it gave us yet another opportunity to experience the sort of neighborliness we have been blessed with out here in the country.
Keith, who lives down the road from us, is one of David’s firefighter buddies. When the axle broke, Keith brought his tractor over, towed ours back to the house, and let David use his to finish up the section he was mowing. Keith drove my Suburban back to his house and when David is through, he’ll return the tractor and get my vehicle.
We’ve lived here for almost eleven and a half years and have had so many positive experiences with neighbors. Most of us live on at least several acres and because of all the trees we can’t usually see our neighbors’ homes. It’s not like we spend a lot of time with one another but any time someone needs something, there is usually someone around who is willing to help. We’ve shared equipment with one another, helped each other round up escaped horses, and various other things throughout the years. It’s been a good place to live.
Ah, Deanna. This is one of the reasons I so long to once again live in the country.
We've had some wonderful neighbors here in Portland (and in Everett and Seattle) but many more *not* so wonderful. You'd think that with the sheer numbers of neighbors one has in the city that there would always be someone around to help out. But it seems as if that very fact keeps people from becoming more "neighborly".
I don't know if they assume that someone else will help or they are just cocooning to protect their sanity. Either way it makes for a very lonely existance — to be surrounded by people and yet not have neighbors.
That would be sad, Elisa. Later last night, David got a call from the guy who had helped him earlier. He and another firefighter were at the station working on something and needed a tool. Of course, David immediately took it to them and stayed about an hour to help them with whatever they were working on. It goes both ways…as it should.