Being Neighborly?

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I can see about 8 houses from my front porch. One neighbor is my bf's high school buddy we hang out with regularly. Girl on the other side went to school with me but I don't see her much. I smile and wave when I do, though. 2 houses down works where I do so know her and her family. Those are the only few people out of all of those houses I'd ever recognize.

I wonder if it is a sign of the times. My parents live on a cove with maybe 11 houses on it and we used to know everyone in the neighborhood as I was growing up. As time passed some moved out and new folks came in so much that ony their 2 original neighbors still live on the cove. Today we just so happened to run across a guy that used to live a couple houses down like 15 years ago and my dad mentioned to him that they haven't met any of the newer residents. Odd thing was, the guy we saw today wasn't really sociable when he lived there.

[Karen]

I grew up in a smaller town. We all knew each other's names, and families, and there were lots of kids. Now we live in a big city, but in a neighborhood that doesn't feel very city-like. I find that if you want to know your neighbors, you have to put yourself out there. After we bought this house, which Aunt Bertha owned before us, every time I would drive down the street, I would wave to people. I introduced myself to anyone who walked by. I talked to the children, and when we got Miss Hoppy, introduced her around. Now 12+ years later, everyone still waves back, and I know most people by sight, even if I don't know all their first and last names.

And the kids next door all know me well, and in fact,, I have lent their mom sugar, and before they passed away, the elderly couple on the other side made peanut butter fudge for me one time when I shoveled their walk after a bad storm.

Time to be proactive! Take a walk some nice autumn day, and go to the house with the little kids and introduce yourself and Lydia, and ask their names, it cannot hurt!

[chocolatepuppy]

We are close with our neighbors with exception of a guy who wants to be left alone behind us. As far as all around the neighboorhood, I got to know a lot of people, some by names, some not, by walking. I even know many of the dogs. We are lucky that our few close neighbors are the same ones who have lived here since we moved in 15 years ago. The closest house to us is currently empty while the new owners fix it up. Only time will tell how things go when a new neighbor moves in.

[AdoreMyDogs]

I'm friendly with many of my neighbors, in fact, the woman who lives 3 doors down has a boy who's just a couple months younger then Quinn and we hang out all the time. I go over to her house (she has a MUCH bigger play area in her house then I do) sometimes 4-5 times a week to let the kids play and we chat. We also take walks together once or twice a week. I just adore her, she's wonderful. Our next door neighbors are so wonderful and we're friendly with each other, we borrow stuff from them and they borrow stuff from us, but their kids are older so they don't play too much. Quinn LOVES the girl that lives next door though, even though she's 6 years older then Quinn. The 3 kids that live next door are just adorable and so, so sweet and polite. The neighborhood I grew up in was so friendly we knew every single person, their dogs names, their kids names, and had block parties every year (they still have them, my mom still lives there). I miss that, but I'm just glad to be friendly with even just a few neighbors.

[sparks19]

Our old neighbors on the one side we became VERY good friends with and spent a lot of time with them. we still keep in touch now that they have moved to a bigger home across town.


The guy on the other side of us is also very friendly and him and Brian get along very well since they both hunt. they just exchanged numbers the other day and are going hunting together... so cute

the NEW neighbors that moved into our friends house are... a pain and act really suspicious lol. I went over to as if I could use the phone one day when I blew a fuse in the house and needed Brians help (vonage doesn't work when the power is out) and she wouldn't open the door more than 6 inches then closed it went and got the phone and opened the door just enough to slip the phone out etc etc and didn't say a WORD to me. made me wonder what kind of drugs they had out when i dropped by lol

there is an older woman who baby sits her grandkids across the street a couple doors down and she is very sweet and chats me up anytime i see her. the guy directly across from us we always exchange waves and hellos.

and the other couple directly across from us did send their daughter over to let us know we left the interior light on in the car.

overall... it's a very pleasant community and while we aren't on first name basis with most of our neighbors we are friendly with them and they do look out for the other homes on the street

[kokopup]

I live on 20 acres in the country and all my neighbors live on acreage also. i know all of my neighbors within a 1/2 mile of my house and we are friends and visit each other on occasion. We had a Christmas open house for years up until I got sick. I would say where I live today is much like the community I grew up in as a kid, Close knit and caring.