I have neighbors for whom I’ve done various fix-it jobs, including getting their snowblower working and minor plumbing / electrical / carpentry work. In return, I find my driveway clear when it snows, and my lawn mowed when I’m away. At Christmas time I give them wooden bowls I’ve made, and typically receive cookies and other baked goods.
One of my good friends lives two doors down from us. She brings me food and I will bring her food (like the time I made too much soup and shared half with her and the time she made doughnuts and sent over a plate.) She’s my borrow a cup of sugar neighbor and my can you watch my kid while I run to the store neighbor and my I need grown up conversation neighbor.
When her babies were born early, we were the ones she called at 6 am to stay with her kids so they could go to the hospital. When she mistimed the baking of a batch of bread, she called us to see if I could go take it out of the oven for her because they had to leave. (That one cracked me up. She sent over a loaf later, of course.)
She’s my kids’ emergency contact for school and my kids know that if I’m not home when they get home from school, for whatever reason, to go to her house.
Every one else on the block we mostly get along with.
My wife and i were apparently the good neighbors in our building. We lived in a pretty big building on Mission St in San Francisco. The apartments were above a dance club. We were in apartment 101, directly above and one unit to the left of the club. There were about 40 units in the building.
One day we were talking to the manager, who lived next to us, above the club. In conversation, he said, “Thanks, by the way. You’re the only ones in the building who haven’t complained about the noise.” We were both confused. What noise?
Apparently, even though we were the second closest unit to the club, we NEVER heard noise from the club. Literally EVERY other unit complained. In other words, they were all lying bastards. Our window was always open, above the club, and the only music we got was through this window.
Frickin’ busybodies…
Joe
I was quietly amused by this sequence of events. My apartment building’s backyard faces the backyard of my neighbor. They have a bit of a junk issue - their garage is overflowing with stuff. It was a bit of an eyesore.
So, one day I glance out my window, and the neighbors have hauled most of the stuff out of the garage. It appears to be sitting in piles. “How nice” I think. “It’s spring cleaning time.”
The next day, there was a nice bamboo screen over the garage - it’s obvious the garage is just as full as it was at the beginning . I think spring cleaning was aborted. But at least they put up a screen! I give them points for trying, at least.