I bake new neighbors bread to welcome them, and they never say hello to me again
Each time a new neighbor moves in I bake a loaf of bread and take it to them. They thank me at the door and then close it. That is the last I see of them other than when they go to their cars. The Federalist
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…the bread isn’t very good? :^) Just kidding!
Seriously, I lived in LA in the summers of 1994 and 1995, and found people to be actually very friendly. This went whether I was in Torrance, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, or even Compton. Sometimes surfacey, but very friendly. I once walked some mis-delivered mail a couple of blocks away and was invited in for a drink. Good pay for very marginal effort, really.
Reminds me of a joke about a guy who was moving out there and was worried about the gangs, wildfires, earthquakes, and the like, and a Californian noted that he finds a nice town with a decent school district, good neighbors, and it’s a place like any other. The man was reassured, and asked the Californian what he did for a living:
“I’m a tailgunner on a bread truck.”
So maybe she’s just in a pretty weird neighborhood—maybe one of those with walls around every yard and glass pieces embedded in the top of the wall. (no, I am not making this up—you can find that out there) I just didn’t find the whole state that way.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
She’s in her 70’s, so I’m sure that has something to do with her perspective on ‘friendliness’.
I grew up in a community where everyone knew everyone. Neighbors shared their trials and tribulations with each other, and if someone was down on his or her luck, the others came to their rescue and offered support. The USA is no longer that country. We are divided and afraid of one another.
We gift close new neighbors and they always thank us.
Our street (and that’s how I define neighbors in this post) has been stable over the last 20 years, but when new neighbors have moved in we have greeted them with a gift (typically a Home Depot gift card inside of a another card) and we have always been thanked.
Builds good relationships.
My next door neighbor is 20 years my junior and he has been particularly kind and helpful.
In our tiny town, we have excellent neighbors. They have lived there for 40 years. They let us borrow things we need (weed whackers, etc.). The other day, we were both working on our respective gardens, and he offered me 4 Brussels sprouts plants. He had bought nine, thinking they were single packs, when in fact they were four packs. He had way too much. We gave them a tray of cookies when we moved in.
[CAWatson]In our tiny town, we have excellent neighbors. They have lived there for 40 years. They let us borrow things we need (weed whackers, etc.). The other day, we were both working on our respective gardens, and he offered me 4 Brussels sprouts plants. He had bought nine, thinking they were single packs, when in fact they were four packs. He had way too much. We gave them a tray of cookies when we moved in.
Your neighbors sound like great people, but he gave you Brussels sprouts plants? That *could* be seen as a hostile act in and of itself! :) It’s my contention that that particular plant (at least in its current form) did not show up until after the fall…something good had to be cursed to end up like that.
Dave Barnhart
My neighbors: we all look out for each other an all especially look out for 91 year old widow (nxt door to me)
[Jim]My neighbors: we all look out for each other an all especially look out for 91 year old widow (nxt door to me)
I live in one of those modern suburban neighborhoods where people mostly don’t really know each other. That said, we had an elderly couple across the street from us that were looked after not only by us, but by the families on all sides of their house. That continued until the husband passed away, and the wife moved to live near her son. Generally, I really like my neighborhood, and the people are friendly, but we just don’t interact on more than a minor level with each other. Reaching out has meant that we at least are on good terms with some of our neighbors, but we are not really that close with any of them any more. Not sure if that is because of life being modern, or the fact we don’t live in a small town, so everyone’s lives here just go in different directions.
Dave Barnhart
Our neighbors in Arlington, VA are incredibly friendly, and we didn’t even have to bake them bread. It’s a rare evening from spring through fall that the street isn’t filled with kids playing and parents talking. Being a mile and a half from the Pentagon, our neighborhood is more urban than suburban. The friendliness and sense of community in the neighborhood is a nice change of pace from our neighborhood(s) in Greenville, SC. Make of that contrast what you will.
We live near WPAFB, and since families come and go every couple of years, it’s a bit more difficult for people to put themselves out there to make friends.
We get together with neighbors for block parties and some holidays—in October we make our streets a cool place for kids to go trick-or-treating, and some people even set up carnival type games in their driveways or front yards. But I wouldn’t say any of us are close friends. We are friendly acquaintances.
My husband works for an equipment rental company, so people borrow their tools. :D Need a stumpgrinder? Tiller? Skylift? Call Ken.
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