<p>We moved here 9 years ago from CA to rural NC. BEST MOVE EVER! (in-state undergrad and grad HUGE plus!)</p>
<p>10 houses on a dead end street. We have all been here for 9 years. No one has moved out, same group. 7 new babies since we moved in. My 5 graduated high school and college. Some have attended my kiddos sporting events (state championships), graduations (kiddos were val) and are always waiting for them to come home from their various adventures.</p>
<p>Range in ages from 2 retired couples, 2 empty nesters (that’s me) and a bunch of little ones. 3 couples are the god parents to the other families’ kiddos. I have watched 3 sets of the kiddos when they were little and the newest addition is my daily companion. He is my latest protege, 20 months and stinkin’ smart. His mom is in law enforcement and dad is deployed often so we are constant buddies. There are 10 boys and 4 little girls on the street not including my 5.</p>
<p>They all play in my yard (longest, flatest) and do wheelies in my driveway. Everyone elses driveway is at an inlcine, too hard to play football, skate or play basketball. </p>
<p>We seriously don’t lock our doors and stop by whenever. Pig pickin’ every year (mayor attends), HUGE halloween bash and every house is lit up at Christmas. One neighbor is Jewish and the whole house is blue and white flashing, seizure inducing. Most go on vacation together (seriously), attend sporting events out of town together, and all attend local high school football games on Friday nights.</p>
<p>The only way I am leaving is in a pine box.</p>
<p>Who has time to know your neighbors? If we talk once in several years, it is pretty amazing, otherwise, good luck catching me at home, does not happen very often, you need to make an appointment, call ahead or nobody will be there to open the door.</p>
<p>We have great neighbors! Nothing like a few calamities to throw folks together. We have all depended on each other with evacuations and emergencies such as massive wild fires, 6.2 earthquakes, 90 MPH winds, and unauthorized “parents not at home” teen parties (all within the last twenty years). Locusts and plagues of frogs? Bring it on.</p>
<p>We had great neighbors in our first place, we didn’t really know the neighbors on either side, but we lived on a short dead end road ( only about six houses) and the neighbors across from our driveway ( our house had a huge hedge around the perimeter so they were the only ones we could see), were a retired couple who were very friendly.</p>
<p>Now, we have lived in a city neighborhood for almost 30 years, and the older retired couples who were here when we moved in, have passed :(, and young families with a smattering of singles who rent rooms, have taken their place.</p>
<p>We are one of the older couples, now.
Which is a strange realization when young parents bring their kids over to see things in my yard or to bring us eggs from their chickens.</p>
<p>I like being able to live in the same house our kids grew up in, but I am astounded at how fast others kids are growing up! </p>
<p>Miami, saying hi and chatting a bit takes less time than keeping up with CC. Certainly less than posting. But we all have our own priorities. </p>
<p>I always think of my parents. Divorced, my dad lived in a house, in AZ, then my mom moved in after my dad moved overseas while my brother finished HS. My dad always said, typical suburb, no one knows the neighbors. My mom met them all, became close to several, and there were always hellos and chats at the start of every walk. One was instrumental in getting my brother his first professional job. </p>
<p>My neighborhood is outstanding, potlucks, meetings, parties. They always have my back, my key, a cup of something, a few eggs from their chickens. </p>
<p>Yes, EK, that feeling of being the empty next oldster, while you watching the toddlers become elementary school students makes the passage of time become a little too apparent.</p>
<p>^Saying Hi to who, an empty street? I do not think that any of my hneighbors would appreciate me knocking on a door at some wee hours to say Hi.</p>
<p>Ditto on the wonderful neighbors … 10 years ago we decided to remodel rather than move because we didn’t want to risk lowering the quality of neighbors that we have. Cheers to great neighbors that make our lives better!</p>
<p>I love my own neighbors who are great but am really grateful for my parent’s neighbors. They make MY life easier! My parents are elderly (almost 90) and their neighbors regularly check in on them and bring them food, offer help (driving, shopping). Some are regular care-givers (doctors, nurses) so maybe they have an extra gene or two, but over-all are just really caring people who look out for others. I really thank God for them.</p>
<p>We have one neighbor who, five years ago, organized a martini party for a small group of his then-neighbors. Five years later, the party has morphed into a once-monthly (first Monday of the month) gathering of neighbors (about fifty houses participate) where everyone gets slightly (sometimes more than slightly) tipsy and shares food and gossip. We have an email invitation list (that occasionally gets used for other things). New people get invited when they move in to the neighborhood. We rotate who hosts. </p>
<p>So yes, I have great neighbors, and yes, I know most of them. And yes, I’m deeply grateful to the neighbor who started it.</p>
<p>I have some wonderful neighbors who have become good friends. One used his chain saw to cut up a tree (that had come down in the hurricane) for me – just asked, then went ahead and did it. My H is out of town a lot so that was really nice.</p>
<p>My son shoveled their driveway when we had a snow storm on the day before they were due back from a trip. Had my son not done that, they would not have been able to get to their garage or house without going through knee-deep snow. They then put together a nice dinner party to thank our family.</p>
<p>I often cat sit for their very people-dependent cat.
We sometimes share excess produce.
We take pictures at each others’ kids’ grad parties so the hosts do not have to worry about doing that.
We lend each other books.</p>
<p>Another neighbor and I walk regularly. It is both exercise for us and therapy. We always have things to share.</p>
<p>But I know that these neighbors will not be retiring in place, that they will at some point move on, so it does not make sense for me to stay because of them. :(</p>
<p>We have some good, some not-so-good, and some GREAT neighbors. It wasn’t readily apparent to me who was in which group until after H had major emergency surgery this spring. The great neighbors sprang into action to help out in any way. I couldn’t have gotten through the summer without them.</p>
<p>My husband is a gadget guy. He has a chainsaw , snow plow attachment on a quad and lots of other stuff to deal with things that need attention. He has been known to cut down trees that have fallen and plow people out. Ever since we moved to our neighborhood, the Christmas party has been here because I am okay with a crowd and can put something together without getting stressed out like other neighbors do. My great neighbors are the ones who show appreciation in ways I love. One has a farm and knows I love to cook…the man supplies me with things from April to December. He is very good to us and since he brings me a bounty, I make him soups that he loves and I stock his freezer. Also, I have a neighbor whose husband is a dr. He gives me samples of my expensive asthma meds and my husband takes care of things for his children that he isn’t handy with. I also hide their kid’s Christmas gifts. It’s so nice to have some people that you can rely on and they you</p>
<p>Also have great neighbors. One set that used to live next door moved out of state but are now back, and live about 5 minutes away. I think we see them more now than when they lived next door!</p>
<p>pig pickin’- roasting a whole pig and when its done you “pick” at the meat to eat, best part is the bacon…along with eastern Carolina bbq sauce, 2 kegs, jello shots, a huge water slide for the kiddos and tipsy parents and the local pd blocking the beginning of the street not allowing anyone out who had been drinking, just sends them back down to the end of the street! and they get sent for more ice with a nice plate of pig in return!!</p>
<p>We are also among the lucky ones with great neighbors! While we don’t necessarily spend a lot of time socializing, we all support one another, respect one another, and actually enjoy one another. Some of our kids have grown up together and they still connect when they can, even though everyone is in a different city now.</p>
<p>^Most on my street use cut grass service and some (we do) use the same people for snow removal. So convinient. One time we came from 2 week vacation and our driveway was done. It was very welcoming feeling of coming home that has been taken care in our abcense.</p>
<p>Our neighbors are fabulous! Everyone on our small street pitches in to help when needed. We get together socially but not too often. I’m looking forward to our annual Christmas eve singalong…hmmm…maybe I should host it this year.</p>
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