Great Neighbor stories

[elegantlion]

Seriously, want to hear them.

 

Ours is that a neighbor came over and mowed our lawn when we first moved here. I heard a riding lawn mower out and called dh to see if he had asked someone. Nope, our neighbor just did. He did several times last summer when our mower was in the shop. Apparently the local shop likes to keep mowers for months on end, which they did.

 

In exchange we shovel their driveway when it snows. This summer ds will mow though.

[I talk to the trees]

Our next door neighbors are a couple of retirees from the local college. (70-something and 80-something, I think.) They are fabulous! We live about 12 hours from family, and these gals have stepped in and been like grandparents to my dd. And one of them is always telling me that we're the "best neighbors ever." :blushing:

 

I read horror stories on this board about neighbor troubles, and have to stop and say a prayer of thanks that we wound up with such great neighbors!

[Jeannie in NJ]

I have a couple. Once years ago when my dc were little , one night about midnite dh had to take me to the er. We called a next door neighbor, a single woman that we were friendly with. SHe came over immediatly to watch the dc. When we got home hours later, her and our dc were sound asleep on our sofa (the dc had woken up when we left and had come downstairs to stay with her.)

 

Also our neighbor across the street always shovels the sidewalk in front of our house and neighbors houses. He says he loves the exercise!!

 

Last one, the wetlands is behind our house and every year when the diamondback turtles leave the wetlands to cross our street to get to areas to bury their eggs, all the neighbors come out to watch.

 

One more, during snow storms, we all help shovel out cars.

[TheReader]

Oh, I have some for this one!!

 

We had to evacuate once for a hurricane (this was in Texas) and our neighbors next door were both mandatory personnel at work and had to stay (husband/wife; he drove oil tankers that filled up gas stations; she was a nurse at the local emergency clinic). They promised to keep an eye on things while we were gone.

 

Fast forward several hours, and DH's sister is stuck in massive traffic (this was hurricane Rita, any Texans who remember the evac fiasco that was for folks leaving the Houston area....) so we guided her down back roads using our atlas and cell phones, and told her to stop at our place. We'd left water, another atlas, etc. so she could stock up, rest, etc. She had a newborn plus her dogs with her.

 

Well, our neighbor sees this random car stop at our house and go looking for a key. He walks over, stops her, got between her and the door and asked who she was. He made her call us so he could verify.

 

She was freaked out at first, grateful later. We laughed and were grateful. I still love that story and miss having neighbors like that.

[TheReader]

weird double post

[laundrycrisis]

I think DH and I are pretty good neighbors. When it snows overnight, he clears the snow from the driveways on either side of us because one house doesn't have a snowblower and the DH is often deployed on the other side. This spring/summer I am cutting the grass in the front yard adjoining ours because the DH is deployed, and the mom works full time and has a baby and a toddler - her hands are very full and I have the time and don't mind at all. I don't do her back yard because of their dog.

 

When I was single and renting a house in TX, the man next door saw a dead squirrel in my yard and disposed of it for me. I appreciated that !

 

When DH and I were living in our first house, the lady across the street was super nice. When she found out I was pregnant with DS1, she loaned me some books with candid birth pictures and her own pregnancy journal to read so I could get information that wasn't that easy to find. And when DS1 was really little and DH and I both had a very bad case of stomach flu, we called her and she went to the store to get us Gatorade, ramen, and the food for the BRAT diet. That meant an awful lot to us because we don't have a local family to call. And when DS1 needed to move into a smaller daycare for health reasons, she recommended the lady she had used and we ended up having him go there until I could quit.

Edited May 21, 2012 by laundrycrisis

[ChristusG]

We moved in next door to the pastor who married us 12 years ago! He, his wife, and 4 children (who are grown now) are very nice. We've lived next door to them for about 8 years now.

[~Tara~]

Years ago, back when I only had 2 or 3 kids, we had a 'mowing neighbor' too. He was an early retiree who loved doing yard work. My husband was working every daylight hour he could just to make ends meet, to keep food on the table and the roof over our head. My husband would sometimes work Saturdays as well, but if he didn't, he really did not want to mow the yard, he wanted to spend it with us and extended family. But...he would mow...just often waiting for as long as he possibly could before doing so.

 

The neighbor, as I said, loved doing yard work. He was quite regular in his mowing schedule. One day I looked out the back window as the mowing sounded closer than usual...he was mowing our yard, happily. I baked him some cookies. Turns out, I baked his very favorite kind. So, I regularly made a plate of cookies for him and his wife during mowing season, and again over the holidays.

 

He would chat with us and even let us know he'd be mowing the next day 'so, don't worry about the yard' :)

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I love my neighbors (well, most of them!) I have keys to three houses on the street, and two other families have keys to our house. When my dad died, my neighbors were the ones who brought us meals and shoveled our driveway for the next month because we were spending so much time with my mom. One neighbor has ALS and we all help him by running errands, working around his house, and doing whatever we can for him. (And that's just my street, there are a lot of other great people in the neighborhood that we are friends with also.)

[Spy Car]

I have very good neighbors all around. But here is the story of neighbor B. who helped me out the other day.

 

Neighbor B. is a little bit eccentric (who isn't :D), but has a heart of gold. He is always one to help a neighbor. So the other day he saw me out washing my late mother-in-laws car, which we were hoping to sell later that day to a man who was driving up all the way from San Diego to look at the car.

 

I got the red convertible looking pretty spiffy (and clean), the only thing that did not look great were the colored plastic pieces of the car (like the bumpers, lower side-panels, and some trim. These looked faded and tired. So Brian says, "I just got something that will fix that." So he goes home and fetches some spray-on car product and pretty soon the plastic bits are coming back to life.

 

It seems like he's ready to treat the whole car, so I say at least let me do the work. So we shoot the breeze while faded pieces transform themselves.

 

Two hours later we sell the car for the asking price :D

 

Bill

[MariannNOVA]

Oh......you mean stories about good things they have done.

 

 

forget that story, then. But two weeks ago here in the new house, andf we truly have no neighbors per se -- our dog got out the front door and took off (hounds do that) toward the sound of fireworks coming from mt vernon. DS took off after him and people who were really just around walking their dogs, kids playhing in the road, etc, all ran with ds and about 3/4 of a mile up the road, they caught him.

 

Someone stopped in their car who lives about 1/4 mile from us, had a leash and collar in his car and told us to just leave it in our mailbox and he would pick it up later.

 

THAT is my good neighbor story!!!!!:D

[kewb]

One of our neighbors is a great guy. When our breaker box fell he came over and checked it out to make sure it wasn't a fire hazard (He is a fire chief) and helped dh put it back up. This same neighbor will also snow blow our walk when there is a lot of snow and he will dig out the fire hydrant with it. I bake him cookies in return.

[Sarah CB]

We have the best neighbours ever. They have horses and taught dd how to ride. They came to the boys' Christmas play. They've helped fix our vehicles. We usually spend one evening a week with them having dinner or just talking. They look after our cats when we're away. We try really hard to reciprocate - I take baking over when we've baked something, dh helps them with their computer issues, and dd helped with the horse care when she was riding. Oh, they also do a big Easter egg hunt for my kids each year.

 

They're really nice and I love having neighbours who are close enough to pop over to chat anytime.

 

The crazy guy on the other side of us is another story...

[Dolphin]

We have been lucky in both homes.

 

When we lived in the UK our neighbors son was feeding our cats while we spent Christmas with my family in the states. DS was 6 months old at the time, and we were gone for over 3 weeks. The mom used her son's key to our house and cleaned the house (except our bedroom, which I really appreciated, nice but respecting privacy) and bought us milk, cheese, and bread. AND, she had dinner in the fridge for us to microwave.

 

Here, we have one neighbor who keeps to themselves, but everyone else knows each other. During the last snow storm all the dads were our with shovels and cleared not just their own driveways, but the entire cul du sac.

 

We all move into the front on 4th of July when it gets dark and set off and clean up our fireworks together.

 

I wrote on the other post, we are the ones with the retired couple across the way who put their garage door up and dance together in the evenings

 

ETA: Thanks for posting this thread. It is nice to focus on the positive, even though the nuttiness is fun to read about.

[Remudamom]

While we were growing up we had neighbors on both sides that were as dear as grandparents to us.

 

The lovely young couple that rented one of the farm houses were great neighbors. She was a math teacher that helped us when we had trouble and her dh took the boys fishing.

 

Plus AnotherLinda was our neighbor for a while. The best.

[BigMamaBird]

We just moved into our home last October so we haven't met everyone yet. But so far all our neighbors are terrific. Most of the homes are owned by their original owners so the majority of the people around here are of retirement age, there is a great family with two little boys across the street who have been nice so far. Everyone around her walks or bikes . . . a lot! So we're constantly waving to folks and having them come up and introduce themselves. One lady even made us a pie when we moved in. The gentleman two doors down used to be the landscape manager for a State College so he's been down a few times to offer his help when dh is outside doing projects. And there's a cop acrss the street so that adds to a feeling of security, you know he won't let any nonsense go unchecked.

 

Overall, we feel incredibly blessed!

[myfunnybunch]

Our neighbors to the south have a pool and share it. They have a fig tree and share those too. They tossed (gently) our chicken over the fence when she got out. They are happy to be an emergency help for our exchange students if we are not available. They like my kids, and we like theirs.

 

Our neighbor to the north is elderly and sweet and asks me to send the boys over any time. She gives them sugar-free candy and loves them.

 

Cat

[acablue]

We have great neighbors all around.

 

One empty-nester gave Molly a huge box of her daughter's old dress-up clothes and sometimes drops by with an outfit for her that was "too cute to leave in the store". She also lets the kids walk her dog with her if we're outside when she goes by and brings little gifts for birthdays and holidays.

 

A family that has four teenagers and lives two doors down regularly invites anyone they see outside during the day over for a barbecue in the evening. Their kids are all really sweet and willing to include ours in what they're doing.

 

When we brought each of our kids home (they're all adopted), all of our neighbors were really excited and supportive. Several brought over gifts even though we didn't have showers, and even more brought food for us.

[fraidycat]

We were surrounded by awesome neighbors when we lived in MN.

 

When we first moved in, the neighbors from directly across the street came over to introduce themselves and brought homemade cookies and always stopped for a chat when we happened to be outside.

 

The neighbors directly next door always let our kids come over to play with their young son in their yard whenever they wanted.

 

Next door to them, the neighbor lent us a ladder and tools and helped out whenever he saw us outside working on something (like getting the mower running, etc.)

 

Across the street, another lady invited me to come over to a weekly quilting/chat group and even though they were retired/empty nesters they invited me to bring DS along, too.

 

Next door to them the family always brought a plate of fresh baked goods and Xmas cards. They also had an open back yard with a swingset that my kids were invited to use and play on whenever they wanted (whether they were home or not, but I only let them go when their kids were there to play with).

 

The quilting group host was also the couple who arranged and hosted potluck block parties for every summer.

 

Every neighbor was good for a chat when we happened to meet outside while walking the dogs, or out in our yard when they walked by .I wish I could have moved the neighbors with me when we moved.

[cjgrubbs]

One of my neighbors watched my 9 week old son for 3 weeks from 7 until 2 each weekday so I could wait until he was 12 weeks old before placing him in "school". We really have had great neighbors! When a truck crashed into our house 10 years ago (freak accident) one neighbor drove took care of our son, others took over our cats and one drove me to hospital (DH went in ambulance). We lived with one neighbor for 3 months while the house was being fixed!

[Karen in CO]

My neighbor dresses as Santa on Christmas eve and brings toys to the kids in the neighborhood.

 

Most of the neighbors on the cul-de-sac will shovel your snow if they can. If it snows while my neighbor is at work, I'll shovel her driveway, so she doesn't drive over it on the way into the garage. We all usually pitch in to shovel for the eldery couple at the end although I've seen the gentleman in that house shoveling my sidewalk.

 

The day my youngest ran headfirst into the corner of a table in the garage and was screaming and bleeding, my neighbor got to her faster than I could. He already had a cloth catching the blood and was hugging her tightly by the time made it from the kitchen to the back door. I had just stepped in to refill her water bottle, and she was running out to her bike.

 

One of my neighbors makes peach jelly and crab apple jelly and shares it with us.

 

Most of my neighbors are people. Good people who try to be good neighbors to make living in the same space a little more pleasant.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Karen in CO

[Lara in Colo]

I have a great neighborhood. This last winter, when we got 22 inches of snow, someone I didn't see plowed the back half of my driveway, then later (after I dug out the van, he came back and finished the job!! Saved me hours of work (he had an earthmover thing).

 

My next door neighbor loves my children, she watches them whenever I ask, she always asks me if I need anything before she goes to the store (so do I, for her)--I shop on Sunday, she shops on Thursday-- great for both of us!

 

She also helps me to homeschool the children. They really love her and will do stuff for her that they fight me for. DD2 hated to write in the 2nd grade, so I would send her to S's house and the paper would be written.

I have a struggling reader right now and she goes next door and reads for 1/2 hour every day.

She is teaching the girls to sew and make dolls.

They usually invite us to their cabin sometime in the summer for a long weekend.

Yeah, love my neighbors!

 

Lara

[DawnM]

We had a 96 foot tall oak fall down and block our entire driveway between the road and the cars.

 

FOUR neighbors came over with chain saws and helped us chop that thing up and stack the wood.

 

Dawn

[elegantlion]

Most of my neighbors are people. Good people who try to be good neighbors to make living in the same space a little more pleasant.

 

And isn't this the point after all. Great stories, keep 'em coming.

[whitestavern]

Our neighbors are the former owners of our home. They purchased it, put a ton of money and work and love into fixing it up (it's over 250 years old) and then carved off some property and moved another old home onto that, which is where they presently live. They are salt of the earth. They mow our lawn when we're away, plow our driveway if we haven't gotten to it or are away. They watch our chickens and have watered our garden when we travel as well. We try to do the same for them, but they go away infrequently so we can't help out as much in that regard. We do help them by letting them borrow any of our tools, equipment, etc., lending them our truck when they need it, giving a hand on big projects they're working on, bringing over baked goods, and assisting with computer issues. Our kids go over and rake, shovel, help them clean, etc. We could not ask for better neighbors.

[joannqn]

We have some awesome neighbors in this house, but one is super awesome. He's a fireman who works three days on and four days off, so he's home a lot. He had two teen boys that live with him on his days off.

 

The property management we were renting through contacted the owner to see if they could steal him away from the property management he was using. They had possible renters: us. They suggested we drive by and see if we might be interested. Well, I had been driving in the area so I drove by. J was outside so I stopped to ask him about the neighborhood. He opened the back gate and took us on a tour via the windows. LOL He was so nice.

 

Shortly after we moved in, another neighbor used their blower to clear our driveway of the fir needles. J did it the next time. We finally have one now. He also helped us clear up the storm debris, cutting up the bigger pieces into firewood, and taking the rest to the dump in his truck. He and I also helped a single older lady on the street with the same task. He's also lent us tools a couple of times and helped me trim a tree just today.

 

He loves having kids in the neighborhood again. He lets ours play his pinball machine. He had a remote control airplane the kids like to watch in fly; he says we can all go over to the park one day and the kids can try it where there are fewer trees. He lent the kids two airsoft pistols and target. He's talking about taking us out on the lake in his boat when the summer warms up.

 

There's not much we have to offer in return. DH helped him with a computer issue and I send over baked desserts a couple times a month. When we had our loaner telescope out on a clear night, we called them out to take a look at Venus, Mars, and Saturn.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We have great neighbors also. Most are just quiet, unproblematic people who wave, say hi and bring over cookies at Christmas time. One neighbor helped us dig out our car last winter when it got stuck in a snow drift. Another neighbor helped pry my leg out of the rotting deck when one leg went crashing through a couple of years ago.

 

Our Chinese neighbors, though are esp. wonderful. They have helped us with yard work and always bring gifts for the children if they go out of town. They've also invited us to dinners over the years and we had them over for Christmas one year. We try to be good neighbors back. I am now in the middle of a 2 year stint as their property manager while they are out of the country. I get paid a small fee for it but really, would do it because they are great people.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Jean in Newcastle

[Renee in NC]

Our new neighbor here came over and introduced himself when we first moved in. He's an ex-Marine, and wanted to let us know that he had a pistol range in his backyard. I told him I didn't care because unlike my last abode, I wouldn't be afraid that he was shooting at people!:lol:

 

Seriously, I have had the neighbor from h*ll, so anyone who leaves me alone and isn't running up and down the street screaming at her kids is good for me!

[Desert Rat]

Our neighbor is the best! He's a plumber and we try so hard not to take advantage of him. He came over a few weeks ago to change out the outside spigots in the front and back. We trade services often usually I clean his house for bigger jobs. But this job he had said he'd do for free. The spigots were over 30 years old and it was time. While he was doing that, he realized the main had a pinhole leak. He took the next 2 hours changing it out. I could tell he was a little pissed about it because it was his day off. He never asked for a dime! We gave him a good amount of money and I baked cookies for him later that day. He was so grateful because he had agreed to do the job for free and didn't feel right negotiating for money even when the job got more complicated. He's a gem!

[annlaura]

The lady 2 doors down is a wonderful neighbor all around. As a specific example, she has come to knock so we move our cars for street cleaning so we don't get a ticket. She also has a lovely little granddaughter who is about the same age as DS5. They've known each other since infancy, and while not close, are always happy to see each other and play together.

 

Our next door neighbors on the other side are also very nice. The men will park down the street or across the street to make sure I don't have to with the littles. Our yard is fenced, so they don't mow our yard, but both of us (well, DH and them) always mow all of the grass between the sidewalk and street for both properties. Now the grown daughter and her little daughter are living there permanently. Initially there was some awkwardness, but now the kids play together frequently and happily.

 

The next neighbor made multiple baby blankets for both boys, and is also friendly. There is a man from the village who comes to mow for them in the summer, and shovel in the winter. He is there as a service for seniors, but will shovel the sidewalk all the way up past our gate.

 

Generally our block is very nice without being particularly outgoing/social. We don't hold block parties or anything, but all get along and respect one another. Which is just my speed, so we're quite lucky.

[IlluminatedAttic]

Last autumn when the big east coast storms hit we lost power for eight days. We had decided to replace our very old woodstove with a pellet stove and were waiting for it to be installed the week the storm hit, so we had no wood. Our neighbors let us use all the wood we needed from their stack to heat our house and allow me to be able to do a little cooking. They are great neighbors overall and we both try to help each other out when we can, but this was a huge help during a stressful time!

[MrsJewelsRae]

We are pretty tight with our neighbors, they are wonderful! We live in the country, when we first moved in here I took the kids for a walk and the lady next door (1/2 km down the road) invited us in for lunch! That never happened in the city. They farm and in harvest every year as he drives his tractor past our house he stops and hands me a few bags of whatever he's brought in from the fields- potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, etc, etc! We atop in at wach others houses for coffee from time to time. Most of their grandchildren are homeschooling, so they're very supportive. Both our neighbors are older than our parents and they have been so kind to us. I like to think I'm a good neighbor too, when the farmers wife fell down the stairs and broke both her ankles last year I was there the next day with muffins and a meal. I kept up a steady supply of movies and magazines to keep her from going stir crazy. People really look out for each other around here, it warms my heart.