The "who has cool neighbors" thread

niangelo · 09-12-2009, 10:38 PM

Everyone has crappy neighbors. This is not a thread to vent about your binge-drinking wife-beating ex-con neighbor who sets off fireworks in his living room at the adjoining wall to your bedroom at 2 am.

Nope, this is about good neighbors. I'll start.

My neighbor, Craig, from two doors down has three kids - a13 year old boy, and two girls, 12 and 10. I walked over to his house with my 1 year-old and three year-old today to deliver him some leftover kale from our garden to feed to his kid's rabbits... and what happened is pretty much what happens every time I come over.

I chat with him for a few minutes, and his kids slowly file out of the house and just start hanging around us while we talk (instead of playing video games, or texting, or sitting sullenly with an ipod plugged into their brains). Then one of the girls will take my 1 year-old daughter and start playing with her. Then his son will take my 3 year-old boy, and show him the rabbits and the koi pond, the trampoline and the toy trucks. Pretty soon they're running around the back yard with my kids, entertaining them and playing games with them while I chat with Craig. He's got pretty much the coolest kids.

At the start of the summer he dropped off his kid's old swing set that they're outgrown because he knew my kids would be getting old enough to use it - not before, however, he stripped the worn plastic covers off the swing chains and replaced the broken bench swing with a new plank of wood.

An all-around cool neighbor.

jthomas1600 · 09-12-2009, 11:33 PM

Our next door neighbor is our family doctor. It's a little weird for me because it's a little weird to have a female doctor in the first place. I mean, the neighbor lady has seen me naked. But they are great neighbors. They had us over last week for burgers and board games. Her husband is great and they have kids about the same age as our kids. They are really our only "neighbors" as we live on several acre plots where we live and the plot on the other side of us is vacant.

Kentl · 09-12-2009, 11:42 PM

My landlords are next door they are not only that they are also now my godfather and mother
They let us stay and others for nothing in till we got back on our feet you cant get better then that

OiBoyz · 09-13-2009, 12:12 AM

I used to have a dog that stole firewood from the neighbor. Every few days I'd gather up the stolen loot and return it. Luckily, he liked my dog, and thought it was funny.

My current neighbor, Richard, insists that I cut his roses and take to my mom.

***Art*** · 09-13-2009, 02:53 AM

I have some mildly amusing anecdotes, but no seriously great neighbors. Ohh! One. Once.

A guy built a house for a bed and breakfast. It kind of ruined our views of the lake, but it was okay, because we are not bitter people.

Anyhow, he would hire me to come over and do stuff like snowblow and shovel, because he was old and I was not. He would always pay me $10 an hour, and give me a big tip. I was in high school. That's big money.

I was also his lawn tech. He went to Mexico for a while, and I took care of his watering and cutting needs. I was paid very handsomely.

The point is, he was a very nice man. My oldest brother had his wedding reception on this guy's lawn (which I had beautifully manicured), and he didn't charge for it or anything. Just a really incredible guy.

Gwenny · 09-13-2009, 12:45 PM

My neighbor growing up was my grandparents. So yeah cool neighbors who gave us food nearly ever day, let us watch their tv, bought us things... I don't wish to associate with any of my neighbors here.

MyChainsAreGone · 09-13-2009, 02:42 PM

My current neighbor is my uncle, but hes moving.

I really don't have any other neighbors around but back at my old house, we had this guy who was super nice, back then I was like 10 but anyways if me and some other kids in the neighborhood where playing basketball he would bring us icecream or stuff like that, and he was always friendly when we walked by, apparently he went to my church as well. But he passed away about a year before we left, from liver disease ( He was an alcoholic ).

rfclef · 09-13-2009, 04:06 PM

When my ex and I moved to Houston, expecting first kid, lady at church let us rent a house from her next door to her for $200 a month (in Houston... that's nothing!). The previous renters had trashed the place... We re-painted, tiled the floors, re-did the bathroom, new carpet, all at our expense (she was elderly, could not afford to fix the place) but still came out ahead... She was also an ex-emt and was as loving and caring a neighbor as you could ever want. We delivered our daughter at home, and whe was there with us to call the EMPTs when things went south (everyone is OK now). Plus, she would make the best jalepeno, bacon, and cream cheese poppers and bring them over...

**MtlMom** · 09-13-2009, 05:43 PM

We have had so many wonderful neighbors. The family that lives just south of us watches our house while we are on vacation, feeds the animals, collects the paper, etc.

One time we got a call on the cell phone while we were in the Library of Congress in Washington DC. It was our neighbor, Lisa, telling us that our sprinklers had been running for the past 3 days, apparently a storm had messed up the electric timer. We told her how to break into our house, and she arranged to have someone come over and shut off our sprinkler system.

Demon_Hunter · 09-20-2009, 08:18 PM

An elderly woman used to live next door to us. She was one of the first friends my parents made in this area when they first moved in about 28 years ago. Me and my brother practically grew up playing in her back yard, and helping her take care of her lawn when she needed help.

She always gave me and my bro 25c to mow her yard (which was plenty for kids who really had nothing to spend money on except candy), and her and my mom always baked cakes and caseroles together. Infact, alot of my moms cake recipes are ones she learned from our neighbor.

And for being wheelchair bound all the days that I personally knew her, she was as capable and spirited as anyone I had ever met.

**meatfinger** · 09-21-2009, 12:51 AM

We have a neighbor. She's in her 90s and still lives on her own. She apparently thinks we run a brothel out of our home. We find this to be amusing to no end.

**meatfinger** · 09-21-2009, 12:52 AM

Truly, though, our next door neighbors are retired folks, and are pretty much the nicest folks around. The husband has just about any tool you can think of, and is always more than willing to help me out with just about anything. Half of the tools I ask to borrow he just flat out gives me because he's got like five of them anyways. He comes off kinda crotchety, but truly he's a really nice guy.

Bryan · 09-21-2009, 12:47 PM

The bad grammar in the thread title is driving me nuts.

Saturday, I was working in my yard laying stones for my patio expansion. I was in the process of moving my stones from the front of the house, where they were delivered, to the back, where the patio is. One of my neighbors came over and asked if I wanted help. I said I didn't need any, but he helped anyway. Nice guy.

**DaGeek** · 09-21-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan

The bad grammar in the thread title is driving me nuts.

**Simo** · 09-27-2009, 08:20 AM

I like this thread... unfortunately i have lived at my current address for nearly a year and not once spoken to them. The only interaction i have had with them is when i pick up their rubbish from my front yard.

When i was growing up we had the nicest neighbours. It was an elderly couple. My brother and i would play cricket in the backyard and hit it over the fence on purpose because everytime we went around to get the ball they would give us lollies and icecreams. They would sit and chat with us. They used to hear me singing in the morning and they would pay me compliments. That was about 12 years ago. They are probably dead now.