Good Neighbor Story

[Bonny]

With all the negativity out there I wanted to share a good neighbor story.

About a month ago we had really high winds. I got an e-mail from my N. San Diego County tenant with a picture of a section (about 10 feet) of our fence blown down. The fence is only about 8 years old. We inspected and ran into our neighbor who owns the home at the top of the hill and the private road that runs along the fence. He said a section of his fence blew down too and offered to have his 'guy" fix our fence at the same time he was having his fence fixed too. I asked him what he would charge for his time and he said "lunch".

Long story short my neighbor and his "guy" repaired/replaced the section of fence the week before last. It was a ton of work as the guys I originally hired eight years ago did a shoddy job. My neighbor and his guy dug out the old concrete foots from two fence iterations, dug new holes, set the posts in new concrete, et cetera. It took about four days including the concrete set up time.

I asked him if he and his wife liked wine and when he said red I brought him six bottles of really nice wine.

I got an e-mail from him last week asking if I had any more fence work for him to do.

Share your good neighbor story...

[Green Eyed Lady]

How nice, Bonny. I'm always aware there are a whole lot of really good people in this world. Some days, it's just more difficult to find them. You found one.

[milee]

My current neighbor is being a good neighbor to me by moving.

In all fairness, she's not horrible or newsworthy, just selfish.  The prior neighbors were wonderful people; they were kind and caring and I'd look after their place when they traveled (about half the year.)  They were a hard act to follow and I didn't expect anyone to be quite that awesome.  But I've been disappointed that she doesn't seem to have an issue with blocking the common road/driveway and also having her workers use our yard for various things without asking.  I am constantly having to talk to her lawn guys, fence contractors, A/C company, plumbers, etc. to let them know that they need to keep their work in her yard and not use my driveway and yard to access hers.  And I am constantly having to talk to everyone from her pool guy to, well, just about every service provider she has from blocking the road that accesses my driveway. 

The final straw was yesterday when I came home to find a large moving truck completely blocking my driveway.  I went to find the driver and ask him to move.  After he did a few more things, he unhurriedly ambled to the truck, moved it so I could get through and then went to move it right back to blocking my driveway.  When I explained I was going to be coming and going, he said I could come find him when I wanted to get past.  Um, no. 

[Wisconsin Beth]

My current next door neighbor randomly shovels or snowblows our front sidewalk. He was awesome about it when the kids were babies.

I randomly snowblow or shovel his walk so at this point it's like taking turns!

[tloonya]

My next door neighbors are the best people on Earth.

We had been never in each other face but our kids grew up together and

we genuinely liking each other.

This summer I had trouble paying my neighbor for landscaping and he

did it without charge. All summer! And at the end cleaned up my garden!!!

And when we had moved into neighborhood and told friends our neighbors

are Irish like Irish from Ireland  - they said well, Irish hate Jews so...

They were dead wrong and first gift to my daughter from them was

'made yourself' Menorah! Still is hanging on the wall!

God Bless this family!

[tloonya]

Mar 6, 2016 13:03:51 GMT -5 milee said:

My current neighbor is being a good neighbor to me by moving.

In all fairness, she's not horrible or newsworthy, just selfish.  The prior neighbors were wonderful people; they were kind and caring and I'd look after their place when they traveled (about half the year.)  They were a hard act to follow and I didn't expect anyone to be quite that awesome.  But I've been disappointed that she doesn't seem to have an issue with blocking the common road/driveway and also having her workers use our yard for various things without asking.  I am constantly having to talk to her lawn guys, fence contractors, A/C company, plumbers, etc. to let them know that they need to keep their work in her yard and not use my driveway and yard to access hers.  And I am constantly having to talk to everyone from her pool guy to, well, just about every service provider she has from blocking the road that accesses my driveway. 

The final straw was yesterday when I came home to find a large moving truck completely blocking my driveway.  I went to find the driver and ask him to move.  After he did a few more things, he unhurriedly ambled to the truck, moved it so I could get through and then went to move it right back to blocking my driveway.  When I explained I was going to be coming and going, he said I could come find him when I wanted to get past.  Um, no. 

See, you keep bringing  negativity EVERYWHERE!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 6, 2016 13:03:51 GMT -5 milee said:

My current neighbor is being a good neighbor to me by moving.

In all fairness, she's not horrible or newsworthy, just selfish.  The prior neighbors were wonderful people; they were kind and caring and I'd look after their place when they traveled (about half the year.)  They were a hard act to follow and I didn't expect anyone to be quite that awesome.  But I've been disappointed that she doesn't seem to have an issue with blocking the common road/driveway and also having her workers use our yard for various things without asking.  I am constantly having to talk to her lawn guys, fence contractors, A/C company, plumbers, etc. to let them know that they need to keep their work in her yard and not use my driveway and yard to access hers.  And I am constantly having to talk to everyone from her pool guy to, well, just about every service provider she has from blocking the road that accesses my driveway. 

The final straw was yesterday when I came home to find a large moving truck completely blocking my driveway.  I went to find the driver and ask him to move.  After he did a few more things, he unhurriedly ambled to the truck, moved it so I could get through and then went to move it right back to blocking my driveway.  When I explained I was going to be coming and going, he said I could come find him when I wanted to get past.  Um, no. 

But why is this your neighbor's fault?  

[buystoys]

DH and I have spent the last 1 1/2 weeks knocking down our old termite/carpenter ant/fire ant infested shed.  Our "newest" neighbors came over every single day to help.  One neighbor gave us some dirt for the pad for the new shed and another hauled it over with his tractor and rough graded it.

For all the griping DH and I do about our house, we both readily admit that we have AWESOME neighbors!

[tloonya]

Mar 6, 2016 13:39:46 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 6, 2016 13:03:51 GMT -5 milee said:

My current neighbor is being a good neighbor to me by moving.

In all fairness, she's not horrible or newsworthy, just selfish.  The prior neighbors were wonderful people; they were kind and caring and I'd look after their place when they traveled (about half the year.)  They were a hard act to follow and I didn't expect anyone to be quite that awesome.  But I've been disappointed that she doesn't seem to have an issue with blocking the common road/driveway and also having her workers use our yard for various things without asking.  I am constantly having to talk to her lawn guys, fence contractors, A/C company, plumbers, etc. to let them know that they need to keep their work in her yard and not use my driveway and yard to access hers.  And I am constantly having to talk to everyone from her pool guy to, well, just about every service provider she has from blocking the road that accesses my driveway. 

The final straw was yesterday when I came home to find a large moving truck completely blocking my driveway.  I went to find the driver and ask him to move.  After he did a few more things, he unhurriedly ambled to the truck, moved it so I could get through and then went to move it right back to blocking my driveway.  When I explained I was going to be coming and going, he said I could come find him when I wanted to get past.  Um, no. 

But why is this your neighbor's fault?  

Anything that is negative is muilee's positive.

[milee]

Mar 6, 2016 13:39:46 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Mar 6, 2016 13:03:51 GMT -5 milee said:

My current neighbor is being a good neighbor to me by moving.

In all fairness, she's not horrible or newsworthy, just selfish.  The prior neighbors were wonderful people; they were kind and caring and I'd look after their place when they traveled (about half the year.)  They were a hard act to follow and I didn't expect anyone to be quite that awesome.  But I've been disappointed that she doesn't seem to have an issue with blocking the common road/driveway and also having her workers use our yard for various things without asking.  I am constantly having to talk to her lawn guys, fence contractors, A/C company, plumbers, etc. to let them know that they need to keep their work in her yard and not use my driveway and yard to access hers.  And I am constantly having to talk to everyone from her pool guy to, well, just about every service provider she has from blocking the road that accesses my driveway. 

The final straw was yesterday when I came home to find a large moving truck completely blocking my driveway.  I went to find the driver and ask him to move.  After he did a few more things, he unhurriedly ambled to the truck, moved it so I could get through and then went to move it right back to blocking my driveway.  When I explained I was going to be coming and going, he said I could come find him when I wanted to get past.  Um, no. 

But why is this your neighbor's fault?  

The trucks belong to people working for her and they park there at her direction and with her knowledge.  In the moving truck example, they were moving her stuff.  She was in and out of the house so knew the truck was blocking the driveway - she doesn't see it as a big deal to block the driveway.  She has these big trucks park blocking the shared road because she doesn't want them parked on her nice, polished driveway out of fear they'll drip oil on it.  So she chooses to preserve her driveway by having them block the shared road, which means one other neighbor and I can't get in or out of our driveways.

 

That has been consistent in the several years she's lived there.  I always tell my lawn guys and any other service people that they can't park blocking the long shared road, because it's not polite to block my neighbors' driveways.  Our neighbor to the east does the same thing - none of their people block the road or driveways. 

As soon as she moved in, she reconfigured her yard so that it was very difficult to access her back yard from the front yard - angled gates and lots of landscaping features and obstacles.  So it was easier for anyone trying to access her back yard (like pool service and lawn service) to come down my driveway, cut through my yard and into her back yard since it was a straight easy shot.  She seemed to think this was fine and didn't stop them, so I had to be put in the uncomfy situation of stopping her various service people from coming down my driveway.  (I didn't do this for a while, but Swamp and one of the other attorneys on here pointed out that I shouldn't let her access her back yard through my property since I could over time create some sort of implied easement.)

[andi9899]

My next door neighbors are the best. But they're also my grandparents, so I'm a little biased.

[mojothehelpermonkey]

A couple of dollars fell out of my pocket right in front of my door on Friday night when I was getting my keys out. I didn't notice until I took my trash out at 11 am on Saturday. It was pretty conspicuous, so I am sure at least a few of my neighbors noticed the money on the pavement. It's nice that no one took it (even though I probably wouldn't have even notice), but I am even more happy that no one decided to knock on my door on Saturday morning to return the $2.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

When I lived in my condo, my fluffy black-and-white indoor only long-haired kitty was famous for sitting in the windowsill and enjoying sunshine and passersby. She was really popular.

One evening, the doorbell rang and one of my disheveled neighbors was panting and holding a bedraggled, wet black-and-white fluffy cat and he proudly announced "I saw that your cat got out and was in the bushes next door, so I chased him around for 30 minutes and finally caught him!"  At that moment, MY cat (still inside) meowed from the couch and my nice neighbor realized that he'd CAPTURED THE WRONG CAT.  We both got a good laugh.

Over the next year, at least THREE other neighbors caught that cat and proudly brought it to my door (once in a carrier ~ I'd been out of town so she cat sat it for the weekend) ... all to learn that the cat from NEXT DOOR (the next set of condos) was NOT my cat.

This still makes me smile.

(That poor cat probably never figured out why so many random strangers were chasing it down and capturing him!)

[Anne_in_VA]

We have some awesome neighbors!  One neighbor plants a big garden every year and gives me produce from it.  He grows great cakes and tomatoes!  

Then there's the neighbor who cut down the trees between our house and his.  Both of our yards were neglected for years by the previous owners and there were many volunteer trees that had grown up over the years.  DH and the neighbor were talking soon after neighbor bought his house and both agreed they didn't like all those trees, but most of them are on his property so we didn't want to cut them down.  He's been cutting them down slowly over the past few months.  

[milee]

Mar 7, 2016 8:20:51 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

We have some awesome neighbors!  One neighbor plants a big garden every year and gives me produce from it.  He grows great cakes and tomatoes!  

Please get him to share his secret. I know how to grow fantastic tomatoes, but have no idea about growing cakes. I would love to know how to grow a great cake.  Any flavor is good - although maybe carrot cake would be easiest for a beginner to start with?

[yogiii]

Mar 6, 2016 13:50:06 GMT -5 milee said:

Mar 6, 2016 13:39:46 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why is this your neighbor's fault?  

The trucks belong to people working for her and they park there at her direction and with her knowledge.  In the moving truck example, they were moving her stuff.  She was in and out of the house so knew the truck was blocking the driveway - she doesn't see it as a big deal to block the driveway.  She has these big trucks park blocking the shared road because she doesn't want them parked on her nice, polished driveway out of fear they'll drip oil on it.  So she chooses to preserve her driveway by having them block the shared road, which means one other neighbor and I can't get in or out of our driveways.

 

That has been consistent in the several years she's lived there.  I always tell my lawn guys and any other service people that they can't park blocking the long shared road, because it's not polite to block my neighbors' driveways.  Our neighbor to the east does the same thing - none of their people block the road or driveways. 

As soon as she moved in, she reconfigured her yard so that it was very difficult to access her back yard from the front yard - angled gates and lots of landscaping features and obstacles.  So it was easier for anyone trying to access her back yard (like pool service and lawn service) to come down my driveway, cut through my yard and into her back yard since it was a straight easy shot.  She seemed to think this was fine and didn't stop them, so I had to be put in the uncomfy situation of stopping her various service people from coming down my driveway.  (I didn't do this for a while, but Swamp and one of the other attorneys on here pointed out that I shouldn't let her access her back yard through my property since I could over time create some sort of implied easement.)

I don't have a pool guy (no pool) or a lawn guy (unless you count DH).  It seems you have a mo' money, mo' problems situation going on

[swamp]

At my first house, I did not have a snowblower. One night, we got over a foot of snow and I needed to get to work for 8:30. I was out there at 7 shoveling my driveway. While I was shoveling, the plow came by and threw more snow in my driveway. The end of the driveway had at least 3 feet of snow piled up.

My neighbor came by with his Bobcat and did my driveway. Then he did my 170' of sidewalk (I lived on a corner lot).

I bought him a case of beer.

[tloonya]

Mar 7, 2016 8:20:51 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

We have some awesome neighbors!  One neighbor plants a big garden every year and gives me produce from it.  He grows great cakes and tomatoes!  

Then there's the neighbor who cut down the trees between our house and his.  Both of our yards were neglected for years by the previous owners and there were many volunteer trees that had grown up over the years.  DH and the neighbor were talking soon after neighbor bought his house and both agreed they didn't like all those trees, but most of them are on his property so we didn't want to cut them down.  He's been cutting them down slowly over the past few months.  

 and I am in a veggie business!

[Anne_in_VA]

Mar 7, 2016 9:02:44 GMT -5 milee said:

Mar 7, 2016 8:20:51 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

We have some awesome neighbors!  One neighbor plants a big garden every year and gives me produce from it.  He grows great cakes and tomatoes!  

Please get him to share his secret. I know how to grow fantastic tomatoes, but have no idea about growing cakes. I would love to know how to grow a great cake.  Any flavor is good - although maybe carrot cake would be easiest for a beginner to start with?

Stupid tablet!  I meant cukes!

[Artemis Windsong]

My late brother's neighbor had their sewer pipe replaced.  The contractor then did his for a more than reasonable price.

He had rotor rooter out about once a month for several years.  A tile had fallen and blocked the pipe partially.

[Peace77]

Mar 7, 2016 9:02:44 GMT -5 milee said:

Mar 7, 2016 8:20:51 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

We have some awesome neighbors!  One neighbor plants a big garden every year and gives me produce from it.  He grows great cakes and tomatoes!  

Please get him to share his secret. I know how to grow fantastic tomatoes, but have no idea about growing cakes. I would love to know how to grow a great cake.  Any flavor is good - although maybe carrot cake would be easiest for a beginner to start with?

    LOL.      

[Ryan]

I complain about my neighbors on one side to my right because they let their weed trees grow wildly and then I have to trim them when they hang over on my side of the fence.  

The only thing that redeems them is that when I hear of really bad neighbor stories and then remember that it could always be worse.  For the most part, they are hermits and don't come out that much.

The only thing going for my neighborhood is that there are a lot of old people that don't make muck ruckus and generally keep an eye on any funny business.  I feel bad for my kids that there are not that many other kids to play with, but I don't think they really know any better so they never complain about it.

[finnime]

I have awesome neighbors on both sides - not intrusive, generally helpful and even better! Among the three of us, my DH and I are the problem house. He's been crippled for over 1.5 years, and it's hard getting it all together myself. It took me 8 months to get the fence felled by a neighbor's tree branch replaced- time and $ to get together - and they never said boo. My lawn is by far the biggest, but often is ragged by comparison. No comments, always smiles from both sides. We got a puppy; both neighbors are delighted with him, too.

It's so nice to be the Problem Child and not feel that you're making others unhappy.

[alabamagal]

Mar 6, 2016 13:50:06 GMT -5 milee said:

Mar 6, 2016 13:39:46 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

But why is this your neighbor's fault?  

The trucks belong to people working for her and they park there at her direction and with her knowledge.  In the moving truck example, they were moving her stuff.  She was in and out of the house so knew the truck was blocking the driveway - she doesn't see it as a big deal to block the driveway.  She has these big trucks park blocking the shared road because she doesn't want them parked on her nice, polished driveway out of fear they'll drip oil on it.  So she chooses to preserve her driveway by having them block the shared road, which means one other neighbor and I can't get in or out of our driveways.

 

That has been consistent in the several years she's lived there.  I always tell my lawn guys and any other service people that they can't park blocking the long shared road, because it's not polite to block my neighbors' driveways.  Our neighbor to the east does the same thing - none of their people block the road or driveways. 

As soon as she moved in, she reconfigured her yard so that it was very difficult to access her back yard from the front yard - angled gates and lots of landscaping features and obstacles.  So it was easier for anyone trying to access her back yard (like pool service and lawn service) to come down my driveway, cut through my yard and into her back yard since it was a straight easy shot.  She seemed to think this was fine and didn't stop them, so I had to be put in the uncomfy situation of stopping her various service people from coming down my driveway.  (I didn't do this for a while, but Swamp and one of the other attorneys on here pointed out that I shouldn't let her access her back yard through my property since I could over time create some sort of implied easement.)

Since she was moving out, I would just let them do whatever they want (except causing permanent damage) and then be glad that they are gone