Good Neighbors

We are blessed with good neighbors.  We always have been, wherever we have lived.  That's always the thing I miss most when we've moved, our neighbors.  Having a good relationship with the neighbors doesn't take much work but it is more than worth it! 

Now, I know, some people are just crazy and hard to get along with.  Some neighbors don't want to be good neighbors and there is nothing you can do about it.  We've always been blessed with people who feel as we do and I know that doesn't always happen.  Our neighbors range in age from our age to over seventy years old.  Some have grandkids that live close, some have taken our kids as their own.  My son has done chores for a few of them.  It benefits them both.  He learns about working for someone other than his dad and I and they get some help with something they may not be able to do anymore.  We watch each others homes when we travel and come to each others aid when we are needed.  We borrow from each other tools and eggs.

I always bake goodies for our neighbors at Christmastime.  Around here, we don't live in a 'normal' neighborhood.  We don't have an addition.  We live along a road and I consider the 5-6 people we live around our 'neighborhood'.  Even though it's not a traditional neighborhood, we all stick together closer than some people who can see in each others living rooms.  That may be the reason, we give each other our space!

This year, I baked two kinds of biscotti.  One was a shortbread biscotti with dried fruits, the other was a double chocolate.  I packed the biscotti with an assortment of tea and chocolates.  The son delivered them throughout the neighborhood a few weeks ago. 

I don't send the packages with hopes of getting something in return but it is fun over the last few weeks to see the neighbors and sample their holiday goodies.  One neighbor commented that they enjoy each year getting all the stuff because it's like a up-to-date cookie exchange.  We're all so busy, we can't commit to a single saturday to exchange so we all do it whenever we can.  About once a week, from thanksgiving to Christmas, someone shows up bearing gifts we can eat!  Yummy!

I got my last visit last night, kind of made me sad to think we're done for the year.  We've had homemade chocolate dipping sauce and cookies to dip, caramel popcorn, chex mix, apple bread, chocolate ice cream sauce and homemade salsa from the cooks garden.  We decided that next summer, when my blackberries come in that we're going to do a jelly making party.  And by the taste of this salsa, I'm hoping for a salsa making party also!

Get to know your neighbors.  Along with all the other benefits, it can be very tasty!