Can I mow your lawn? (Actually, I already told “Kathy” up the street that she could mow the lawn. Thanks anyway.)
The flapper on our toilet isn’t working right. I bought a new one, and I was wondering if you could help me put it in? (A few minutes and a few stories later, that flapper was working miracles.)
I thought I’d bring over some arroz con leche. I fixed it for our family for supper and I wanted you to have some. (Joy teared up; Roger sampled the arroz con leche…repeatedly.)
I just found the man in the house next door unresponsive. Do you think I should call 911? (Turns out he had a stroke.)
My buddy and I are looking for work. Can we rake your leaves? (They ended up doing a beautiful paint job on my brother’s house.)
I just wanted to stop by and see how you are doing. (It’s been a tough week, but thank you for checking in.)
I was wondering if yous could give me and my husband a ride to the Dairy Queen? (If only the nearby Dairy Queen had not been shut down)
Do you have a battery charger we could borrow? (I wish, but it turns out we left it in Connecticut.)
My friends and I are selling ice pops and these shells here. Do you want to buy any? (That’s awesome. You can never find good clam shells at this price.)
I was just checking in again to see if you have any work I could do? (Man, I’m really thin on cash right now, but check back again.)
I just thought you’d like to have this red wagon for your grandchildren. I wanted you to have it. (I wish you knew the long story. Short story: Haddie loved riding in it.)
Your house was robbed while you were out. The police were all over the place. (Don’t worry about it, Mom. I’m glad you and Dad came to visit us today. Really.)
Thanks for the coffee. Here’s your coffeepot back. (Black coffee is extremely popular.)
I see you’re doing some work on this house. Could you use any help? I’ll do anything. (Actually, the bathroom does need cleaning.)
My boyfriend just got me this amazing ring. I wanted you to see it. Would you mind praying for me?
Can we play in the back yard? (My favorite question from him: Do you have a pick axe? Uh…no. Too bad. My friend and I were wondering if we could mine for coal in your back yard. That piece of wood over there…could you make that into a pick axe?)
I hadn’t seen you guys here for a couple of weeks, and I was worried about you. Are you o.k.? (Now, we haven’t seen her for a few months, and we are concerned.)
Here is my friend with the autistic children. He doesn’t know what to do. (Neither did we, as it turns out, but we heard a single dad tell a heart-rending story.)
We stopped by to see how the house was coming along. (Those neighborhood watch gals keep up with everything.)
We are so excited to see the house. My husband and I want to buy you guys a washer and dryer. (After the shock wore off, we suggested Craigslist. They bought us brand new front-loaders. Seriously.)
Does that offer to use the washing machine still stand? I could really use it. (Since we got the washer and dryer as a gift, I guess we should probably share them.)
Is Roger here? I’ve been telling my friend all about him, and He wanted to meet him. (When you did a big hole in the yard with a backhoe, you are a rock star with ten-year olds.)
Is Joy here? When will she be back? (Joy is a rock star to everyone around here.)
Do you like chocolate cobbler? I brought some over for you. (I had no idea chocolate cobbler had even been invented. We got the recipe.)
Comments
I just found your blog, Roger. I loved this post! Love to see how you’ve connected with your neighbors. Joy would be a rock star to anybody. Who doesn’t love her? Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a great neighborhood! I’m enjoying your blogs.. keep them coming!
Author
It really is a special neighborhood, Dave.
Sounds like some of my stories from working at the library. U 2 r a blessing!