corona neighbors

(mr. rogers… the curtains are amazing; photo: PBS)

when i was growing up we did not have the friendliest neighbors. the grumpy lady on the left would complain about the noise when we rode our big wheels past her house, the grouchy lady across the street would yell at us just for being outside and the old man next door was very kind, but SO old and frail that he was just a periodic face in the window. after i left for college, i didn’t live in a proper house again for over twenty years… i was always in apartments.

(we always rode ours on the sidewalk so they made a rumbling sound)

we moved into our boulder home nearly ten years ago and the whole idea of being back in a suburban neighborhood took some getting used to. i missed having a buzzer and an intercom and the extra front door that comes with an apartment building. it completely freaked me out how so many random people just knock on your door with a clip board wanting you to donate to this or that or offering you a quote on new windows or to repaint the siding. they usually show up during dinner or right when i am trying to get the kids to bed. even when i was married, my husband was rarely home for these visits and it made me feel really vulnerable. i have watched too many episodes of law & order SVU (ALL of them, in fact, and there’s over twenty seasons so i am well versed in disturbing crime) to voluntarily let someone into my house to murder me in front of my children - they would NEVER get over that - just because the knocker is wearing a golf shirt embroidered with a company name and holding some laminated papers. 

(this show has taught me how to be on the look out for pedophiles)

so when we moved in, i was probably not the most accessible neighbor. i locked my doors ALWAYS and drove right into my garage where i also locked my car (i NEVER want to discover some cuckoo waiting in the backseat with a deadly weapon ready to abduct me or my children.) but over time i realized that my boulder neighbors are NOT the neighbors of my childhood and they have never tried to sell me a lawn service or a lifetime supply of magazines or a time share in waikiki. my neighbors deliver cookies when they are baking or drop off extra cucumbers and tomatoes from their garden or offer me a spontaneous glass of wine on the porch or text me when i’ve (GOD FORBID) forgotten to close my garage or take in my mail when i travel or “lend” me an egg or a cup of sugar (just like in mayberry) when i’m short or invite my dog or my kids for a playdate or bring me chicken soup and nyquil when i am sick or let me know if they’ve seen my children out riding without a helmet (just the big one, the little one is a rule follower.) in other words, my boulder neighbors are AMAZING. 

(i always throw on my penny loafers and bobby sox when i borrow sugar from my neighbors; photo: indiana university)

i think i’ve known that for a while, but this pandemic has made it even more clear… so on the darkest, most depressing corona, BLM, smoke-filled wildfire days my neighbors are making my much smaller world bearable, even enjoyable. we are going on dog walks and processing the days’ news over our fences or taking turns having a gang of (socially distanced) kids or dogs in our backyards or sharing tips on where to find toilet paper or hand sanitizer or hikes (YES - i’m actually hiking!) that aren’t too crowded. we are being neighbors and i am so GRATEFUL for that. i DO still lock my door AND my car but i know that i can count on all of these people to help… except ONE who moved up into the mountains. she says that they wanted MORE nature which is crazy because i have a regular parade of squirrels and deer and raccoons and bunnies in my yard which seems like plenty of nature to me. she now finds BEARS and MOUNTAIN LIONS in her front yard which seems like way too much nature to me… i’ve tried to explain to her that her very life is in danger up there, but some people foolishly just need that extra thrill. i WILL welcome her back when she comes to her senses though because i have learned to be a good neighbor.

(here i am in my backyard with all of the nature… i never really touch them though as they could have avian flu or bubonic plague or maybe even the corona; photo: disney)

(here is my old neighbor at her new house… her kitchen is now outside and she had to grow a beard just to stay warm up there; photo: grizzly adams)

UPDATE: i DO have one neighbor i REALLY don’t like… we call her “big mama” and she moves into this one corner of my house each fall. every year she gets bigger… she is now about the size of a golf ball. today she caught a dragonfly and was shoving him all around her lair. the end of his tail was waggling desperately as she climbed on him. it was just as horrifying as anything i’ve seen on law & order. i would love to evict her, but lucy has a soft spot for her… sometimes i don’t know where that girl came from!

to read more of my thoughts on corona click here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here or here