#224: Neighbors.

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I love my neighborhood and especially my neighbors. Here's why:

• We stand around and talk while we mow and our children ride bikes around.
• We wave to each other.
• We notice what happens at other people's houses. For example, the person that is supposed to come and walk your dog? Yeah, we know that she only came over 3 times in two weeks during the day.
• When I had a leak while I was out of the country two years ago, two of them went into my crawl space to check things out. They also dealt with the water company and emailed me all the details.
• One couple kept my ficus alive while I was in Ireland this summer.
• Another neighbor watered my lawn a couple of times while I was gone.
• I can borrow their children to go to the movies with (next up: Inside Out).
• They help me put in insulation.
• We DJ each other's parties.
• They lend me an egg to finish a recipe I've already started.
• They invite me snowboarding.
• They aren't afraid to tell me to slow down when I drive to fast in the neighborhood.  Not that I've ever done that.
• We come running when someone on the street calls out for help.
• We collect each other's mail.
• They help me move furniture into my house.
• They help me move furniture out of my house.
• They fix my lawn mower.
• One pumped up my tires the first time I pulled out my bike after 3 years in the shed.