being a good neighbor--

[polo1665]

yeah-- Like I said in another post-- I got a call this morning and given grief from another nieghbor...
I am trying to be careful-- but it is hard "being lazy"...



J

Yeah, not easy, but at least it's temporary.
Giving you grief isn't your neighbors job, it's your families job:laughing:

Mark

 

[RadarTech]

Lost of great stuff, nice to know that people still watch out for their neighbors..

First, I have to say that both of my neighbors are "great" people and we help each other as often as possible-needed. However they are getting older, mid 70ish, and I mow the larger sections of their yards, couple of acres, and plow the driveways in the winters.

To me this is never work,, the tractor seems to clear my head and brings back memories from cutting hay as a kid, one of my favorite jobs.

I have always believed that people are good by nature and these stories just confirm my belief.

N2deep

N2deep---

when I was in the Marines, we used to say there was always the 10% crew..
The 10% of folks that didn't care, were difficult to work with and often were jerks or worse...
Those 10% often ruined it for the other 90%.....

After I got out, I found much the same... the majority of people are just downright great folks....and we all have people that we work with, live near or are aquainted with that make up that 10%..

Life should be about being that 90%.. and not acting like the 10%....

It almost always seems that the 90% hang togather, with a few of the 10% crew tryin to fit in every now and then...

the stories are great... Seems that we all have some to share... and they are all great to read!!!

J

 

[RadarTech]

Yeah, not easy, but at least it's temporary.
Giving you grief isn't your neighbors job, it's your families job:laughing:

Mark

I guess I omitted--- there are 4 neighbors up and down the road that are family.. this was a distant aunt that is seldom around....



J

 

[Roger2561]

There is an elderly couple who live just up the road from me who are on fixed income. Every year they ask if I can till their garden for them. Every year they ask how much they owe - I tell them "no charge", but they insist on doing something. I tell them to give it to charity...I don't do it for the money.

Neighbor across the street is from the heart of Boston, MA. I clear his yard of snow every snowfall. I can't charge him, he's on dialysis 3 days a week and he's having trouble making ends meet. I couldn't live with myself if I charged him. It's simply neighbor helping neighbor.

Roger

 

[brin]

When my older neighbor had prostate surgery and was in the hospital I used my tractor and FEL to load my round bermuda hay bales and take them into his pasture for his cattle..I never charged him for them...he tried to pay.

This was about 15 yrs. ago a neighbor called me and he had a tractor but no FEL so he asked me if I would go down the street to the corner about 2 miles away with my Loader and haul two FEL bucket loads of gravel another mile down the road to his elderly aunts house and spread it in her driveway...it was the countys gravel but he had called and they said she could have it but they could not haul or spread it...

So I went down with my JD 3020 and FEL and hauled and spread the gravel and headed back home about 3 miles down the road...as I passed the only intersecting street to my right I looked and their were no cars in sight and none behind me and just before I put my hand signal out for a left turn into my driveway on my farm and then looked back as I approached my driveway and there were no cars behind me and none in front of me so just as I was ready....I mean 2 seconds away from swinging the tractor wheel to the left to make the turn -- a car came up from behind and passed me at about 80 MPH in the left lane and I just kept going to the next driveway and sat a minute and then backed up and turned into my farm road and went on to the barn..It was that close...that car must have been going 80MPH and was going so fast that when I looked back it was not even in sight and in just a few seconds ..there they were and they would have had that FEL in their windshield and I'm sure it would have flipped me ..so I would have been a goner...Just one of those really, really close calls.

Good deeds sometimes go unpunished ....I guess that would be the moral of the story.

 

[crusty 1]

It sure has been nice to read what I have always thought,most people are good.The post that mentioned about a 90/10 ratio I,d guess thats about right.I keep the drive ways cleared for several folks around and it,s a pleasure to help them.Could be a health concern though,I shouldn,t be eating the cake and pies [I,m paid].:lickingave

 

[RadarTech]

It sure has been nice to read what I have always thought,most people are good.The post that mentioned about a 90/10 ratio I,d guess thats about right.I keep the drive ways cleared for several folks around and it,s a pleasure to help them.Could be a health concern though,I shouldn,t be eating the cake and pies [I,m paid].:lickingave

Dave,
you should post where your from..
and then share the pastries of your labors! :thumbsup:

J

 

[crusty 1]

Dave,
you should post where your from..
and then share the pastries of your labors! :thumbsup:

J

The pastries are indeed good but probably not worthy of the trip to n.Minnesota:laughing:I,d gladly share though.Dave

 

[buckeyefarmer]

One of my neighbors got to spend the winter in Afghanistan, so I put out round bales for the cows, and dug their driveway out after one of our monster snowstorms. They have a HS aged daughter that is a real worker, I would take the hay bales out with their tractor, but she would get out in the mud and unwrap the bales, while fighting off their mean bull. Their son is 14 and got the confidence to use the tractor and put out the bales.

 

[ctgoldwing]

When I was younger, I often heard the ole phrase "the good deeds men do, often go unpunished."

while I can't say I agree, or disagree or even understand the phrase, I believe I would rather do the deeds and get punished....

I can't speak for anyone else--- but the feeling of helping someone because you can, it really nice...


J

Radar I agree with you 100% - though I'm not sure I would risk my health doing it. ..
I think most us enjoy helping our neighbors out and we get that intangible satisfaction afterward knowing that we did at least 1 good thing today - maybe made the world a slightly better place.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

It's nice that you help your neighbors.

We have a new part-time neighbor across the road. I went over last year and introduced myself and chatted awhile. He mentioned his grass/weeds were out of control and I offered to whack them with my bush hog, it was on the tractor already even. He asked how much and I said I wouldn't charge him anything. It's not a big yard at all, actually too small for easy bush hogging. He seemed suspicious of me for offering that. He also mentioned he was a former policeman and he planned to have his son put up security cameras around the house. You would need to see the house to know the humor in that. Go figure. A while after that, they dissappeared for the rest of the summer and all winter. I see they just had a new well drilled this week, maybe their dug well dried up and they couldn't use the place with no water.

We have elderly neighbors at the end of our lot. I stop by and chat once in a while. Always offer to help if they need something. They have kids nearby and are pretty independent otherwise.

I wouldn't say folks around here are unfriendly, they sure can be slow warmers though.
Dave.

This is THE description of .......Flatlanders.

Pancake people.

 

[oldballs]

Lots of these posts are about younger folks helping older folks. But I'm seeing the older folks helping the younger folks a whole lot more. Seems that the older ones have the knowledge, getty up and resources to give good advice and lend a hand. Our little dead end road has the 90:10 ratio but we assist each other regardless...except the 10% don't offer much.

 

[RadarTech]

Radar I agree with you 100% - though I'm not sure I would risk my health doing it. ..
I think most us enjoy helping our neighbors out and we get that intangible satisfaction afterward knowing that we did at least 1 good thing today - maybe made the world a slightly better place.

Must be the Marine in me... Acceptable risk...

A friend of mine's wife is a doctor, and we talked this morning... It seems the ER doctor was being overly cautious... She said a little riding would not be bad, sitting and laying all the time would not be good either.. "all things in moderation" is what she said... Granted she did not see my test results, but she said that ER doc would have admitted me if it was even a small concern. No fever, no vomiting, no pressure senstivity, then see the internalist on monday and go from them.... "do not worry yourself"

A friend from church just told me that all things happen in God's time... So if it's my time, nothing I can do will change that... If a little time on the tractor is okay, and I can report in with a good feeling of those I leave behind then I am okay with it....

I don't feel any worse.. so it's a weekend of mostly rest....
But don;t think I'll be posting a ton though...


J

 

[RobertN]

I have had a few things with my tractor. Move a scoop, or smoth something. More has happened as FF/EMT while out of uniform. One time, had a guy that was passed out in a restroom. EMT buddy of mine and I took care of him till an Engine and Medic crew arrived. Gave them the details, and handed him off.

Resteraunt in which it happened, wanted to buy us dinner and drinks. I said no, that is just why I volunteer. Could probably still get a free dinner, but I told them to help out someone in need when they see them.

 

[alco141]

an older couple lived next door to me, she had had a very nice garden all her life, she developed cancer and was undergoing treatment, she had started her garden after renovating her deck before the diagnosis and treatment started, but was too weak to continue, it was a very big job that she would have taken months to get done, talked to a couple of the guys in the neighborhood, we showed up on a weekend a crew of 10, tilled regraded, raked, planted all of her planting areas.brought my tractor and used the bucket and tiller to good effect. she was so happy, it gave her a lot of contentment enjoying her gardens over the summer and fall, she passed away in the winter. we all were very glad to help her, she was a gem of a neighbor. we have missed her a lot over the years. whatever time we donated we reaped ten times over in the smile on her face when she realized her gardens were well tended as they had been for the 58 years she had lived there.

one hope that if life deals us a similar fate we will be surrounded by good people to make our last days easier.

alex

 

[Onthesauk]

I've been on the other end of this the last few months. Banged my head back in February, developed a subdural hematoma and they couldn't do the surgery because of some underlying medical issues so it was just wait and see. I was pretty well out of it for nearly 90 days. Have a good neighbor who came up once a week and mowed my lawns and brought his tractor up and tilled the garden.

Pretty well back to normal now but don't know how I would have caught up if he hadn't been helping.

 

[RadarTech]

I've been on the other end of this the last few months. Banged my head back in February, developed a subdural hematoma and they couldn't do the surgery because of some underlying medical issues so it was just wait and see. I was pretty well out of it for nearly 90 days. Have a good neighbor who came up once a week and mowed my lawns and brought his tractor up and tilled the garden.

Pretty well back to normal now but don't know how I would have caught up if he hadn't been helping.

That is cool to hear the other side of it...


J

 

[buck12]

Every spring when I put the tiller on the tractor to break up my garden I have a 76 yr old, a 77 yr old, and a 65 yr old neighbors that I till their garden spots as a good neighborly deed. And I do the 65 yr olds daughters small spot while I am there. I tell them it's free as long as I already have the tiller on. That way they realize it's not a yr round whenever they want it service, but while I am doing it, I don't mind getting theirs either.

The 77 yr old neighbor and her daughter was digging up 10 yucca plants that were 15 yrs old. When I realized it I grabbed a tractor and a 4 tooth subsoiler and did in an hour what would have taken them a month, again, no money expected.

Have bush hogged her back property to get it in shape for the daughter to keep it cut with the riding lawn mower.

Saw another neighbor starting to cover up a drain field by hand, didn't ask, just got a tractor and blade and went to his rescue, no charge.

And I have another neighbor that is never helpful to anyone and is really a butt hole, I do his garden too but I charge him 20.00 for 30 min work. If he would let me cross his swamp to get to the creek, I'd never charge him. He argues constantly with his surrounding neighbors about property lines, lil trivial things. He pays. But the good guys get the good neighbor deal.

Enjoy your senior neighbors. At our last house the average age of our neighbors was probably 75. I enjoyed helping them. Now most of them have gone to be with the lord.

 

[TripleR]

Lots of these posts are about younger folks helping older folks. But I'm seeing the older folks helping the younger folks a whole lot more. Seems that the older ones have the knowledge, getty up and resources to give good advice and lend a hand. Our little dead end road has the 90:10 ratio but we assist each other regardless...except the 10% don't offer much.

My father in law was like that until the day he died.

That reminded me of an incident a few years ago. A family rents our row crop land and I stopped to talk to the dad who was in his seventies at the time and was recovering from back surgery. We stood there leaning on our canes talking about crops, tractors and such. He commented on a tree that was growing into the roadway. I advised him it was on my list and I was going to cut them as soon as I had time. I then got on my tractor and began bush hogging. When I came back through, the tree had been trimmed. He is now in his eighties and would probably do the same thing.

 

[TGF]

whats with the bad guy?