The day before we closed on the house, after the formal walk-through, we were inside the place, considering where to place furniture when it arrives, when the doorbell rang. It was a guy named Larry and his two dogs, out for a walk. Larry wanted to introduce himself, find out where we were from, and tell us a little about the neighborhood. He offered to be available any time we might need to know something about the area or the neighborhood. And he assured us we will know ALL our neighbors. “That’s just the way it is here,” he said.
As we were leaving, we saw our next-door neighbors. She was checking the mail, he was doing yard-work. We stopped to introduce ourselves and they suggested we get together after we move in and get settled.
Part of the negotiations on the purchase of the house involved the seller paying for some repairs. The guy who owns the company doing the work stopped by yesterday to discuss the job and he, too, told us we can expect to know everyone. And he offered to be available should we need anything (as in repairs or renovation). “If I can’t do it, I can tell you who the good ones are who can,” he said, adding a warning that “some of the companies that work in here are in it strictly for the money and don’t do good work.”
This morning, we’re going to a newcomers’ coffee, a semi-monthly event intended to acquaint newcomers to the area and to let them know what to expect of live “in the Village.” Our friend, Carole, who’s a writer for the weekly newspaper, alerted us to the newcomers’ coffee and urged us to attend.
I’m not a very sociable guy, but the indications thus far suggest I might need to adjust. We are, after all, newcomers, and newcomers here are met with a welcoming attitude, it seems.
LOL, Juan!! Oh, God, though you’ve got a valid point, your wording is beautiful, and thanks to that I have a clear image right now. I can’t stop laughing!!
Sounds like some nosy, fascist group! That sort of thing abounds in Florida, what with Yankee retirees converging in hamlets, thinking they can organize “culture.” No doubt they’ll make critical commentary on what flowers to grow in your yard.
Bring a flask of whiskey for your coffee clutch today! As you introduce yourself and your favorite wife, pour some of that whiskey into your coffee cup and scratch your balls — then do a big Texas smile! Tell’m you’re a dyed-in-the-wool socialist and that you love Obama.
Then, later this week, cement a flag pole in in your front yard and raise the Texas flag, with a separate banner beneath that reads EAT ME or BE DAMNED!
You are very lucky. Good, kind, welcoming neighbors are so important when you move to a new place. We had the opposite experience here in Grass Valley, where we’ve learned that people move to to get away from other people.
Separate entity…organized under the auspices of the board of directors.
Is this the “welcome wagon” that you wrote about in an earlier blog, John, or a separate entity?