neighbors

Isn't it interesting how the snow empties houses?

If you live in a house-close community you could go an entire year without talking to any of your neighbors more than the merest chat about the weather and that's only if your coming or going coincides with theirs. We have great neighbors and know a few of them on a social basis and still fewer are close friends. Yet when it snows we're all blood brothers and shovels are our tongues!

My husband had just begun the mammoth task of unearthing his car when new neighbors across the street (husband Japanese, wife-American, kids-adorable) came and offered their help. A two-hour solo job for one  person became 40 minutes with three people digging it. Later, he baked them scones and took them over, warm from the oven.

On the other hand when I was trudging through a neighboring cluster trying to avoid the huge drifts, I heard two young 30 something coo to another snow-shoveling neighbor, "Ooh, you had the baby - when?" And he said, " December 7"! This was January 26. And until I could slog by, I learned that the baby had to be re-hospitalized for some virus in that period of time. I just had to think that we know some sketchy parameters of our neighbors lives, but really we know nothing unless we make the effort.

Speaking of which, a new woman moved in three houses down from us some months ago, and as of the snowstorm, I hadn't even caught a glimpse of her. Walking back from the lake I saw her outside her house and stopped to introduce myself - finally. I learned in just a short conversation that she had lost her mother just a month ago and was having a hard time getting to even ground. We talked for 1/2 hour, despite my freezing toes.

Good snowstorms make good neighbors.