Great Neighbors
July 31st, 2007
It’s 4:30 p.m. on a hot Friday afternoon. Easing my exhausted body into a soft reclining chair, I start to relax. I can hear the sound of water running and assume someone is having a shower. Slowly, my conscience tells me that no one is taking a shower, and I shouldn’t be hearing water running. Shaking off my fatigue, I run to our bedroom closest and am shot in the face with spraying water.
The pipes that my husband “ducktaped” in the spring have sprung a leak and are now soaking our bed linens and everything else within three feet. Frustrated and overwhelmed, I call my husband’s cell. ‘We do not have a phone book or any plumber’s numbers,’ I think to myself as I’m dialing, ‘Who is going to come all the way out to our cabin on a Friday afternoon?’
Explaining to my husband over a crackling cell phone connection what has happened, he informs me that he is on his way into a meeting, and I will just have to deal with it. ‘Deal with it?,’ I fume, ‘Deal with it?!!!! How am I suppose to deal with it???’ I am stomping around our soggy bedroom in a snit, when suddenly I have an idea.
Setting the women’s movement back 25 years, I put on my red bikini top and head out to our neighbor. Sensing my distress, he springs into action and has the leak plugged before I can finish mopping up.
The reality is, I don’t have to wear a low cut bikini every time something breaks at our cabin. In fact, it’s better if I don’t. We are surrounded by wonderful people who are always willing and eager to lend a hand. I don’t know what it is about my cottage neighbors that makes them so different from the folks back home, but it s this tightly knit community that makes cabin living so enjoyable.
If you have a special neighbor story you would like to share with us, please post it in the comment box, or drop me an email at julie@cottagedaily.com. We will send you a Tim Horton’s Gift Card to treat them to a cup of coffee.
Cheers to great neighbors.
Julie
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August 2nd, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Julie,
had somewhat of a similar experience. 2 years ago I got married at our cottage, had only owned the place a year. My neighbour called during the week a few days before the wedding, “there’s water flowing out of your cottage siding and doors”. Well I told him where the hidden key was and he went in and turned off the pump. ( his dad built the palce in 1963 so he new where stuff was) We have a well with heavy iron content, rust is a bit of a problem, so the new tan burbur carpet was now rusty brown. Seems a pipe had broken behind the toilet and it was fixed with a piece of garden hose and 2 hose clamps then painted the same colour as the washroom many years ago, who knew. Anyways I went up, rented a carpet shampoo machine cleaned it up, opened up all the windows and dried the place out. The wedding went off without a hitch, and the grass surrounding the cottage was very green that weekend.
My neighbour is an old widowed man who lives there year round. He always waters my tomato plants, dock flower planters, and herb garden during the week. This reminds me, I’ll have to do something special for him this long holiday weekend for being such a great neighbour.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Joe,
What a great story - email me your contact info (julie@cottagedaily.com) and we will send you out a Tim Horton’s certificate.
Glad the wedding was a success.
Cheers,
Julie