New Kid on the Block

I didn't know that when I bought my house I was buying my piece of the neighborhood. Not just any neighborhood, but a real, old-fashioned, piece of Americana. The neighbors here have been welcoming and friendly - G and K gave me a homemade loaf of bread, the guy across the street has told me many times that he will lend a hand whenever needed, and, true to his word, helped my move the dirty carpet out to the curb for garbage day.

But the frosting on the cake was when F stopped by and told me they were planning an "Out with the Old, In with the New Party" to say goodbye to the previous owner, and hello to me! She wanted to be sure I could be there and ran the date by me first, then told me about a flyer that would be distributed. Wow, I didn't expect all this.

The party was last night and I was not really looking forward to it, to be honest. I had mixed feelings about meeting the previous owner, especially because of my gross carpet and weird paneling and, most recently, an overdue water bill! Anyway, I made my dish to pass, bought a 6-pack of beer (it was BYO) and walked across the street with my head high (after a few hours of nerves and thoughts about making up a story to get out of it). F, who seems to be the neighborhood matriarch, chided me a little for bringing a dish since I was "one of the guests of honor after all." Meeting the previous owner was a little odd, but it was OK after the first few minutes. We chatted about what she used to clean the hardwood floors, talked about flowers in the yard, and she told me that her next project was the carpet (it was still sitting on the curb because of needing to call a "bulk items truck"). By the end of the night (and a number of drinks) A, the previous owner, was telling me that she was so happy I was living in her house and she had really wanted it to go to the "right person". She told me we would have to get together to talk about the flowers and any other questions I had. She also told me she loved me and hugged me and kissed my cheek, but I'm pretty sure that was just the alcohol talking. :-)

So, I spent a lovely...long... evening with my neighbors who are quickly becoming an extended family of sorts. I was told more than once that people look out for each other and this particular group of people (near the end of our block) are particularly tight-knit. Apparently, Christmas in the 'hood is also a very big deal involving a Round Robin party, lots of food, lots of alcohol, and lots of fun. Something to look forward to, for sure.