I recently read about some folks I know getting together and having a firewood chopping party
for a sick neighbor! Here is the note that I sent them:
for a sick neighbor! Here is the note that I sent them:
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| Ticks, good friends, and chopping wood... |
Folks, that kind gesture by these neighbors helping out someone
reminded me of something. Hearing about this DID strike a nerve in
me, as it reminded me of how kind some people can be even in this
sometimes unpleasant world we live in.
So I’ll tell you about something that happened to me a while back, and
how I learned the true meaning of country hospitality. But first I
gotta tell you that I come from a place where you can live for years,
and often you don’t even know your next door neighbors. And people
are more likely to run you off the road, than to wave hello like we do in
the Ozarks...
When I first bought my Missouri dirt, er, uhhh, rocks, I was SO happy
to finally get a chance to spend some time there. I packed up my
honey and all the camping gear, (in that order) and we’re off to the
hills! I should point out that this was vacant property. The original
owners hadn’t been there in 20 years. It was overgrown and wild, and
the driveway had only been used by the occasional hunters.
So anyways, we FINALLY got there. Hurray! Now what? Parked out
in the road, I got out to see the original driveway was so overgrown
we couldn’t even get in there to park. It was ALSO Spring. We
quickly found out tick season was in full bloom. The grass and weeds
were over 2 feet high, and no matter how much tick spray we used, we
were still covered with the little suckers! By now my usually quiet gal
was swearing like a truck driver as she picked ticks off of
“everywhere” on her body. Now when she’s in THAT kind of a mood, I
usually find it safer if I go for a walk. (wink)
Within just a few minutes, a neighbor across the road came over and
introduced himself. How nice. We chatted a bit as he told me all
about the neighborhood, and who was who around there. Then it was
“Nice to meet ya” as I figured I’d better get back to my gal.
So I go check to make sure a bear hadn’t eaten her or something,
while trying to figure out how we’re gonna camp, or even get in there?
Now I’m still scratching my chin and trying to figure this out, as the
new neighbor and HIS next door neighbor came over. Get this... with
weed whackers!!! They spent what seemed like forever clearing out
this overgrown jungle for us. We now had a driveway, a huge place to
camp, and plenty of room to view our new Missouri dirt. Sweaty and
tick covered, they laughed and welcomed us again, and went home.
WOW! We were shocked at how nice these folks were to people they
didn’t even know. But of course, they must be the exception? We
were just lucky enough to run into the two nicest folks around. Surely
there couldn’t be other people like this around here?
The next day a bunch of the neighbors down the road got together and
had a fish fry for us. The following night (during a thunderstorm), at
midnight a pick-up truck pulled up to our place. More neighbors had
heard where we were camping. So they had watched the weather
channel and wanted us to come and spend the night with them (as it
was predicted bad storms were coming in). We didn’t even know
these people, and here they were at midnight trying to get us in out of
the rain! We did decline, as we were determined to spend every
minute we could on our new place, but it was SO nice of them to offer
the help.
Now wait... there’s more... The next day, still more neighbors showed
up. We had no boat, and although we were on the water, we were not
close enough to anywhere we could easily rent one. So of course these
new neighbors took us out in theirs. We got a private tour of the lake
by people who had lived on it for more than twenty years! What nice
people they are. Later in the day, we jumped in the car just to go for a
ride. We wound up a couple of towns over as we started getting
hungry. Not looking for a “restaurant” we picked the smallest little
café kind of a place to eat. The lady there was the owner, (complete
with her kids playing with their trucks on the floor). We felt so “at
home” there, that it was like having dinner with our family. She told us
how she and her hubby started out like we were doing so many years
ago. She also said the first year she had no plumbing, and she
showered outside with one of those bags you hang from a tree, (like
the one we had). hehe... She said she loves it there, and that first year
was the best time she’s ever had in her life. I know what she means!
We later met people at the grocery store, the gas station, and down
at the dock where some folks talked us into? using the wave riders
they had. Geeeezzzz... And by now my arm was tired from waving
back to so many people greeting us as we drove down the backroads
exploring the countryside.
By the time we got back to our campsite we found out someone had
snuck in there while we were gone. Oh oh... then we found out that a
little “country elf” had left us a bag of what? We opened it up to see
fresh veggies. Also in the bag was a note that simply said “fresh from
the garden – Welcome”. And there were still other neighbors that
insisted we go for a ride on their pontoon boat as they showed us
around the lake so we could try out all the best swimming spots.
And on and on... Yes, I could keep going on about people we didn’t even
know inviting us for lunch, or wanting to lend us their bush-hogger (as
we stared at each other trying to figure out what kind of a new
“hog/pig” a bush-hog was?). And even people lending us the “right
kind” of fishing gear, and telling us where to go to catch the “big uns”
(as they put it), and so on.
Coming from the city, we learned of a new kind of life and a new kind
of people. It’s the way things SHOULD be. We will always be
grateful to those folks that were so kind to us. That first couple of
weeks changed us forever, and we try to pay those folks back by
treating everyone we meet the way were greeted those first few
days. We learned that country is not where you’re at, but what’s in
your heart.
Oh, how I love those hills... and the people that live there.
Ozarkguy
reminded me of something. Hearing about this DID strike a nerve in
me, as it reminded me of how kind some people can be even in this
sometimes unpleasant world we live in.
So I’ll tell you about something that happened to me a while back, and
how I learned the true meaning of country hospitality. But first I
gotta tell you that I come from a place where you can live for years,
and often you don’t even know your next door neighbors. And people
are more likely to run you off the road, than to wave hello like we do in
the Ozarks...
When I first bought my Missouri dirt, er, uhhh, rocks, I was SO happy
to finally get a chance to spend some time there. I packed up my
honey and all the camping gear, (in that order) and we’re off to the
hills! I should point out that this was vacant property. The original
owners hadn’t been there in 20 years. It was overgrown and wild, and
the driveway had only been used by the occasional hunters.
So anyways, we FINALLY got there. Hurray! Now what? Parked out
in the road, I got out to see the original driveway was so overgrown
we couldn’t even get in there to park. It was ALSO Spring. We
quickly found out tick season was in full bloom. The grass and weeds
were over 2 feet high, and no matter how much tick spray we used, we
were still covered with the little suckers! By now my usually quiet gal
was swearing like a truck driver as she picked ticks off of
“everywhere” on her body. Now when she’s in THAT kind of a mood, I
usually find it safer if I go for a walk. (wink)
Within just a few minutes, a neighbor across the road came over and
introduced himself. How nice. We chatted a bit as he told me all
about the neighborhood, and who was who around there. Then it was
“Nice to meet ya” as I figured I’d better get back to my gal.
So I go check to make sure a bear hadn’t eaten her or something,
while trying to figure out how we’re gonna camp, or even get in there?
Now I’m still scratching my chin and trying to figure this out, as the
new neighbor and HIS next door neighbor came over. Get this... with
weed whackers!!! They spent what seemed like forever clearing out
this overgrown jungle for us. We now had a driveway, a huge place to
camp, and plenty of room to view our new Missouri dirt. Sweaty and
tick covered, they laughed and welcomed us again, and went home.
WOW! We were shocked at how nice these folks were to people they
didn’t even know. But of course, they must be the exception? We
were just lucky enough to run into the two nicest folks around. Surely
there couldn’t be other people like this around here?
The next day a bunch of the neighbors down the road got together and
had a fish fry for us. The following night (during a thunderstorm), at
midnight a pick-up truck pulled up to our place. More neighbors had
heard where we were camping. So they had watched the weather
channel and wanted us to come and spend the night with them (as it
was predicted bad storms were coming in). We didn’t even know
these people, and here they were at midnight trying to get us in out of
the rain! We did decline, as we were determined to spend every
minute we could on our new place, but it was SO nice of them to offer
the help.
Now wait... there’s more... The next day, still more neighbors showed
up. We had no boat, and although we were on the water, we were not
close enough to anywhere we could easily rent one. So of course these
new neighbors took us out in theirs. We got a private tour of the lake
by people who had lived on it for more than twenty years! What nice
people they are. Later in the day, we jumped in the car just to go for a
ride. We wound up a couple of towns over as we started getting
hungry. Not looking for a “restaurant” we picked the smallest little
café kind of a place to eat. The lady there was the owner, (complete
with her kids playing with their trucks on the floor). We felt so “at
home” there, that it was like having dinner with our family. She told us
how she and her hubby started out like we were doing so many years
ago. She also said the first year she had no plumbing, and she
showered outside with one of those bags you hang from a tree, (like
the one we had). hehe... She said she loves it there, and that first year
was the best time she’s ever had in her life. I know what she means!
We later met people at the grocery store, the gas station, and down
at the dock where some folks talked us into? using the wave riders
they had. Geeeezzzz... And by now my arm was tired from waving
back to so many people greeting us as we drove down the backroads
exploring the countryside.
By the time we got back to our campsite we found out someone had
snuck in there while we were gone. Oh oh... then we found out that a
little “country elf” had left us a bag of what? We opened it up to see
fresh veggies. Also in the bag was a note that simply said “fresh from
the garden – Welcome”. And there were still other neighbors that
insisted we go for a ride on their pontoon boat as they showed us
around the lake so we could try out all the best swimming spots.
And on and on... Yes, I could keep going on about people we didn’t even
know inviting us for lunch, or wanting to lend us their bush-hogger (as
we stared at each other trying to figure out what kind of a new
“hog/pig” a bush-hog was?). And even people lending us the “right
kind” of fishing gear, and telling us where to go to catch the “big uns”
(as they put it), and so on.
Coming from the city, we learned of a new kind of life and a new kind
of people. It’s the way things SHOULD be. We will always be
grateful to those folks that were so kind to us. That first couple of
weeks changed us forever, and we try to pay those folks back by
treating everyone we meet the way were greeted those first few
days. We learned that country is not where you’re at, but what’s in
your heart.
Oh, how I love those hills... and the people that live there.
Ozarkguy
| I just wish I could have been there to help. I’m terrible with an axe, but I “tote wood” pretty darn good. That was SO nice of you folks. It’s too bad there’s not more of this now a days. You are all a prime example of what good friends and neighbors really are! |
| Ozarkguy |
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