Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Storm Gathering

Yesterday one of the fiercest storms we've had here ripped a large branch off a tree in our front yard.

Because I was diligently working in a nearby cafe, my car wasn't parked in its normal spot and the branch landed harmlessly on street and sidewalk, only tickling its leaves up against the neighbor's mailbox.

My husband came home soon after I and began the daunting task of cutting it up. Within minutes, our next door neighbor was there with his saw, helping. After that, each time I glanced out the window, another neighbor had shown up with equipment to assist.

Five guys with assorted chainsaws, ear protectors, and clippers made short work of that huge mess.

I'm just feeling so grateful for living in a neighborhood where people still gather to help each other, where we know each other by name and circumstance, and feel like working together is in our common interest. I think they actually had a lot of fun, reducing that hefty branch to logs and twigs.

Last night, the girls and I baked homemade chocolate chip cookies and dashed out through a break in the rain to deliver them, still warm, to all our helpers. Our way of saying thank you for a job well done.

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