We've been sucked into the good neighbor vacuum

I'm not sure when it happened, but apparently we've been sucked into the good neighbor vacuum.  There's a new needy neighbor in town, and she asks for more stuff than I do!  It's funny how this stuff works, isn't it?  It's nice to know that I'm not alone.  I ask for random ingredients and she asks for things that are even more random.

A few days ago, I got a call from my neighbor, Joanne, who is around the corner and across the street.  She needed laundry detergent.  That was a first for me.  I've been asked to give the kids a ride to school or religious ed, but never been asked for detergent.  Sure, why not.  Later that day, I picked up her daughter from school since she lost track of time and forgot to pick her up.  Next thing I know, I'm running thank you notes over to her so her kids can write an end of year thank you note to the teacher.  Ok, that's fine, no big deal. That lead to me picking up their dinner from my favorite pizza place.  And that lead to Bryan fixing their computer and coaching her husband Rob through the assembly of the leaf bag for his riding mower.  In return, I was told a priceless story about their pool contractor finding them in shall we say a compromising situation.  A situation that could have been avoided by using something called curtains. 

Then we fast forward to yesterday evening.  Joanne calls me wanting to know if she can store a grill box in my garage until tonight.  She wants to surprise her husband for Father's Day.  I told her she could.  Then she shows up with an incredibly heavy box that requires two men to move it.  So I had to call my neighbor from down the street, who doesn't know the neighbor from around the corner and across the street, to help out.  Look at that! I'm building a community based on favors.  So poor Ed, probably wishing he had never answered the phone, came down to help.  Next thing you know, Joanne is asking for grill assembly. Really?

Bryan and Ed, being the good neighbors that they are told her they'd put the grill together.  It took them close to two hours.  They also decided that they would walk the grill over to Joanne and Rob's house tomorrow night.  Assembly and doorstep delivery? Wow!

Today I am going shopping with Joanne for curtains (Yeah, they need 'em!).  She likes the way I've decorated my house and she wants my help with window treatments.  So it looks like I'll be playing decorator today.  I like shopping when I get to spend other people's money.