Isn't this the coolest?

Our neighbor, Mike, built a replica Model A from scratch. Like Hubby said, "He's like MacGyver and Mr. Wizard, all rolled into one!" Of course, all the kids (except Sam) took a ride. What a cool way to celebrate Independence Day!

Like I NEEDED that!

Tonight, we had our annual neighborhood party at our neighbor Mike's house. Every year, about 6 couples/families get together from houses surrounding ours, and we have a little pitch-in. Hubby and I bring our brood, Mike & his wife invite their grandkids, all the other neighbors come armed with good stories and good food, and we all have a good time. 

This year's party was no disappointment, especially in the story department. Let me just share my favorite with you, so you can share my horror and amazement, mmkay? 

The folks that own the house three doors down from us are avid gardeners, both of flowers and food. Mrs. Neighbor related a story to us that has me, well, a bit spooked. As she was cleaning up around the backyard a few days ago, she moved a trash can aside to get to some leaves. And what did she find behind said trash can? Go ahead. Guess. 

A snake? Nooooo, snakes are too commonplace. Not a snake. That's too easy. Guess again.

A mouse? Nope. Did I mention Mrs. Neighbor has several cats? No, not a rat either. Not a rodent of any variety. 

A spider, you say? Yeppers, that's what it was. But no common, everyday, ordinary spider. IT WAS A @$%$&%#$%@ TARANTULA!!

So what did she do when she saw the wee little beastie? Well, I'd love to tell you, but unfortunately when she said, "Tarantula" (you have to read that like in the movies, ya know? All slooooooowwww and warped and creepy-like, all deep-voiced like a tape recorder with bad batteries - taaaaraaaaaannnnnntuuuuullllllaaaaa) my brain stopped functioning at a thinking level and started functioning at a "I'm going to wrap our house in plastic and not come out until the first good snow has blanketed the ground with 16 inches of arachnid-killing freezing cold precipitation and that thing better not come after my babies or I'll go all Mama Bear on his a**."  Yeah, didn't catch the rest of the story, except to know that the cursed, hairy thing is still on the loose in my 'hood! 

Thank You, God, that I was born in the Midwest, and it freezes here. Thank You that it's nearly October, and the first good killing frost is coming. Please help me resist the temptation to Google "tarantula" (taaaaaaaaaarrrrraaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnntttttttttuuuuuuulllllllaaaaaa) and find out all kinds of creepy facts about venom and eyes on stalks and palps and exoskeletons. 

***shudder***

Being Neighborly

Our neighbor, Mike, is an avid and accomplished woodworker. He's also the grandfatherly type, and loves our kids. This past weekend, Cory and I hosted a yard sale in our front yard, and Mike put several items in to sell himself: a beautiful wall clock (that he made), an amazing rocking chair (that he made), some tools, and this plane (that he made) - pretty cool, isn't it? 

Since Mike didn't sell the plane in the sale, he decided to give it to Joey. I suppose I don't even need to tell you that Joey is thrilled. He told Mike that he was going to, "get on my plane and fly away!" 

Most of our neighbors are great folks. Mike is retired, and sits on his porch for much of the day, watching the comings and goings in our neighborhood. (That's a great thing to have - if you ever need to know what's going on on our street, just ask Mike.) He also knows the best places to get your car fixed or find a good deal on mechanical items. Vaughn & Cindy, our neighbors to the south, regularly offer us surplus from their garden, and invite our family to swim in their pool. This weekend, they gave me some jeans that they were going to take to Goodwill, so I could use them in my scrap quilt. A neighbor down the street has gifted me with bags of clothes her daughter has outgrown. Another neighbor gave us a case (that's 20 boxes) of granola bars that he got for free. We try to reciprocate, offering our garden extras (right now, cucumbers!), coupons, and grass-cutting when someone's out of town. 

Its a wonderful blessing, having a little community of people around that look out for each other, and offer help when they can. Maybe we're fortunate that most of our neighbors are a generation ahead of us, so they know how to be neighborly. I hope that it's not something that will be lost, as people of our generation sequester themselves in their homes with internet, iPod, and satellite TV. (Not to mention air conditioning - it's darn hot in my neighborhood today.)