On Being Neighborly

"We'll have bread and cheese for dinner, and eat it on our knees; we'll make up for having had to eat sloppy puddings with a fork instead of a spoon all this time, by putting our knives in our mouths till we cut ourselves. Papa shall pour his tea into his saucer if he is in a hurry; and if I'm thirsty, I'll take the slop-basin...After all, I think I can be happy again; for months and months it has seemed as if I had got too old ever to feel pleasure, much less happiness again."

- Molly Gibson, Wives and Daughters written by Elizabeth Gaskell

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Our house is situated in a corner lot  and so we only have neighbors to one side of us. The other day, the couple next door came knocking, bearing gifts of welcome. A loaf of bread. A tall bottle of pinot girgio. A sampling of cheese. 

"Welcome to the neighborhood!" they said. 

We thanked them, smiling, and felt very welcome indeed.