Priceless neighbors..

I's got's to be the luckiest guy around...... Kid (??? 30 years old) that works on my tractor and his family grew up in the former east germany (communist) and had to wait unimaginable times to get stuff or learn to make/repair their own including vehicles, tractors, and other machines.

Anyway, the boy is butt ugly and maybe gay or just smart (has nor wants a girlfriend).... and has plenty of free time. Dad is retired and has time and skills in just about everything except mechanics (kid takes over there).
Kid has me at pretty much zero issues on the tractor and won't ask for anything but I showed him a northern tool and HF catalog and told him that I would do the order for him (shipping and customs issues). He gave me a list that I ordered and I won't let him pay for it.
His dad OTH, always walks his dog by when I'm fooling with the horses and stuff around the place and will "inspect stuff" and tell me what needs fixed. Had a little trailer that was pretty wobbly and beat up that I was going to junk this summer when the plates expired. He borrowed it, brought it back a couple days later in better than new (except for paint) condition and asked if 50 bucks was too much (to cover his parts).
Horse trailer ramp was wobbly and I asked him for an idea to maybe weld a couple straps to the existing hinges and relocate the bolts. Said he'd try and took the trailer to his house. Brought it back today with the ramp completely redone with new marine plywood, cleats for walking, and the rubber matt cleaned like new and reinstalled and nice panels made from the leftover sheet to replace 2 pieces of rubber mat that I had hanging from bailer twine on the frt ties (to heep our small horses from trying to go under. Asked for 50 bucks plus material. I always offer to help if he needs anything and the wife tokes care of his animals if they get down (not often) but I get more out of him/them. They don't want or need money and won't ask for anything except a couple steaks from the commissary. Makes me feel bad when I can't give anything back. I slip to the bakery and deli on weekends now and then and grab a basket of stuff for sunday breakfast but it don't add up to what I get from them. If I leave and the wife is alone with all the animals, he patrols the pastures 2 or 3 times a day and makes sure everyone is where they belong. What can you do for those kind of folks without insulting them????

Dave

Dave2,

I've had neighbors like that, and I never did figure out how to say "thank you" appropriately.

I strongly suspect that they are just returning the favors that you have done for them.

The old saying is, "What goes around, comes around". Be grateful and help them whenever they need it.

Have a good day, from a former neighboring Hoosier (not the Indiana University Hoosier).

Stan

You are real lucky. Many people would give a lot to have friends/helper/neighbors like that. Of course, I think that us country folks have it pretty nice, cause it seems like we all have a friend or two who would do anything for us.

As to what to do for them, I don't know if there is much you can do except offering your expertise when they need it, and slipping in an extra 10 or 20 dollar bill when you pay for their help.

Have a good evening, SF

If he's from East Germany, he might just be showing his appreciation to an American for their liberation from the Communists.

Throw some steaks on the grill and invite them over for a cook out.

Cherish that kid because people like him are pretty rare. I'll admit I have a few good neighbors but there are times I feel like I am caught in the depths of hell for some of the others. Back when things were going tough for me there were a few that were pretty open about hoping I would go away and snap up the farm in the process. I think there are probably some that are disappointed I wake up in the morning and no I never borrowed money or equipment from them.

I understand-We all want to keep score-we prefer not to be indebt to our neighbor-We want to keep the score even steven. Sounds like you've come across someone who wants to help and does not keep score. Do what you can for them, pay them when they will accept,and thank them always. gobble

I had a neighbor like that- he'd pull maintenance on my stuff when he borrowed it, and even fix things like clutch (that was just worn out) if it stopped working on his watch. He'd borrowed my baler- as you know, stress is on the same tooth on the bull gear with every revolution, and it finally gave way. He got an old guy over who had been a welder, and they took it all apart, built up the broken tooth with welder (and machined it down so you couldn't tell it, except for the discoloration from welding), cut a new keyway so now it would be a different tooth getting the stress. Neither of them would take a cent for their work.

We had a blizzard in '78- living in a mobile, power went out, I was just trying to think of what to do, when the phone rang, and he said, "You don't have any heat! Get over here right now!" We stayed 5 days, never ate so well in my life (they were Mormons, and had a year's food- they were thrilled to actually be able to use some of it!).

When we went to Disneyland with our little kids, he dispatched our old dog (by pre-agreement), buried it, and built a little cross for the grave- now that's WAY beyond the call of duty!

He was just a great guy- I tried to even up any way I could, but I think I was ahead in the end. I attended his funeral at age 90, and told stories of all the things he'd done for us over the years.

RIP, Charlie Faith!

Dave, I have lost all my good friends and neighbors and I can tell ya that when one person is generous with help, really doesn't require a PAYBACK PLAN.Folks do it because it is the right thing to do by helping one another.Ever heard the expression "GENEROUS TO A FAULT"?.Well the fault lies with the receiver not appreciating the goodness of the giver.Various ways to show appreciation to those who understand the NEEDS of others. The words, Thanks covers it all. One can lay in wait for the opportunity to return the goodness. It really isn't necessary to try and make certain the deed is paid back right away. There will be things that come up in normal conversation that gives a clue to what would make life a little easier for a friend in need. Then strike while the iron's hot. My friend who passed away left us in her will.We aren't in need of money but could dam well use her as a friend again. Your mechanic friend sounds like he could use a certain tool to make life a little easier for him, so there may be way to help and say Thank you, all at the same time.It really isn't hard to find one who understands NEED,but it is hard to find one who will do things with out the thoughts of getting a pay back.You will find a lot of ways to make life easier for him with short visits every now and then. Good grief, how I miss those days. Incorporate him and his family into your life Just a little, every now and then. Makes you a better person for it. Regards, LOU.

I have good neighbors like that, I just try to do anything I can back
for them.

I've lived in the same place for 60 years.The only time i see my neighbors is when they want something for nothing.I had a 250ft roll of plastic field tile laying in front of my farm shop.A neighbor that i seldom see stopped and asked "are you going to throw that away".Throw that away i said,i just bought it.He just turned away an left.

You already said you can get stuff shipped much more cheaper than a foreigner can get it for. Things like that mean a lot in it's own.

When I do for others as a friend, All I expect is a thank you , and the possibility I may get a favor in return from skills I do not have.
Up until this year ( Only because my tractor was down) I have plowed the neighbors driveway several times. His wife always brings baked goods over when she bakes. He is a good welder and sometimes I need something welded or fabricated he is always there -- don't even charge me for the rod he burns. Most neighbors know I'm here if they need anything and I know they are there too.

Ever think Dad in his retirement is bored to the eyeballs with nothing to do and is happy when something of yours needs repairs, send him over here I will have him occupied until the long march.
The butt ugly, concentrate on the personality. the other part is beyond his control.
Throw Dad a fee extra steaks, being your watchdog, don't buy him a collar.

Incidentally my neighbours don't have a price, they are free and I'm not even looking for a good home.

When did you liberate East Germany???????

that would be le roy when i call him his wife answaers then le roy says virgil who? what does he want?
in about 5 mintues he is sitting in my yard.
i have told him if i can help you let me know as him will do the same for me.

I have the opposite,I got one dumb as a box of rocks, civil service paycheck, dad died so the farm must go... for 3 times what it is worth... so of course he is still there. I fix the carb on his workbull, two weeks soaking in my cleaner, $25 kit, 3 miserable hours on the most worn out carb you'd ever see, now purrs like a kitten. Told me what a great job I did, threw me a 20... close enough for freinds eh? I bought a lot of his dad's equipment,'cause he's to stupid and high class to put it to work. Today he has a trailer full of stuff, he used the sweet running Massey to load it up for the scrap yard... with lots of missing pieces to the stuff I bought, and other things I could use, or repair for him to use again... he sez he showed me all this before and I didn't want it, not true, he sad it was already sold, not true, my missing parts and stuff his dad hand made and are still usefull are in the big pile in the city, he refused to take my offer for cash for his guess on what each thing I wanted weighed. If you are bored with your neighbors, I'll trade ya. Lots of Russian, eastern europeans around here lately. They say the 'paranoia'? of kings to KGB, etc. extreme poverty, hopelessness, and middle ages mentality give all of them a kinda...dismal?... personality. Funny, most dirt poor asians from commie countries don't keep that mindset for so long.... once they smell freedom, don't look anywhere but up... my Chinese tenants lost grandpa, so ma had to go back on short notice, I said to the kids "if you need a break on the rent this summer to cover her ticket, just say so". She sez "oh we found a cheap ticket, used paypal, and gave mom $2000 in cash to invest for the rest of the family in China". So I sez "the next time I feel sorry for you, please stop me"....

I recognize that there are a lot of people who view the fall of the Soviet Union and the ending of Communist rule in eastern Europe as a tragedy, but I think you'll find that the people of Eastern Europe by and large prefer the freedom that they've seen since that event. If you don't think the United States was responsible for that, you need to read up on your history.

(quoted from post at 10:49:59 04/30/11) I recognize that there are a lot of people who view the fall of the Soviet Union and the ending of Communist rule in eastern Europe as a tragedy, but I think you'll find that the people of Eastern Europe .

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I got here 2 months after the wall came down and am close to the former border. Some of the folks are decent to just real good folks, some are worthless and think that the former west owes them their future because of the past that make you wish the wall had been built a couple meters higher..... I go into the old east quite a bit looking at horses and just fooling around. There are some beautiful houses there that folks just abandoned to flock west and are just neglected now with trees growing out of the gutters. A lot were looted and the stuff turned up on ebay and sometimes still does. Some stayed there and took advantage of the situation to expand and made some nice farms.