Editor’s note: The Gazette is publishing short essays over the next several weeks to mark National Good Neighbor Day on Sept. 28. Have a story about good neighbors in your lives? Send your submission of 500 words or less to opinion@gazettenet.com.
It was a blessing when Jeanne and Jack moved into our neighborhood about 14 years ago. We didn’t know that then, but we have since learned what a great gift it is to have such wonderful neighbors.
They live two houses to the west of us on the same side of the street. Their house is up on a hill, and in the wintertime Jack can often be seen pushing his large snowblower up and down that hill to clear their driveway.
In the summertime Jeanne is out tending her gardens of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Sometimes she gives us a part of her harvest. Most any time of the year we can spot Jeanne and Jack wearing their yellow safety vests, riding their bicycles along the sides of the roads. When they’re driving, it’s in a small, fuel-efficient blue car.
But those are not the only things that make Jeanne and Jack such nifty neighbors. They wear those same yellow vests and walk along the roadsides with each one carrying a big bag to pick up trash. With Jeanne and Jack around, there is hardly ever any litter in our neighborhood. I’ve told Jack that back when Mayor Rudy Giuliani was still sane and running New York City, he made a point of keeping New York streets litter-free and contended that this kept the crime rates down. I kidded Jack that their litter patrols must be what has kept crime down in our rural Hilltown community.
It’s not just picking up litter on our busy street that makes Jeanne and Jack such great neighbors. Jeanne, who has no children of her own, volunteers at It Takes a Village, which is a no-profit group that helps young mothers and their children. And Jack volunteers every Saturday at the town transfer station, more commonly called “the dump,” to make sure that everyone is putting the right kind of trash and recycling materials in the correct containers.
Jeanne loves dogs although they don’t have one now. So to make up for this, she takes our dog for romps through the woods. Jeanne and Jack have even cleared a path from their backyard to ours to make it easier to run our dog back and forth.
There’s more to Jeanne and Jack being such special neighbors: When the seasons change at the spring and fall equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices, they host small gatherings behind their home to celebrate the revolution of Earth around the sun. At these parties we share popcorn and other treats and swap exaggerated tales and attempts at humor. But mostly, these get-togethers bring about community and caring for each other.
We couldn’t ask for better neighbors than Jeanne and Jack. They, and those like them, are what makes our town and the Hilltowns of western Massachusetts such a wonderful place to live.
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