I was working in the yard (3+ acres) when lightning started getting bad. I retreated to my back porch and popped a beer. My neighbor to the North came by to bring me a shrimp casserole she prepared....more beers. Then it started really cracking with lots of sharp cloud to ground strikes nearby. I remarked jokingly, that I was glad I didn't stay out or I might get struck from collateral damage when my neighbor to the South got hit (she has at times been intolerant of my shooting and never was friendly to my neighbor to the North). Boom! Lightning struck her pump and a huge pink ball of fire erupted. I called the neighbor, but she was not home. So my dear neighbor Sissy and her boyfriend ran next door, in the middle of the storm to put out the fire. I assisted, as I still had my Big Chopper strapped on from yard work. I Cut a trail thru the palmettos and and Sissy put out the fire with buckets of water as the power was out.

Kosher fresh eggs from the neighbor's hens were our reward. Just do good and the karma wheel will work. I bet Sissy gets invited to the next oyster roast. No, my Jewish neighbor to the South does not keep a kosher diet, but now she knows that her semi-heathen Christian neighbors care about her. Love and doing the right thing is its own reward. But I'm looking forward to those fresh eggs. My wife, Susan just loved it all. We are blessed. Just be a good neighbor and you will eventually have good neighbors.

Good to hear everything worked out

We all gotta look out for each other in these crazy times in which we live.

Had we not been on my back porch, we would not have seen it. While I have long since made peace with the neighbor to the South, she never invited my neighbor to the North to her oyster roasts. I bet that changes now. We have all become a tight knit community in recent years. We help each other out all the time. Now this one event will unite us more, as Sissy put all such differences aside to save her neighbor's property. Our political, ecomomic class, or religious differences are shrinking into insignificance. This makes me happy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'll let ya'll guess which big knife I was using. It is one that whacks bush well. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

VIC, good on you and Sissy/boyfriend. Don't know why your neighbor wasn't all that friendly, but I'm glad to hear this has or is changing.

No matter how much we think we don't need anyone else, we do, at least at times.

Great work Vic and friends. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

These are difficult times for many. The housing crash has cost some of my neighbors a lot because they were contractors. A survivalist mentality has become the norm. Some have lost property and businesses. But we have all had to adapt to the new conditions, and some have started gardens and such. I am happy to say that I have been on good terms with most of my neighbors for a few years. We truly do need each other. Love and forgiveness go a long way to getting rid of past petty ill will that was rampant when I moved out here in 2000. Today turned out very well indeed.

Keep up the good work Vic, You can bring the community together into a close knit helpful and happy community, willing to help one another.

I am glad that everything worked out and your neighbor is very lucky to have a neighbor like you! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Good story and: agreed, sir!

B1

Glad no one was hurt.

Just goes to show: EDC'ing big chopper is always a recommended!
Good job. It always feels good to give your knives a good work out.

i realize that this stuff gets embedded into some peoples characters but I never can understand why anybody would hold onto this kind of stuff. just hard to believe people carry around a laundry list of reasons to be at odds with somebody or something...

it's good that neighbors can look past the obvious and be what they obviously should be. good neighbors... hopefully some of this will leech out into the rest of the world.