Neighbors
Even though I lived in many homes, 5808 5th Terrace South Birmingham Alabama is the house I remember as the house where I grew up. It only had one bathroom when I lived there but it had an unusual corner tank toilet in the bathroom that I have never seen anywhere else.
The Hydenger’s neighbored on the left and Mrs. Wilma Williams was our neighbor to the right. There were two big pine trees in the front yard when I lived there in the mid to late 80’s and the front porch had screened-in windows but otherwise looked the same.
My Mom was always friends with our neighbors. She took over apple butter or some other lesser-known canned creation she made like cucumber marmalade that I still think resembled sinus infection snot.
We once came home and Ms. Harriss, an elderly neighbor laying in the street in front of our house. Mom called 911 and Ms. Harris refused to give her age, even to the EMT and I instantly admired her refusal to submit to medical authority. Ms. Harris lived in the brick cottage across the street. It had an arched front door and witches hat roofline that I still love.
Mrs. Harriss’ home with the arched front door was across the street and to the left on 5th Terrace South in Birmingham Alabama
Two other neighbors, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Meyers were both Widows and living their best life. Maymie Meyers drove a red Edsel until she had a car accident. That did slow her down a little but, she still volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club in Birmingham Alabama. Wilma Williams loved plants and working in her garden. There was a fig tree between our two houses. My mom made fig newtons once and shared them with all the neighbors. Mrs.Williams said she could have as many of the figs as she wanted. They both rented rooms in their homes at different times.
My childhood home with neighbors to the right in the blue house, Mrs. Wilma Williams and Mrs. Mamie Meyers beside her on 5th Terrace South in The Crestwood neighborhood of Birmingham Alabama. The Hydenger house is on the left of 5808.
The Hydengers lived in a three-story craftsman-looking house on the other side of our house. Mr. Hydenger smoked cigars and would flip the butts off his porch onto the ground between the houses. He also liked to watch TV at 2 a.m. with the volume turned up so loud that my parents, sleeping less than 10 feet from the Hydenger living room, would wake up. Until my Mom went over with some zucchini bread and kindly asked them to please turn down the TV volume late at night and put the cigar butts in the trash. That simple.
121 Long John Drive in Hendersonville NC is where I lived for two years before I graduated from West Hendersonville High School. This is the home where I got my driver’s license and the home I left in the middle of the night when faced with the ultimatum from my Dad…his way or the highway. We had great neighbors one door up the hill, who my mom kept in close contact with until they had both passed away. The Hendershots had welcomed our overactive, super long tongue-licking, slobbery, family dog, Amie, into their home for treats regularly.
I found my neighbor’s blind horse grazing in my front yard when I lived in Mills River North Carolina.
Mr and Mrs. Kerstein had all the North Port Florida neighborhood kids over for a cookout. Sara Kerstein loved me and was a safe place for me to go if ever my parents weren’t home. Mr. Kerstein washed his car a lot. Their house and yard were edged and tightly clipped.
A neighbor down the street cut my hair. My sister and I would go inside almost every house on 5th Terrace South, to gather newspapers and aluminum cans for a trip, my Mom, who was a Girl Scout Troop leader, was planning to take 40 girls to the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville Tennessee.
22 Robinwood Ave in Asheville NC was the first house bought. My then husband Jay and I only lived there 10 months before he had enough of working for the Soil Survey project contracted to DENR and NRCS. We had gotten a first time buyer loan through SECU that brought our interest rate to just below 4%, and the mortgage payment was just over $500/month but still felt like a struggle for our one income family of four. Jay took a job working for a private soil consulting firm that required us to move to Northern Georgia or southern-most NC on the GA/NC border. We had time to meet only one of our neighbors who lived one house down the hill and was a foster parent to many Asheville children.
259 Gingertree Lane in Franklin NC was in the middle of an acre and a half of land but we still knew and had a good relationship with our neighbors. This was the second home my then-married-self owned.
A condo in Summit Park, Flagstaff, Arizona was house number 3 for married me. One of my neighbors shared a honeydew melon with me and suggested squeezing some lime on it. I tried it and loved it, and now every time I eat honeydew with lime, it reminds me of those neighbors. This was the first place where I served on the HOA board of directors and managed my first rental home. It's also where I learned about fire suppression systems and how they work in uninsulated spaces. I learned about fire suppression systems and how they work in uninsulated spaces. I learned about fire suppression systems and how they work in uninsulated spaces.
21 E Cedar Ave in Downtown Flagstaff was the 4th home my now ex-husband and I bought together and the first home we really remodeled anything serious. My neighbor on the right side was a great cook and made delicious tamales, which I loved. Across the street, another neighbor would help me clear the ice berm at the end of my driveway using his skid steer, and in return, I would bake him a toll house pie. The neighbor behind our house was an avid birder and hiker who wrote articles for scientific publications. I had many insightful conversations with Sandra about a variety of topics, including plants and animals, parenting, and music.