The Just Typikel Blog

Good Neighbors Make Good Fences

Cast your eyes on this beaut.

stone fence post https://www.kellylmckenzie.com/good-neighbors-make-good-fences/What’s with the red pin? It’s designed to draw your instant attention to that top block with the stone cap. See it?

Excellent.

This delight caps off a stone post that stands about six inches taller than me. Two summers ago, I was perched on top, merrily wrapping a purple clematis plant around its perimeter when it suddenly dislodged. It was making a successful bid for freedom and just as it was about to catapult five feet into my neighbor’s garden below, I jumped. And tumbled ass over tea kettle into the neighbor’s front yard. Landing on my back, I felt the stone whiz over my head and heard it land with a thud mere inches from my elbow.

stone fence and flowers https://www.kellylmckenzie.com/good-neighbors-make-good-fences/

As my horrified assistant (my then 19 year-old daughter) called out to ask if I was ok, I did a quick head to toe. Mercifully I was fine, just startled and I hollered for her to join me pronto. We had to get the damn thing back on top of its perch before the neighbor noticed.

Why the rush? Because in true Just TypiKel fashion, I’m always calling on my neighbor for help. The poor guy. Surely he could do with a rest.

Permit me to introduce him.

the perfect neighbor https://www.kellylmckenzie.com/good-neighbors-make-good-fences/

Everyone, this is Mr. Chien. This is a photo of him doing what he does best. Fix things. I covertly snapped this picture a month or so ago when he was mending his leaking garage roof. I’ve positioned musical notes on the wires above his head to underline the effect of angels singing.

This man is a treasure.

Good Neighbors Make Good Fences

How is he a good neighbor? Lord, where to start.

1) He rescues my car out of snowbanks

When my children were 7 and 8, they were booked for a dentist appointment on the snowiest day of the year. The radio was calling for sane people to stay off the roads but of course we ventured out. We tootled along the lane behind our house with ease. Inching forward to check on nonexistent oncoming traffic at the end of the lane, the car suddenly slid sideways and shot into the hedge, ass backwards.

The tires spun with that high-pitched, fingernails on the blackboard squeal. They refused to grip. All thoughts of the dentist fled. My two darlings grew pale as the seriousness of the situation began to sink in. We were wedged in the hedge; they’d have to live there forever.

Just as all panicky hell was about to break out, a shadowy figure pressed his cupped face to the window.

Mr. Chien.

I feverishly rolled down that window and hollered the obvious.

“I’ve slid into the hedge.”

He gently opened the door and waved me out.

One quick rocking motion, a guttural roar of the engine and it was free of the foliage.

He dismissed my effusive thanks with a shy smile and set off down the hill. The rescued McKenzies crawled home to cancel the dentist and warm up with hot chocolates and a double gin.

2) He efficiently organizes things without rising my ire.

I’m not very good at being bossed. Perhaps it’s because of my 5 foot 2 stature. All my life folks have tried to nudge me aside, as if my opinion doesn’t count. So by now my radar is finely honed.  I never have to worry about that with Mr. Chien.

One example of his deftness in dealing with me took place a few years ago.  We had a car port load of stuff to get rid of when we stripped up the rugs and exposed the hardwood floor. Our contractor recommended we rent a bin. It was huge. With plenty of room to spare, I asked Mr. Chien if he’d like to dispose of some of their extras. He had double the amount we did. One look at my inefficient loading method (cart the stuff to the side and dump) he smiled, nodded and easily leapt inside. 25 minutes later the bits and bobs were sorted and we had enough space to hold a dinner party. For 12.

3) He always shovels our snowy sidewalk.

On snowy mornings I awake at dawn to the sound of scraping and a clean sidewalk.

4) He maintains our mutual fence

A cedar fence runs the length of one side of our two backyards. It is in regular need of repair. The winter rains and summer heat wreak havoc on the boards. Every August several of them pop out in pure rebellion.

Before I can even knock on his door, who’s on his knees hammering expertly measured fresh planks into place?

Yes good neighbors make good fences.

***

Ok, back to me tumbling onto my backside on his front lawn.

It must have been quite the sight, my daughter and I giggling to the point of hysteria, straining to lift the stone up over our heads. It was hopeless. The damn thing weighed a ton. We had to call for backup.

Not an hour later, Mr. Chien had a bucket of wet cement prepped and ready to slather. His response when I rushed out to help heft the stone back in place? A shy smile, a wave of the hand and a supreme solo effort.

Bless you, Mr. Chien.The world could certainly do with more people like you. Please NEVER move.

The world could certainly do with more people like you.

This post was inspired by the Finish The Sentence prompt of “The world really needs more …'”
As always, our host is the lovely Kristi . Today’s guest hosts are Shelley Oz (http://slightly-off-kilter.com/) and Anna Fitfunner (http://blog.fitfunner.com). Click on their names to be transported magically to the other posts on this prompt.

Enough about me and the concept that good neighbors make good fences. I’m curious about you. Do you have gems for neighbors?  Or are you saddled with dreadful ones? Are you a fencing specialist? Ever fallen ass over tea kettle into your neighbor’s front yard. Or is it just me? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.

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Kelly Mckenzie

Kelly McKenzie worked at her mother’s Vancouver Asian antique store for over a decade. After struggling to make her first sale, she went on to become her mother's dependable right-hand gal, picking up bookkeeping skills, marathon running and a husband along the way. A cast member of Seattle’s first Listen To Your Mother show, she’s been published in community newspapers across Canada, in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and in various blogs and anthologies. Never, Never, Hardly Ever is a result of Frankie’s endless encouragement to “get our antics out into the world.”

Comments

53 Responses

  1. Kelly, Mr. Chien sounds delightful!! He certainly deserves some of those delicious muffins that I’ve been seeing on your blog lately. Our neighbors are friendly enough, but not at the level of Mr. Chien! BTW, I hadn’t realized that you were 5’2″ inches tall — while reading your postings I’ve formed a mental image of you that is literally larger than life. I figured that someone who has done all that you’ve written about must be over 6′, and built like Wonder Woman! In any case, please say hello to Mr. Chien for me.

    1. Oh thank you, Anna, for taking note of the muffins! With my son home for the summer I’ve been baking up a storm. Hard to fill him up! And the fact that you thought I was taller? Wow – thank you. I don’t mind being short really except when I’m with a crowd of 13 year-olds and they’re all jostling about and each and every one is taller than me! and the girls flick their long hair into my face. :)) I just got back from a dog walk and ran into Mr. Chien. He’s pulling weeds in the lane and gave me a huge grin. Of course. He’s not terribly tall but his personality sure is!

  2. Kelly, yes, the world can certainly use more people like Mr. Chien. I’m so happy you have him for a neighbor (particularly as I remember another story about some not so wonderful neighbors). 🙂 We are also fortunate to have very kind and generous neighbors here. It makes a huge difference!

    1. I remember you saying that your neighbors were wonderful! We are blessed, aren’t we? And then there’s those others.
      I should have linked to that post about the neighbors from hell who wanted me to trim my tree! Thank you for remembering, Donna. They lived on the other side of me. That house, which sold last year, is up for sale again. Hopefully some Mr. Chien clones move in. I’ll keep you posted.

  3. Kelly! I want Mr. Chien to be my neighbor! He sounds like such a gem, truly. Yikes to the cement thing almost falling on your poor head. Glad you were and are okay! I love how you tied your title into Mr. Chien fixing your shared fence!

    1. He really is a splendid fellow, our Mr. Chien. He ws out weeding in the lane this morning and wearing the most extraordinary pair of yellow sunglasses. I wish I could take a photo however I suspect he’d be a tad perplexed as to why that was necessary. Maybe I can take another covert shot sometime. Enjoy BlogU!

  4. First, I cannot imagine for a second that anyone would dismiss you or think your opinion wouldn’t count–you are an amazing person! As for neighbors? Well, you got me with “neighbor envy”. My neighborhood is generally a “do your own thing but stay away from mine, and by the way — you should do this, and this, and we don’t like this, and this, and this…..and will report it…” The people behind me are basically invisible due to a giant garage. My neighbor on one side of me is most certainly Satan’s spawn. My neighbors on the other side are sweet kids with kids. He is an Iraq Vet and they have all they can do with managing their own situation. Me, SWF with 3 dogs, am pretty much alone on the island of life. I have neighbors down the block that became friends over the years, but they, too, have their hands full most of the time, so asking for help is awkward. What I would give for a Mr. Chien. OH what I would give!

    1. Aw thanks for your kind words. And I am sorry your neighbors aren’t up to snuff. They sound quite something. At least the Satan’s spawn ones do. I wish I could clone Mr. Chien and fire him over to you. My neighbors on the other side were horrid. You wouldn’t want them in your life. Happily they sold and now the new folks are selling after only living there for a year. Hopefully we get another Mr. Chien. I’ll keep ya posted.

  5. Wow. What a wonderful human being he is. I’m not sure I know anyone quite that helpful and selfless. What a gift. I’m sure you are good neighbor to him though too :).

    1. Yes, he really is a gem. The best part is that he doesn’t know it. He offers help selflessly and then gets on with the rest of his day. Love that.As for me being a good neighbor … well … I do keep him busy … does that count?

  6. So happy that you have such a wonderful neighbor Kelly. He sounds fantastic ! I am sure that he appreciates you and gets a lot of pleasure helping you out. We have neighbors on one side that we never see, and a lovely family on the other side with 4 great kids.

    1. Wish I could take a photo of his wonderful yellow sunglasses. Actually they are more orange than yellow. He is a gem, Jane. You’d grin just seeing him. So glad you have good neighbors too. Your neighborhood is really special I think. I’m looking forward to meeting up with A on Monday, too!

  7. Oh Kelly, you are just such a gifted writer. The way you unfold stories with such brilliant detail and wit, always captures my full attention and grips my heart completely. I always LOVE coming here to take it all in… <3

    God bless Mr Chien!!! You are absolutely right… the world surely needs more neighbors like him.

    1. Thank you for your kind comments, Chris and for popping by and having a visit. Yes, Mr. Chien is one in a million. I wish I could clone him and sprinkle him all about!

  8. I just love this. I have the Robert Frost poem in my head right now, which is not exactly the point of your post, of course. But this is wonderful. What a wonderful neighbor you have. I think people don’t know how to be neighbors – never mind good ones – quite like they used to. I think that’s sad. Here’s to you and your Mr. Chien!

    1. Oh now I have the Robert Frost poem in my head! With the exception of Mr. Chien my street is on a wave and smile basis only, however the block of folks a few streets away are truly remarkable. We meet up at the park with our dogs every so often (they meet there every morning at 9:00 if you’d like to join them) They asked me to come celebrate the arrival of a new puppy and a birthday. It was evident from their chats that they all help each other out whenever they can. Dogsitting, plant watering, house watching, etc. You name it.

      1. That sounds awesome. Yeah, it’s more of a wave and smile thing around here, too. People just kind of come and go and do their own thing. The two on either side of us we know a bit better, though, which is good.

        1. Just ran into the active neighbor group up at the park this morning. They are sharing the job of looking after someone’s dog. The person is vacationing and the group of about 8 folks are taking turns. Amazing.

  9. Kelly,
    You are lucky!!! We have had some great neighbors but also some real doozies, including a crazy mean one. Gah!
    Where I grew up, the entire street was one connected network of best neighbors. When floods rolled in, neighbors donned waders and brought buckets and helped clean, even the the homeowner was out of town. They take in mail, loan cars, bring food in times of need and celebrate. Lovely. Go Mr. Chien. 🙂

    1. That is a lovely way to grow up, Emily. There’s a block of neighbors like that a few streets away from me. I meet up with them in the park as we’re walking our dogs sometimes and they’re always organizing birthday parties, house watching, dogsitting, plant watering etc. Quite remarkable.

  10. Another delightful installment! Glad you didn’t get zonked by the heavy stone. I love my old neighbors that I had in my old house. Alas, I didn’t love the old house too much (too old & too small) so now I have a big new house with so-so neighbors. The ones directly by me are fine (yay!) but those around me in the subdivision are snooty – meh.

    Don’t move Mr. Chien. Don’t move!

    1. Yes it was a happy thing that I didn’t get zonked by the heavy stone, Katy. My poor daughter. She saw me sail over and heard the thud. Couldn’t see a thing until she scrambled around. Apparently was expecting the worst. As for your nieghbors … Hmmm. Maybe if you held a fourth of July party?

      1. Wait, did I tell you about the 4th of July? The snooty neighbors called the cops on us as we were legally shooting off fireworks on the 4th of July last year. Either they really ARE snooty or they were mad they weren’t invited. I loved having a big party in my backyard with many guests and welcoming Officer Dave from the police dept to the mix at 10pm on July 4th. He said a neighbor called and even though it was legal, he needed to check it wasn’t kids shooting them off. I’m the hostess with the most-est.

        1. Noooooo. Oh man that really must have been something. How delightful to welcome Officer Dave to the mix due to a neighbor’s invitation.

  11. What a lovely man Mr. Chien is – he definitely deserves the singing angels! We have the best neighbors on both sides of us, and my husband lives in fear that one of them is going to move away! I have to say I’ve never fallen into their yards though! 🙂

    1. That delight of tumbling into someone’s yard really is a treat. You should try it sometime.

  12. ahhhh what a sweet guy! Good neighbors are nothing to take for granted, you’re right! We have great ones and we’re so grateful, because that hasn’t always been the case.

  13. I want a Mr. Chien! He doesn’t sunbathe in the buff, does he? You are lucky to have him, but clearly you know that.

    We have new neighbors who I don’t like simply because they moved into one of my closest friend’s house – immature, I know. But I’m waiting for them to complain about the old pathetic fence that separates our properties, which is officially ours. I’ll keep you posted…

    1. No, he dons a long wrap around skirt when it gets hot. No nude sunbathing that I’m aware of. Yes, keep me posted on your fence. I guess there’s no way the new folks would pay half for a replacement …

  14. This post warmed my heart Kelly. So glad you have had such a good neighbor for so long … and SO glad you were not hurt when you fell!
    A young couple moved into the house next to ours in Cincinnati just a short time before I went into labor with my son. I couldn’t reach anyone on my long list of people that had agreed to stay with my 2-year old daughter until my in-laws could arrive from 2 hours away! Our new neighbors willingly came over and we became good friends after that!

    1. That is so kind of them to come over and look after your daughter. Wow. The timing of their move in was meant to be, eh?

  15. We, and our neighbors have lived here for 40+ years. In earlier years, their kids were regulars at our house since we made all sorts of messes did all sorts of fun things here their mothers wouldn’t allow. We also shared neighborhood cats for many years. Things are calmer now and we don’t see one another as often until, as is just now happening, the apricot tree in our backyard bears luscious juicy fruit. Apricots make for good neighbors.

    1. Oh you were the Irwins! My favorite neighbors when I was growing up. We’d spend hours over there during hazelnut season. How I wish I could pop over for an apricot or six, Linda. Your neighborhood sounds very special. It must be bittersweet to look back upon all the changes that have taken place over 40 years.

    1. They really are, aren’t they, Sacha? May the good ones never move and the less than desirable vanish. In a blink.

  17. What a wonderful neighbor you have! I can’t imagine moving away from my neighbors – they are always ready to help – but they stay out of business. When I was having a little party – my next door neighbor jumped on the roof earlier in the day and blew MY roof off. When a neighbors tree when down into my yard during a snowstorm, I ran an errand, and return with the tree cut up and on the road. But – I love in a cross-section of the world – 5 hours – one has a Parisian, one is a family from Bhutan that spent years in a refugee camp in Nepal, and one is from Argentina. So – good neighbors are universal I believe!

    1. Vickie, Vickie, Vickie! You are more than blessed. Wow. They cut up your tree for you while you were out? They prep your roof for a party? Who does that? I am so happy for you. It does my heart good as well to read that there are such kind people in the world.

      1. Seriously, the added bonus of no fence is when their kids outgrow things like playgrounds and houses they magically appear in our backyard.

  19. Oh that Mr. Chien – he’s a keeper! And only you Kelly could go flying over into a neighbor’s yard, land with a thud, and end up having us laugh. You are indeed amazing.

  21. I have a neighbor like this too! Last year my husband was working 7 days a week and I was feeling sorry for him. Since I became disabled he does a lot okay all of the heavy house cleaning (mopping, scrubbing, etc.) so I woke up feeling extremely well that morning and cleaned the house by myself from top to bottom. When he called at lunchtime I said “I did you a solid” and his response was “You had better not be out there mowing the grass” huh? Hadn’t even thought about that but did you say “you had better not”. That doesn’t work for me so I hung up the phone and immediately went to the garage to start mowing the grass. Lawnmowers are a funny thing, but I thought I could figure it out. I checked the oil and gas and filled them both apparently they are very picky about their fluids. I apparently put transmission fluid in the oil and the gas was the kind that goes in the weedeater only(it had two cycle oil in it) who knew? So when I couldn’t get it started I decided to introduce myself to my new neighbor and ask for his expertise. He informed me of my errors and got the right stuff in it and I took off mowing our 2-acre lot with a push mower…yeah. When around the corner here comes my white knight…I mean my neighbor on his big old John Deere riding lawnmower and he mowed my whole yard before hubby got home! Now everytime we go somewhere my neighbor sneaks over and mows our yard! SCORE!!!!

    1. You have no idea how this revelation makes me smile. Oh man, you are SO like me. I was three weeks from my due date with my second when my husband called out to me as he left for work “Don’t mow the lawn. I’ll do it when I get home.” “Don’t do it” doesn’t really work for me either. At the time we had a push mower and I set to it. Mowed the backyard and the front. Went into labor that very evening …
      Your white knight is really quite the gem. Love that he continues to mow it when you leave town. SO very kind. He and Mr. Chien should meet.

  22. Oh my goodness, Kelly! I’m so glad you escaped injury! Good neighbors are just indispensable aren’t they! Even with our meandering life style we run into more “good” neighbors then “bad”. Someone is always willing to lend a helping hand when needed!

    1. That’s lovely, Debbie. I’ve seen some of the photos you’ve posted and your crew look like wonderful fun. May you keep attracting good neighbors!

  23. Who knew that one needed a crash helmet to wear while gardening! Thank goodness for Mr. Chen and all of those superstar neighbors like him.

    1. Grinning here over the crash helmet reference, Mo. Too funny. I truly hope that he didn’t see me fall ass over tea kettle onto his side of the wall. If he did he has shown remarkable restraint in commenting on it.

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Kelly L Mckenzie

Kelly McKenzie worked at her mother’s Vancouver Asian antique store for over a decade. After struggling to make her first sale, she went on to become her mother’s dependable right-hand gal, picking up bookkeeping skills, marathon running and a husband along the way.

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