Welcome to My Neighborhood - Crazyville.
This week's Spin Cycle writing prompt was "neighborhood." We are very fortunate to live in a wonderful community and I did not say that because one neighbor reads this blog.
We live in a suburb of Chicago that is only 45 minutes away from the heartbeat of downtown Chicago and less than an hour away from the country. Our neighborhood started in the 1920s by a group of promenant Chicago executives who convinced the Chicago Northwestern Railroad to add a commuter stop for their future mansions. From the 1920s to today, the commuter stop drew people to the neighborhood. That was the reason why I purchased the house back in 2003 - with my own money. Thank you very much.
What truly made our piece of earth a neighborhood were the people. We enjoy chats over a rusted fence, swap produce that had grown between our yards and news through kitchen windows. Our neighbors have been kind to get our mail/newspaper and remember my children's birthdays. For the past seven years my oldest had only known our neighbor to the south as Mrs. Dorothy. During the warmer months, she would visit Mrs. Dorothy to deliver something from the garden, a picture she drew or just to chat. When my middle child was old enough, she would join her older sister to visit Mrs. Dorothy. Several times I reminded the girls to come home only to be swatted away and told they were having a nice visit. Several years later I learned my kids were the only people she would talk to on a regular basis. Back in March, Mrs. Dorothy passed away at 93 years of age. Her passing was not a surprise but my girls missed their chats. Yesterday, I look at her house and remember my neighbor who was truly more a friend. I was surprised to learn Mrs. Dorothy shared more stories with me than her own grown daughter. My favorite was how she hoarded meat ration cards so guests at her wedding could eat meat during World War II.
Connie and Mark live only fifteen feet to the north of our house. We have a unique tradition when something big happens in our lives. I announced our engagement and pregnancies on a sign that hung in a window that faced their kitchen. Connie announced both her daughters' engagements and pregnancy the same way. For several years we both checked out the windows on a weekly basis for the latest news.
What is your neighborhood like? Join the Spin Cycle and tell us all about it.
Sharon, the Mayor
We live in a suburb of Chicago that is only 45 minutes away from the heartbeat of downtown Chicago and less than an hour away from the country. Our neighborhood started in the 1920s by a group of promenant Chicago executives who convinced the Chicago Northwestern Railroad to add a commuter stop for their future mansions. From the 1920s to today, the commuter stop drew people to the neighborhood. That was the reason why I purchased the house back in 2003 - with my own money. Thank you very much.
What truly made our piece of earth a neighborhood were the people. We enjoy chats over a rusted fence, swap produce that had grown between our yards and news through kitchen windows. Our neighbors have been kind to get our mail/newspaper and remember my children's birthdays. For the past seven years my oldest had only known our neighbor to the south as Mrs. Dorothy. During the warmer months, she would visit Mrs. Dorothy to deliver something from the garden, a picture she drew or just to chat. When my middle child was old enough, she would join her older sister to visit Mrs. Dorothy. Several times I reminded the girls to come home only to be swatted away and told they were having a nice visit. Several years later I learned my kids were the only people she would talk to on a regular basis. Back in March, Mrs. Dorothy passed away at 93 years of age. Her passing was not a surprise but my girls missed their chats. Yesterday, I look at her house and remember my neighbor who was truly more a friend. I was surprised to learn Mrs. Dorothy shared more stories with me than her own grown daughter. My favorite was how she hoarded meat ration cards so guests at her wedding could eat meat during World War II.
Connie and Mark live only fifteen feet to the north of our house. We have a unique tradition when something big happens in our lives. I announced our engagement and pregnancies on a sign that hung in a window that faced their kitchen. Connie announced both her daughters' engagements and pregnancy the same way. For several years we both checked out the windows on a weekly basis for the latest news.
What is your neighborhood like? Join the Spin Cycle and tell us all about it.
Sharon, the Mayor
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