Love Thy Neighbor

I am blessed to live in one of those neighborhoods where the neighbors all look out for each other.  The kindness that is shown along this street can be quite humbling.  One neighbor makes sure that an elderly or sick neighbor has a ride to the doctor.  My next door neighbor literally took care of the elderly man who owned my house every day until he passed.  We call and check on a neighbor if we have not seen them for a while.  We pray for each other, ask each other if the other needs anything, and share plants that would look pretty in each others' yards.  One neighbor even brought me a collard green plant because she said that it would keep me healthy.  This is a very special street.

Friday night I was doing a load of laundry when I heard water splashing.  I went into the garage to see that my laundry sink was overflowing.  Yikes!  The water had backed up into the sink and was draining very slowly.  I was beyond exhausted by that point, so I decided to go get Liquid Plumber on Saturday.  I gave it a good long time to do its thing and used up the whole bottle by last evening.  No luck.

A few months ago, I had a clog in my sewer line that my neighbor, a plumber, took care of.  I called him after church at home today to see what he would he suggest.  (Plus his feelings would have been hurt if he would have seen one of those emergency plumber trucks in front of my house.)  He is one of the nicest people you can meet.  He said, "I will be at your house in 20 minutes."  Just a few minutes later he was walking up the street with his tools.  It turns out that my line from my kitchen to the garage was clogged (it leads to the sewer line).  It was yucky.  He said that it has probably been building since before I moved in.  An half an hour later he was walking back down the street to his house after clearing the line and after refusing payment.  He said that the neighbors here take care of each other.  (I will still take a gift certificate or something over this week as a thank you.)  

I shared a few weeks ago that I made a commitment to Liesl that no matter how tired I am after work, we still go for a walk every day.  We have been walking about a mile after work.  Between the extra walk a day (she gets one in the morning, too) and my changing out her treats and making sure she gets no human food, she has now lost two pounds, in about two weeks.  I was surprised when I weighed her yesterday.  I have made sure that there is no salt in her treats and they are all lean, veggie based.  I did not reduce her food at all.  She has about three more pounds to go until she is at the weight where the doctor wants her.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to love our after work walks.  It helps to melt away the stress of the day.  Schnauzers are such happy dogs, in general.  Liesl is especially happy on the walks and there is something about a happy dog that just lifts your mood.  She bops along smelling the smells, seeing the sights, meeting the people.  It has been a joy so far.  I take her to different places for her walks to keep it interesting.  So far she loves the duck pond and the mall.  

Liesl's cardiology appointment is this Wednesday.  She will be having an EKG and ultrasound.  I would so appreciate it if you could include her in your prayers.

We have had a wonderful weekend.  It was full of naps, good walks, beautiful sunsets, and snuggles.  I go into my week feeling happy.  Wishing you happiness, too!