Love for the Neighborhood

The street we live on is about a mile long and pretty self contained, as in there is only one road that leads to other road, and that road is at one end.  Starting at the south end of the street, the road curves around a man-made lake and spits out at a train station.  The street is our neighborhood.  

The church and our home is located near the south end, with one house, two preschools, a post office, vet and a factory south of us.  In the other direction is a 3/4 of a mile of homes and one synagogue before coming to the train station; this is are normal path for walking the dogs.  In fact last school year, most days Daisy (the chocolate lab) and I would walk Bob to the train station where he would pick up his train to school, and then Daisy and I would walk back home.  Since I would drop Bob off shortly before one of the buses came through the neighborhood, I especially got to know some of the kids and moms as they waited at the bus stops.  Over the course of the last year, I have gotten to know many of the neighbors, some by name, even more by face.  

As I have walked to and from the train station or the post office, I have watched the synagogue's new addition come to a completion.  I have seen one house get a much needed new roof, and now I'm currently keeping update on a massive renovation project going on at another.  I have seen new landscaping projects, people move out and new neighbors move in.  I have met many people, their kids and their dogs.  

But this summer has been fairly quiet.  Due to Bob's and mine more relaxed schedule, we haven't taken the dogs on as many walks.  And due to the heat this summer, one of the hottest on record, when we have gone out to walk the dogs, we often have seen fewer people outside.  

Well this morning was the second day of the school year and the dogs and I went on a walk as the middle school kids were waiting for the bus. It was amazing how much I missed this simple neighborhood walk in the morning.  How I missed seeing people waiting outside.  It was great asking some of the kids that I know how their first day went, and quiet a few people I saw remarked at how big Koko has gotten since many of them have not seen her since June.  

I'm glad that the school year has started again, that the weather will soon be cooling off some (it was in the 90's yesterday), and I look forward to my morning walks through the neighborhood, though it might be a little harder to be motivate to go since I'm no longer dropping Bob off to catch his train.  And I'm especially grateful to live in a neighborhood with some wonderful neighbors.