Friends, Neighbors, and "Kids"

The newest neighbor

When we first moved to Mountain Springs, we never imagined we would be living in a "neighborhood" (as in next door neighbor). However, we have expanded our idea of what a neighborhood really is. We consider our neighborhood "as the crow flies". Neighbors may live in the hollow, on the next mountain, in the valley, or down the road. Some are weekenders such as the Mississippi family that bought a log cabin down in the hollow and the couple from South Arkansas that stayed in our cabin, fell in love with the area, bought their own piece of the Ozarks. They are in the midst of building a cabin of their own on Mountain Springs Road. Some of our neighbors have lived right here, on the same land, all their lives and have such a rich family history relating to the Buffalo River. And, some of our good neighbors are like us.They have such a love affair with these Ozark Mountains that they found a way to make it a permanent home.

It is the wonderful mix of lives and experiences that make visiting with the neighbors such a treat. Recently, the Moores, who live across the valley near Bradshaw Mountain on 400 acres, invited us to an old-fashioned Ozark supper-- to take place at the stone cabin they built with their own hands in the 70's when they first moved from Louisiana. They now have a lovely house nearby that they also built themselves. The menu included ham, beans, collard greens (my contribution), cornbread, and mayonnaise cake, which Ruth said she remembers her grandmother making on her old wood stove. The eight of us played games by the fire, ate by candlelight and had such a good time that we decided to start our own supper club. We will meet at the Jackson's new cabin (weekenders from Bentonville) and celebrate "Cinqo de Mayo" with a Mexican dinner this Saturday. We can actually see their cabin from our porch, but it takes about 15 minutes or so to drive around on Fire Tower Road and down the Section Road to get there--use the 4-wheel drive once you turn off onto the "driveway"!

Our closest neighbors, the Cullens, are just a few minutes away. They were in the process of moving when Hurricane Katrina hit their place. To get to their house, I can go on the main road or across our place and down the hill on the four wheeler if I want. If I am away from home, I can always count on Darlene to run up to the house to put Daisy and Molly inside if a storm comes up. And I do the same for her. We both have these crazy dogs that will do anything to get inside (including tearing up screen doors and windows!) at the first clap of thunder. We share flowers and prayer requests, coffee, books and Bible studies, as well as a love for this land.

The "baby" pictured above is one of the newest members of Darlene's goat herd. We have all watched and worried as the kids came into this world on some of the coldest and wettest days (and nights) of the spring. They are tough little critters and are thriving. I can see them from my window as they run and play down below in the meadow.

We make our friends, we make our enemies, but God makes our next door neighbors. J.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936