Favors

A few weeks ago, I saw that the neighbor had some items at the side of her barn. One was a fairly intact riding lawn mower and the frame and motor of a second one. There was also a bicycle frame, an old hot water tank, and a few other metal pieces. My son Andrew with his family recently moved back to Pennsylvania from Amarillo, Texas. It was nice having them so close.

I helped unload their belongings into their new house. The place has 6.7 acres with about 1/2 of it in grass that will need mowed. Andrew has a knack with engines, so I approached the neighbor and asked what she planned to do with the mowers. She said that she was going to take them in for scrap. I offered $10.00 for the lot. Andrew has been known to save metal for scrap too.

When I told him what I purchased, he brought out a towing trailer and we had a struggle to get some items loaded. The fairly intact mower was easy to roll and we loaded it quickly. The frame was another story. Because of its location, it was heavy to move. Among the items was a 15 feet long chain. With the use of a come-along and chain, we were able to winch it onto the trailer. Soon, everything was strapped down and he hauled the load home.

About a week ago, the neighbor knocked on my front door and asked that we return the chain. She didn’t know it wasn’t part of the scrap, but when her father returned from a trip and asked for it, she pleaded that we return it. I promised that I would and did. Later, I found that he’d paid $250.00 for it. No wonder he wanted it back.

When I returned it, no one was home, so I draped it across the gate into their home, knowing that they would easily see it. Today, I was cleaning my pantry and found several boxes of cereal that had become outdated. They were flavors I didn’t eat and were leftovers from a time my kids were here.

The neighbor has chickens. They ramble through her yard, cackling and scratching for food. I’ve seen her scatter feed for them on occasion and thought, “Why toss the cereal into the garbage? Chickens aren’t picky eaters.” I walked them over to see if she wanted the cereal for the hens. She was glad to accept and gave me a carton of eggs as a thank you, saying the hens were laying more than she could use. It was just a favor given to an old man who chose not to be grumpy.