Empathy? Neighbors like the old days? Not in this neighborhood.

We have lived here 30 years now, and know only a few neighbors on the face of two blocks, which contain nearly 60 houses... Kind of surprising, considering the houses are built so close together, my neighbor and I joke about sharing each other's living room and master bedroom...

We were discussing this in a Sociology class once and the professor attributed the changes to 3 things (at least in this area)-rear entry garages, central air conditioning and 6 or 8 foot high wood fences in the back... The only times people might see one another could be when they go out front in their pajamas to get the early morning paper or their mail... People just stay to themselves, especially if they work and come home dead tired...

I get more friendly interaction with Neurotalk members than I do with neighbors I have lived by or near for years...

New neighbors moved in next door and I thought, oh boy, a nice woman to visit with... Ha! She walks to her mailbox, looking neither right, nor left, just straight ahead... I thought I might squirt her with my hose one of these days to see if she will talk to me then... Bets on that???

No, "Hi, how are you, how did your surgery go? How is your dog doing? Are you still alive over there?" No, we are not alive, we all died last week. Jeez...

Cathie