Neighbors

Note* We still are unable to get our Hyundai up the drive to the house. It is still covered with snow with ice and mud alternating beneath. We have a clear spot by the entrance where we park the car and then walk in with our stuff - 3/4 mile...

We met some neighbors on the farm this weekend. The first when we were just getting back from the mall. I had a big GAP bag in my hand and Ernie was lifting my sewing machine out of the car. Two guys, Lee and Scott, brothers actually, pulled up on a big red ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) and introduced themselves. So here we are in the snowy woods with a purse, a GAP bag, and a sewing machine. We didn't look odd at all.

Scott and Lee convinced us to get on the ATV so they can give us a ride back to the house. All I can think is "Why do they want to give us a ride? Are they going to murder us?" - typical City-slicker reaction to plain old neighborly kindness. So Ernie climbs on the front of the thing and sits next to Lee. He hands Lee my purse to hold while he keeps hold of the GAP bag. They strap my sewing maching on the back with some bungee-cord-net-thingy. I try to convince them to let me walk along behind them but they wouldn't have it. I climbed up onto the seat behind Scott.

Scott and Lee were out scouting "Rubbings". That would be where dear (Bucks actually) rub their antlers against tres trunks. They scout these out so that they can come back later and shoot the deer..............HELP!

Scott and Lee are wearing Camo jackets, kahki pants and rubber Camo boots that almost reach their knees. Pretty.

They drive us up to the house and help us carry our stuff up to the front porch. It turns out that they are related to the Savitskys. Their mom was a Savitsky. They tell us about sledding down the hill, where to go for the best ATV trails, etc. They also fill us in on where they stock the pheasants in the fall and ensure us that we will be able to "pick them off" from our front porch. Great!

The next afternoon we hear a motor coming up out of the woods alongside our house. Ernie was already outside playing in the stream. I can't remember their names but it was a man and woman who were also related to the Savitskys. They live up the hill from us. They were riding their Green ATV. They told us where we can find the swimming hole on our property and warned us about the "crazy woman from New Jersey" who moved in across the field about a year ago. Apparently she chased them off of her property when they were deer hunting this past season - Imagine That!? They also knew we were from "The City". Ernie told them he grew up in New Boston and went to Mahanoy Area High School. The man said "Oh, well that's better then." He was completely serious and totally unapologetic.

Now our dilema is this - how are we going to keep all of these neightbors off of our property with their ATVs? How will we keep them out of our swimming hole? How do we stand our ground without them giving us a hard time? We are thinking we need to bring a whole bunch of loud City Folk out to the farm and just let everyone shoot guns for one afternoon. That'll scare 'em!

Either that or we'll have to start running around naked and put some giant wacko sculptures up all over the place - like really freakish German artists or the like. If anyone has any other ideas we'd love to hear them!