THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509070194
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Over Easy
SOURCE: Jo-Ann Clegg
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
For a few minutes one afternoon last week, I thought our next door neighbor, Borrowing George, had turned into Good Neighbor George.
``Hey,'' I called to Bill, ``come take a look at this. George is out in front of our house.''
``Hide the long-handled pruning shears!'' Bill yelled. ``I saw him looking at that dead branch hanging over his patio, and I know what he's after.''
``I don't think so,'' I said. ``I think he's on a one-man neighborhood cleanup campaign.''
Bill joined me at the front window and looked in amazement as George, carrying a rake and a broom (both ours), pushed a wheelbarrow (his own, amazingly enough) down the street.
First, he'd move to one side and rake up the pine debris left behind by the wind of Felix and assorted other storms named and unnamed. Then he'd move to the other side and repeat the process.
When the wheelbarrow got full, he'd stop, transfer its contents into a large plastic bag (``Didn't we loan him a box of those last week?'' Bill asked) and leave it by the side of the road.
``By George,'' Bill said somewhat poetically, ``he's on a one-man neighborhood cleanup campaign. I think I'll go out and give him a hand.''
Which is what he did.
Together Bill and George raked, swept and bagged, leaving the street behind them clean as a whistle.
``This place hasn't looked this good since the last time the city sent its street sweeper through here,'' Bill said, ``I think that was some time in 1983.''
``Yeah,'' George agreed, ``it does look good, doesn't it?''
``You want me to put some of these bags out with my trash?'' Bill asked.
``Trash?'' George yelled, ``I wasn't bagging trash. I was picking up all that loose pine straw for my flower beds.''
A few minutes later, Bill walked in the house shaking his head. ``I'd have been here sooner, but I had to find the long-handled pruning shears,'' he said.
``For George?'' I asked.
``For George,'' he answered.
We discussed the situation for a few minutes. Each time we think we've seen the ultimate of George's borrowing, he tops his own record. In the five years we've been neighbors, he's borrowed our electricity, our well water, our dog (``Take him,'' we told George. ``Don't want him permanently,'' he told us, ``I just need something that will scare off strangers while our dog's at the vet.'') and our garage sale.
Among other things - many other things.
But now, here he is borrowing the entire neighborhood's blown down pine straw.
Actually, we kind of liked that idea. Liked it so much, in fact, that we're going to make him a few special offers.
First, there's the dryer lint. I read a magazine article on how it makes excellent filler for all sorts of things. I think I'll lend George the magazine and hope that he makes the connection. If I'm lucky, he'll even offer to clean out the dryer hose for me.
And there's that stack of mismatched socks that I've been saving. They make even better stuffing than dryer lint. Some people even make rugs out of them.
I figure we could give him all our limp vegetables to toss on his compost heap and our stale popcorn to use as packing material. Maybe he'd throw the stale bread and dry cereal in for good measure. I'm sure he'll put it to good use.
I'll also give him the half jar of dried-up Tang powder, too. I read in Heloise's column years ago that it's the best dishwasher cleaner that there is. She said to throw a cupful into an empty washer, run it through a cycle and you'd have the cleanest appliance in town. I tried it. It works. Surely George could find a couple of dishwashers that need cleaning.
This whole idea has possibilities. Through his borrowing, George could easily become the best recycler in town.
Just so long as he doesn't decide to recycle our shears. Or our weed whacker. Or our 40-foot ladder. There are some things we are not willing to sacrifice on the recycling altar. Our dog, for instance. by CNB