"A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing."

It was dinner on the deck last evening, one of my favorite summer pastimes. We get to sit up high among the trees and enjoy the sounds of the night. We had fajitas. They were perfect.

I would have a front porch if I could. I'd sit out there and rock and wave at every neighbor who went by the house. Lemonade would be a necessity. The pitcher would be clear glass and filled to the brim. It would sit on the small table next to my rocker. The porch swing would be at one end and have a flowered cushion. I think it should squeak just a bit. Bright flowers in clay pots would sit in the corners. At night, we'd sit outside and play board games. Our voices and our laughter would carry around the neighborhood, and everyone would wish they were sitting on my porch.

When I was a kid, we lived in a neighborhood where we knew everybody. My parents were friends with our neighbors. They had parties at each others' houses or just a drink or two after work or on a Saturday night. My best friend lived up the street. All the neighbors looked out for one another. We neighborhood kids were good everywhere. You never knew who was watching. A cry brought every mother in hearing distance to the door. Bikes lying on the grass stayed there. No one would ever steal them. Our mothers knew we were safe no matter where in our neighborhood we were.

The street where I now live is small. Two of my neighbors are my closest friends while the rest of my neighbors are people I say hello to when we meet. The people across the street and I chat a bit more and ask about each other's families, and I like to tease them about their obsession with their lawn and yard. The people next door come seldom, and they rent out their house all summer. Their dog's name is Peanut, but I have no idea their names nor they mine. We talk deck to deck about the weather, the grass and the summer. I do know all the rest of my neighbors by name. We have, after all, been together on this street a long while.

I don't know when the switch happened, but neighborhoods now seemed to be defined only by geography. I miss the neighborhood of my growing up years. I did host all my neighbors for dinner once, but nothing much came of it. We still just wave.