In this book, their new neighbors bring The Bears carrot stew, seeds & nuts, and honeycomb to welcome them to the neighborhood. I kept asking Paul, every time that we were disappointed by our new neighborhood, where was my carrot stew??
I finally received said stew in the form of being "Boo"ed for Halloween. (If you don't know, being boo-ed is when someone anonymously leaves treats at your door with a picture of a ghost to put on your door, and then in turn you boo someone else.) I cried. I totally cried. And couldn't stop crying. I finally got my community that I had been seeking since I left Davis/Sacramento, CA, 10 years ago.
We are moving again this summer, and the COMMUNITY will be my #1 criteria for where we go. I love this neighborhood in Norfolk, VA where people walk to school, walk their dogs, hang out outside, "Boo" each other, and has 500 trick or treaters (so I am told!). We need each other, people.
correction Dec 2013: I also felt this lovely sense of community when we lived in Bath, UK, which we just returned from a visit, and it hasn't changed. Still that wonderful sense of connectedness...
