Good karma or good luck?

This is embarrassing for a self-described hermit to have to admit, but lately other people have really been coming through for me.

Most of the following has to do with last Friday's chimney fire, but it's more than that. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Lemme 'splain*.

I've been thriving on the good will of others since I got here. Landlady put up with the trailer long after she found it amusing. The Secret Lair is on M's property, and it's plugged into his water. If not for them, I couldn't even live here. I try to make it worth their while, but they still do it. That's an ongoing thing I try never to forget.

Last night I decided to make a batch of cookies. I've got lots of oatmeal and stuff, but wanted to spice them up somewhat. And here was a whole bunch of dried fruit! I'm not a huge fan of dried fruit normally, though toward the end of winter it starts looking pretty good, and would never have bought this for myself. But friends sent me a whole box of the stuff, assorted, and sliced into teensy cubes it goes pretty darned good baked into oatmeal cookies. I've got some right here beside me.

Yesterday I got an email from a reader, offering to send whatever money I needed to buy tools for keeping my chimney clean. Didn't even care how much it would cost, just "how much?" That was pretty cool, because I need those tools and was wondering where the money would come from.

This morning my neighbor J came out in the howling wind while I was shoveling horseshit, wanting to make sure everything was okay after my fire. And I told him I'd like to look at his stovepipe, because he's got some arrangement for disconnecting the stove from the ceiling that I couldn't quite picture. My stove takes two strong men to disconnect for cleaning. And before I was done with my chores, he'd gone on Ebay and found me a section of eight-inch stovepipe that, once installed, will let me do it myself. And once he'd assured himself that that was what I needed, he went ahead and bought it. "We'll work it out," he said.

Friday morning after I got the fire out I was pretty freaked, but I had to get the thing apart and cleaned or go without heat. So I called my neighbor D because he's knowledgeable about such things and I knew he's got the brushes and extensions. But D, a helluva guy, doesn't owe me a DAMN thing and I was hesitant about asking for help and said so. Well, he showed up right on time, we got it all apart and cleaned and back together, and while we were washing up he said something like, "You shouldn't ought to feel bad about asking for help, y'know."

And I said something like, "Yeah, well. Just seems like you do all the giving and I do all the getting. There's something in the Bible about making your foot rare at the house of a friend, because you don't want him to get tired of you."

He's a Christian, albeit a quiet one.  I'm not. "Also says, 'It's more blessed to give than to receive,'" he said.

"Doesn't mean I get to receive all the time, so my friends get the blessing of giving."

"Hey, we're neighbors. Out here that's more like family. You come when I call."

"You don't call all that often."

"So? When I do, you drop what you're doing. Don't worry about it."

"Well, anyway. I appreciate the help."

And I did, and I do - and not just from my friends here. I started up TUAK a little over three years ago, and since then I've gotten care packages from all over. I remember complaining about cold feet one time, back in the winter of '08, and since then I've gotten what will be a lifetime's supply of thick wool socks if I live to be 80. It's gotten to be the blog's running joke. When I said I might have to shut down because I couldn't pay the internet provider, people sent enough cash to keep me afloat for eight months. Grey Lady keeps sending maple syrup (MUCH appreciated.) And other stuff, stuff I can't think of right now.

None of that was what I had in mind when I started the blog - it's just another blog. But I want you all to know that I really appreciate the consideration a lot of you have shown me. It's been on my mind, that's all.

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*You thought I was going to say "No, is too much, lemme sum up," didn't you?