Well, the splitter is mine.....but kind of feel bad.......

[NH_Wood]

Hey all! I've been in my house for a little over 2 years. My neighbor is a 70 year old man and we became fast friends right away. We hang out a lot for drinks, we help each other with lots of home/land projects, etc. etc. Real good guy. Anywho, he bought a Husky 22 ton splitter about 1.5 years ago, because his daughter was going to buy a stove and start burning wood. Turns out she is not going to go the stove route at all. He has let me borrow (insisting I borrow - and when he sees me hand splitting he comes right over and yells at me!) the splitter whenever I like. But, this morning on my way to feed the chickens, he pulled in the yard. We started shooting the bull, and he says that he is bringing down the splitter, I need to leave it at my place, and it's now mine! I felt bad saying yes, so offered him $ to buy the splitter. He refused, absolutely, to take any money. So....I have a splitter now. I'm excited, but, I also have a hard time taking the splitter. I'll be doing something real nice for him, and again, I help him with projects a lot - for example, I just finished drywalling a room for him. I guess I'm just not one for taking gifts like this without a serious trade or dollars going back to him. All in all - feeling really good about the splitter, but a little uncomfortable about taking it! Looks like I need to update my sig.......Cheers!

P.S. By the way - he owns about 4 acres with access to another 2 acres. He has a ton of downed trees from an ice storm 2 years ago, and lots of trees he wants cleared. Lots of white birch, red and sugar maple, white ash, and some red oak. He told me it's all mine and to cut whenever I like. There is probably 2 full years of wood, and right across the street. Guess I ran into some real blessings!

 

[Jags]

It wasn't that long ago that I posted - "I don't keep score".

Things have a way of working out in the end. Heck, hire a rock hanger/finisher for a day and see what your labor is worth (as an example). I love two way streets.

Congrats on the splitter.

 

[ColdNH]

Sounds like a great neighbor, cant beat that, sounds like you are a great neighbor as well, helping him with the drywall and odds and ends. his way of repaying you. I am fortunate enough to have a similar neighbor to you, but i have yet to get a free splitter out of the deal!

 

[oldspark]

Sounds like a fair deal to me, be nice to the old guy, one day you will be one. :lol:

 

[andybaker]

Your probably a good neighbor to him. A long time ago I had a neighbor lady, elderly, she couldn't cut her grass anymore so she hired a lawn service. I lived next door and she would see me cut the grass with a push mower. She must have felt something for me becuase she gave me her riding lawn mower. All I had to do was to cut the back part of her lawn and I could have it. I used that thing for many years. Sounds like you have a good friend there.

 

[iskiatomic]

Good deal!


Get that white birch off the ground ASAP. if it's not junk already.


KC

 

[NH_Wood]

Thanks everyone - definitely a 2 way street with helping each other, so I'm feeling better. The white birch is luckily bent to the ground but still alive, so I've got some time. Plan is to get the white birch bucked and split this winter or early spring, and will use it for shoulder season for next year and year after. Cheers!

 

[LLigetfa]

Shame on you, taking advantage of an old man. Next thing you know, you'll be weaseling your way into his will.

I'm really, REALLY not serious, but thoughts like that may have crossed your mind, that others may think them. Accept the splitter with thanks and don't worry what others think. I'm sure that giving it to you makes him happy and I doubt he is keeping score. As others said, be nice to him, you too will be old some day.

 

[basswidow]

Sounds like a good buddy and neighbor. I'd find out what his needs are and make sure I could help him out again. That's a mighty nice gift for sure. I'd take him fishing and have the wife make him a few good meals. Yeah - we'd be good buddies.

Congrats.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

NH_Wood, it sounds to me like you have a great neighbor and I'm betting he has one just as great! That is doing things right and I'd love to see more folks doing it.

 

[Mcbride]

Hey all! I've been in my house for a little over 2 years. My neighbor is a 70 year old man and we became fast friends right away. We hang out a lot for drinks, we help each other with lots of home/land projects, etc. etc. Real good guy. Anywho, he bought a Husky 22 ton splitter about 1.5 years ago, because his daughter was going to buy a stove and start burning wood. Turns out she is not going to go the stove route at all. He has let me borrow (insisting I borrow - and when he sees me hand splitting he comes right over and yells at me!) the splitter whenever I like. But, this morning on my way to feed the chickens, he pulled in the yard. We started shooting the bull, and he says that he is bringing down the splitter, I need to leave it at my place, and it's now mine! I felt bad saying yes, so offered him $ to buy the splitter. He refused, absolutely, to take any money. So....I have a splitter now. I'm excited, but, I also have a hard time taking the splitter. I'll be doing something real nice for him, and again, I help him with projects a lot - for example, I just finished drywalling a room for him. I guess I'm just not one for taking gifts like this without a serious trade or dollars going back to him. All in all - feeling really good about the splitter, but a little uncomfortable about taking it! Looks like I need to update my sig.......Cheers!

P.S. By the way - he owns about 4 acres with access to another 2 acres. He has a ton of downed trees from an ice storm 2 years ago, and lots of trees he wants cleared. Lots of white birch, red and sugar maple, white ash, and some red oak. He told me it's all mine and to cut whenever I like. There is probably 2 full years of wood, and right across the street. Guess I ran into some real blessings!

It sounds to me like you two are friends, and he wanted to gift it to you.
Say thanks, be gracious, and help him in any ways you can......which it sounds like you are already doing.
If he did not want to give you this gift, he wouldn't have.
I gave away my old car to a friend, she needed a car, and it was not worth a lot of money, but as her friend I helped her out, and wanted nothing in return but her friendship, and help on occasion if she could help me out.
Sh always helped, which is why I gave it to her in the first place.
Friends helping friends makes the world a better place.

 

[NH_Wood]

Thanks for more of the nice comments. LLigetfa - pretty funny, but you aren't too far off - he is a retired machinist and master mechanic - still does a lot of consulting for thread rolling (that's was his forte). He owns a gazillion tools and he also mentioned that he is going to tell his wife that he wants me to have a lot of the tools when he passes - said he wants to know his tools are with someone that will treat them right. I know, this probably sounds a little nuts.....but, I think he kind of thinks of me as a 'son' - he lost his only son years and years ago. Cheers!

 

[golfandwoodnut]

You obviously made a great impression on him and you are a good friend. What goes around comes around.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Sounds like a fair deal to me, be nice to the old guy, one day you will be one. :lol:

What comes around goes around, INDEED! We reap what we sew. This is karma incarnate. You sound like a good guy - doing good deeds - and getting many blessings in return......Amen. ;-)

 

[richg]

I am a Board-Certified Free Splitter Guilt Therapist. My recommend treatment would be that you donate the splitter to a needy cause (me), which will completely cure your guilt.

 

[Beowulf]

An older gentleman lives across the way from us. His wife recently died and his immediate family appear to be only interested in his money (he seems to have some...)

My wife and I have known him for about 10 years, but have been spending more time with him since his wife departed. He frequently wants to cover meals when we go out, give us things or money. It can be somewhat uncomfortable, because we really just want to be friends without getting anything material in return (he seems to have enough people that want stuff in his life already with the family and paid helpers.) We finally worked out that we take turns on meals out and politely decline most gifts. The guy has lead a very interesting life and his stories over dinner are priceless.

It's a delicate thing, but I think with your friend, there is no reason to feel bad about the splitter... Just keep doing nice stuff for him when the opportunity presents itself. You will both feel good about he relationship! The key concept is it being reciprocal in nature, not economic value.

Life's too short to keep score.

 

[burntime]

Your lucky to have such a wonderful neighbor. I used to help the guy out next door to me... I think alcohol rotted his brain. I don't keep score but when its always "can you fix this," "can you fix that," "do you know anthing about..." "can I borrow your splitter, tractor, tiller" and it is always brought back dirty, broken, and out of gas, well, you get the idea. That is a great neighbor you have! Wanna trade? :lol:

 

[yanksforever]

Don't feel like you owe him anything or he owes you anything. Continue to be good friends and continue to help and enjoy each others company. It is VERY rare
that anyone can spark up such a nice friendship as you two have. Don't let the splitter sit in the back of your head. Invite him over to sit by the fire and enjoy a
nice drink or a cold beer. Life is real short..enjoy it!

 

[KB007]

I wouldn't stress too much about it, obviously it's a two way street and it sounds like you help each other out quite a bit. I often give things away to neighbours rather than go thru the hassle of trying to sell stuff, I just don't like ppl wandering through my house, seeing other stuff that we have etc, so I often will give stuff to my neighbours or friends, it's just so much easier and sometimes makes me feel good too knowing that something I have is going to a good home.

 

[NH_Wood]

Again, thanks for the great comments. Lots of great folks on this site - I wonder how many other sites are like this (this is the only such site I've ever been a part of)? Cheers!

 

[ChillyGator]

Instant Karma is a wonderfully thing when you are on the right side....congratulations and keep up the good work.

 

[savageactor7]

Your very fortunate to have that gentleman as a neighbor NH_Wood...can you imagine the odds of that?

 

[charly]

What goes around, comes around.

 

[mecreature]

I think he just wants to see that splitter being used and not just sitting there. Sounds like a great friendship.

 

[firefighterjake]

Good karma always comes back to those who are good friends and good neighbors.

Sometimes it is tough to accept such a great gift . . . perhaps it is because we do not feel worthy of such a gift or perhaps it goes against our indepdent natures . . . but sometimes we simply need to step back and just be thankful and realize that some people are just very good and very giving.

And yes NH Wood . . . this is a pretty special forum . . . I hang out at several forums -- ATV forums, geocaching forums, snowmobile forums -- and without a doubt the on-line friends I have made here is simply nothing short of amazing . . . folks come here looking for knowledge and are looking to take away something from the forum . . . but many of us soon learn that it is just as fun to give something back . . . and in short order you will be amazed by the network of friends you have made . . . even when those friends refuse to split their wood correctly by doing so horizontally.