Redneck hospitality

I admire rednecks. They are "just people," and they don't care too much what you might think about that. I must admit, I have some "redneck" family members -- none locally :-) -- and they are the nicest people you will ever meet.

I found today that local rednecks are more than willing to help out. I was about to begin my much dreaded yardwork on one of the most perfect summer days in a while, when a guy on a bicycle asked if I needed someone to mow my lawn. Since my equipment was not up to the job, I agreed. Less than a half-hour later he was driving up on his riding mower, pulling a push mower beside it. His elderly father drove up with a can of gasoline. They live about a block away.

Together, in about three hours, we had the lawn mowed and much of the limbs and clippings picked up. I gladly paid him his modest asking price. He then offered the services of a friend of his, also a neighbor, to fix my gasoline-powered mower. I expected maybe a week. They had it running in two hours. It still had a problem, though. But hey, my lawn won't need mowing for at least a week. And they will have the mower back to me by midweek, I'm sure.

The point is, folks is folks. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, but they're people just like you. Learn from others, and then maybe they might learn from you.