Be a neighborly neighbor

The other night we were talking about neighbors and how nice it would be to land somewhere where we got along with the neighbors (we're hoping to make a local move in a few months so we can get into a bigger house),  actually I think I said that I thought it would be great if we could meet the neighbors before we decided to buy a place :).  I also said that I hoped they would be the kind of people that I could borrow a cup of sugar from, and the hubby replies "who even does that anymore when you can just run to Meijer's at any hour??" and I said "me!". 
 
True story, almost two years ago I actually called my neighbor and asked if she could spare the remainder of the sugar that my recipe called for, as I was making a cake for my co-worker's birthday the next day.  It does seem kind of silly in retrospect, but I just needed a little, and I remember it wasn't too late at night (8:30ish?) but because I thought I had all of the ingredients I was literally in the middle of making the cake and simply didn't feel like getting into my car and running to the store.  Also I'm guessing that I was likely in some not-so-stylish version of my home comfies (read: stretchy pants).  My neighbor was probably a little surprised by the request, but was only more than happy to oblige.  That plus I returned her plastic container a couple days later with a teeny little flowering potted plant in it (remind you of the bundt cake scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding?? LOL) and it was a pleasant neighborly interaction all the way around.  When I first moved in I was a single gal and her husband had given me both of their cell phone numbers, in the years past she has watered my flowers when I was out of town, and he once helped fix my garage door. 
 
Also a couple months back one Saturday morning I realized that the car pulling out behind me followed me throughout the short drive to the yoga studio, and after class I introduced myself to the driver who said that he and his wife (who he specifically mentioned was Korean, huh?? :) and daughter had recently moved in across the street from us, and now when we see them out for a walk, it's an easy hello.
 
I'm not going to pretend that I'm always in the mood to engage in neighborly chit-chat, but there's probably no doubt that befriending people in your close environments can make all difference.  In the winter it can be hard to muster up much more than a friendly wave, but as soon as the warm weather hits, I'm going to be sure to introduce myself to our new neighbors!