Beyond tolerant

Marcia O’Connell, Andrew Clifford, Lambertville
    When we began the renovation on our house last September, we prepared ourselves as much as possible for the discomforts one expects when living in a construction zone: strangers parading through the house while you’re trying to get ready for work and school; eating out of a crock pot for six months; unexpected discoveries by the contractor which mean more time and money; you know, the usual. However, there was one thing we weren’t prepared for – we didn’t realize the imposition this project would be on our neighbors. There were thundering jack-hammers, parking spaces taken up by dumpsters, the occasional rude and crude subcontractor and a portable toilet installed in front of the house.
   Throughout all of this, our neighbors on North Main Street and on Jefferson were way beyond tolerant. Despite the continual string of annoyances our project inflicted upon them, they were gracious and generous, pretending not to notice the inconveniences and sharing with good humor the slow progress of our new addition. Our friends throughout town would stop by and drop off delicious dinners to spare us from yet another chicken pot pie.
   With this note, we would like to publicly thank all of them for their forbearance and kindness. This goes triple for George and Ruth Babich, who bore the worst of it and have been the best neighbors a family could ask for since we moved into our house 10 years ago. Lambertville is truly a gem because of the people who live here.