My current book, Montana Ranch Crime Ring, takes place in Eastern Montana, a very rural part of the state where the neighbors are few and far apart. Conflicts between ranches and farms can go back for generations from fights over property lines to who got a BLM lease. Even with all that conflict, I have found that there is much to admire about country people. People put their past aside to help a neighbor out when needed. My late husband was from Eastern Montana and I noticed three ways in which these people knew what it meant to be a neighbor. First, if your vehicle goes into a snowbank or slides off the road for any reason, the first person to come upon you feels an obligation to help you out. If they don't have the equipment to pull you out, they will go get it or find someone who does. Second when you hear that your neighbor is sick, you drive the miles required to bring them some food and let them know you are there to help if needed. Finally, my husband's father at the end of his life had alienated most of his neighbors and had become somewhat of a recluse. But when we drove over for his funeral, people showed up and were very kind to us. In a rural part of the state, when someone dies, you go to the funeral regardless of your history with that person.
I imagine there are unwritten rules for what people do for neighbors in distress in cities as well. Did you grow up being taught what it meant to be a neighbor? What were some of things you saw your parents do that showed neighborliness? Leave a comment with your email address. I will be giving away five copies of Montana Ranch Crime Ring (USA only).
Sharon Dunn
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