Cole Porter sang for you’d be so easy to love, so easy to idolize all over above; so sweet to waken with, so nice to sit down to eggs and bacon with. If you knew Cindy, you know she is easy to love.

Cindy’s open, accepting heart radiates. She can start a conversation, from peas to poets, to politics, and share life stories in animated exchange with everyone she meets.  Count me lucky that we found ourselves at UMASS Amherst and Cashin roommates. The foundation of a lifelong friendship began in the basement suite. Forward a decade or two, marriage, loss, children who are now adults and grandchildren! Cindy became a grandma this year!

Health and mobility issues forced Cindy to sell an amazing house with too many stairs. Cindy’s place was well loved. People, food, and dogs filled her home with good times and good food. And now the sounds of little feet and laughter echo as a young family make memories and good times of their own.

Her adult community living adventure began when Cindy built a custom Ryan Home. It is a cookie-cutter look alike village, and although not her dream log cabin home, if offered one-level living and mobility, now so important to Cindy’s independence and quality of life. The development is growing, evident in the units in varying stages of construction. One feels the advancing expansion in every direction. The village sits in a slight depression offering views of rolling hills.

Inside, everything is modern, white, polished, stainless steel, new, and House Beautiful magazine worthy. One-floor living makes it all quite convenient. Moving from the kitchen to the living room, to the bathroom and the bedroom in a scooter, on crutches or two good feet works.

Her former house presented in grand fashion, and Cindy’s new home presents fresh and efficient with 21^st-century amenities. The transition has not been easy, but I assured Cindy she would also make this home, a place of welcome and love.

While not a commune, the Ryan Homes community is structured with rules and guidelines to keep order, maintain properties, and create a homogenous Stepford-like bubble. Members cannot garden, decorate the exterior of the property, or fly any flag but the American, no animal, including cats can be off leash outside of the homes. All rules are explained in detail in a tome, full of redundancies that Cindy intends to offer to edit. If members break the rules, they are fined. I asked about what happens to those fines, Cindy was unsure. 

I spied a member neighbor displaying a rabbit, a flag with an egg, and a carrot on her entryway porch, all against the rules. Easter is to be celebrated within the confines of your home, along with no cornucopia ornamentation at Thanksgiving, and Santa had better get up and down the chimney without any rooftop flare.

Rules, rules, rules… The bossy me bristles. I do not want to be told what to do. I might be the Juliet (all the ladies are Juliets in the Ryan Homes Village, so you know the men are Romeo’s) that flies a monthly celebratory flag, letting the fines add up, waiting to see – what happens. Would they evict me? There probably is a rule about repeat offenses and a maximum number of fines a member can have within a specified time frame – and then the real trouble starts.

With love and butter on her mind, Cindy decided to bake cookies to deliver to her closest neighbors as welcome and introduction. She is a fabulous baker and cook. Cindy has an uncanny talent of being able to sight measure. She knows what a half cup versus a third of a cup of flour looks like. I bake too, but Cindy’s quality standards far exceed mine. She is a professional and discarded what she called over-cooked cookies that I would have happily served. Those deemed inedible for her new neighbors were saved for her daughter. I polished off a few and they were just fine. In all transparency, I have scrapped off a bit of char and served cookies without a bit of remorse.

We mixed, baked, boxed, and wrote note cards that introduced Cindy and shared her contact information. As we made our way through the Ryan Homes Village, residents’ reactions fascinated. Many neighbors opened their doors and several who appeared home but did not answer opened the box, read the contact information, and called within minutes, with apologies for not being available and raving about the cookies. Door after door, we rang and delivered. Of those neighbors who opened their doors, thanks, an exchange of contact information or an invite in was the response.

When there were too many stairs or a long walkway, I ran to the door, rang the bell, and announced for the Ring recording, good evening, Lara here for Cindy, your new neighbor, saying hello, and making introduction. Sorry, we missed you. Enjoy the cookies!

We returned to Cindy’s house feeling a sense of accomplishment and amazement. The responses came throughout the evening, all positive, exclaiming delight and surprise.

I have lived in my house for 13 years and wished I had introduced myself to my neighbors one overdone cookie at a time.  My dearest neighbors, Karen and Dave moved to Florida, and of the houses that directly surround mine, only one has been here for the duration.

My neighborhood is changing. Death, divorce, and moves have brought new neighbors. We go about our business with a wave or hello. Our properties border each other, but we take care to avoid closer contact or interaction. Halloween offers opportunities to greet, but there is no significant exchange, and who knows who lives on the block or the next?

And so go the days of our lives, quiet, curious, and untrusting. Shall we follow Cindy’s example, and wherever we find ourselves in the world, take a chance, extend ourselves and make America great again, one cookie at a time? Oh, the possibilities – don’t eat all the chocolate chips!