Winters in Cedar Knoll, Wisconsin seemed to last a life time. But then, one day, the "ice age" came to an end and spring arrived. After being cooped up indoors for so many months and everyone's case of cabin fever wore off, it would often result in a big, old fashioned neighborhood feud. One tiny, insignificant problem could start a domino effect and create an all out war between the neighbors. This is something Louie encountered that week in spring when the heavy rains nearly washed Cedar Knoll off the map. It all started when the Andersons got new next door neighbors: the Jensen family. A prissy stuck-up pathologist, his wife, and their son, Scott, whom Louie quickly befriends, and Ora brings Mrs. Jensen up to speed on all the neighborhood gossip. Being a full-time window watcher, she has the inside scoop on them all. As for Andy and Mr. Jensen, they got off to a bad start at a Sunday barbecue when Andy resents the man's line of work. Well, we can't all be buried in foxholes, Andy. Next, they disagree on who is the funniest comedian; And is a Bob Hope man, while Jensen's yuks come straight from Milton Berle. As a result, Andy creates a scene in front of all the neighbors in attendance, and even burns the burgers to a crisp. Right about now Mr. Jensen is learning why he got his house so cheap. As if that weren't bad enough, they also have a little dispute over property lines, as the tree in the Andersons' yard is actually on Jensen's property line. The men start bickering about whose land is whose land, as a storm starts brewing. Literally, thunder, lightning, rain, the whole nine yards. Becoming too paranoid for his own good, Andy thinks to himself, "what would Donald Trump do?" Well, not really, but he does build a wall. For several rainy days on end, Andy constructed his brick barrier, fortifying his house against the pathologist enemy.
The feud continued at school, where Louie's so-called friends laughed at him over his father building a wall. Miffed at being a figure of ridicule, Louie accuses Scott of letting their dog go in the Andersons' yard. This results to shouts, and then it almost becomes fisticuffs (and enjoy this while you can, because it's the ONLY time Louie willingly attempts to fight someone), but luckily they're saved by the bell... or rather P.A. announcement, telling them school has been called on account of rain. So, braving his way home through his flooded town, Louie realizes the one place in town that isn't halfway under water was his house, courtesy of Andy's wall. Speaking of whom, the old soldier doesn't even realize it's flooded outside, as he's spent all his time inside... his own head, and you all know where THAT usually is. However, due to the flood and so many neighbors being without homes currently, Ora went behind Andy's back and invited them to stay at the Anderson house. After a few families, their house quickly becomes a makeshift hotel: the Folded Arms. Eventually, everyone in the neighborhood was at Casa de Anderson... except the Jensens. Against his better wishes, Andy is sent to check on them, and of course, he forces Louie to go too. They find the Jensens on their rooftop, and at first the stubborn patriarch refuses Andy's invitation to come over the wall, but eventually changes his mind. Good, now the neighborhood feud can continue, with everyone fighting under one roof. But at least Louie and Scott make amends, and then they set out to find Scott's wayward dog. They commandeer a boat and proceed down the river through the neighborhood, rescuing everyone else's lost pets and quickly turning their little craft into Louie's Ark. Back at home, Andy felt like a stranger in his own house as his neighbors began taking up all his space... incidentally, just how big is the Anderson house? They've got, like, 7 kids and 2 adults living there, and now they've got, what, 20 additional people? How is that thing not packed to the rafters? I guess Ora was kind enough to allow the neighbors carte blanche to park it wherever they wanted, not caring about her own husband. What a nice woman. As if things weren't already tense, it seems Andy's solid wall was starting to spring a leak or two...or ten. Louie and Scott get back just in time to alert their plethora of house guests. But instead of moving to higher ground... how they would do that is anyone's guess unless Andy built a third story to the house... they all pitch in and patch up. A little mud here and there, and when that wasn't strong enough, Ora's sweet potatoes did the job. Next morning, the sun finally came out and the deluge was officially over. Even better, Andy extends an olive branch to Jensen by he (and a reluctant Louie) scrubbing and drying out the Jensens' house. So now all was well, the flood was gone, the neighborhood feud ended, and it seemed as though Andy and Mr. Jensen would get along just fine... until they have yet another argument about Bob Hope.
When the chips are down, people can easily set aside their differences and do what must be done to survive. That and learning to live and let live are some of the lessons this episode teaches us. I'm also glad that despite the Jensen family being African American, they never address that or have any sort of hint at racism. I mean, it could've gone like that Berenstain Bears book where a Panda family moves in next door and Papa shows his intolerant side. It's good Life With Louie never felt the need to address such a topic, as everyone was created equal. As stated before, Andy Anderson predates Donald Trump in building a wall as a solution, except in Andy's case, the wall was actually useful. The Andersons sure have a giant house to put up all their neighbors during a storm. Maybe Andy should think about starting a hotel, it would make him some decent money. But I don't think they have enough bathrooms for that. So anyway, I definitely recommend Raindrops Keep Falling on My Bed. Classic Life With Louie with great messages.
The feud continued at school, where Louie's so-called friends laughed at him over his father building a wall. Miffed at being a figure of ridicule, Louie accuses Scott of letting their dog go in the Andersons' yard. This results to shouts, and then it almost becomes fisticuffs (and enjoy this while you can, because it's the ONLY time Louie willingly attempts to fight someone), but luckily they're saved by the bell... or rather P.A. announcement, telling them school has been called on account of rain. So, braving his way home through his flooded town, Louie realizes the one place in town that isn't halfway under water was his house, courtesy of Andy's wall. Speaking of whom, the old soldier doesn't even realize it's flooded outside, as he's spent all his time inside... his own head, and you all know where THAT usually is. However, due to the flood and so many neighbors being without homes currently, Ora went behind Andy's back and invited them to stay at the Anderson house. After a few families, their house quickly becomes a makeshift hotel: the Folded Arms. Eventually, everyone in the neighborhood was at Casa de Anderson... except the Jensens. Against his better wishes, Andy is sent to check on them, and of course, he forces Louie to go too. They find the Jensens on their rooftop, and at first the stubborn patriarch refuses Andy's invitation to come over the wall, but eventually changes his mind. Good, now the neighborhood feud can continue, with everyone fighting under one roof. But at least Louie and Scott make amends, and then they set out to find Scott's wayward dog. They commandeer a boat and proceed down the river through the neighborhood, rescuing everyone else's lost pets and quickly turning their little craft into Louie's Ark. Back at home, Andy felt like a stranger in his own house as his neighbors began taking up all his space... incidentally, just how big is the Anderson house? They've got, like, 7 kids and 2 adults living there, and now they've got, what, 20 additional people? How is that thing not packed to the rafters? I guess Ora was kind enough to allow the neighbors carte blanche to park it wherever they wanted, not caring about her own husband. What a nice woman. As if things weren't already tense, it seems Andy's solid wall was starting to spring a leak or two...or ten. Louie and Scott get back just in time to alert their plethora of house guests. But instead of moving to higher ground... how they would do that is anyone's guess unless Andy built a third story to the house... they all pitch in and patch up. A little mud here and there, and when that wasn't strong enough, Ora's sweet potatoes did the job. Next morning, the sun finally came out and the deluge was officially over. Even better, Andy extends an olive branch to Jensen by he (and a reluctant Louie) scrubbing and drying out the Jensens' house. So now all was well, the flood was gone, the neighborhood feud ended, and it seemed as though Andy and Mr. Jensen would get along just fine... until they have yet another argument about Bob Hope.
When the chips are down, people can easily set aside their differences and do what must be done to survive. That and learning to live and let live are some of the lessons this episode teaches us. I'm also glad that despite the Jensen family being African American, they never address that or have any sort of hint at racism. I mean, it could've gone like that Berenstain Bears book where a Panda family moves in next door and Papa shows his intolerant side. It's good Life With Louie never felt the need to address such a topic, as everyone was created equal. As stated before, Andy Anderson predates Donald Trump in building a wall as a solution, except in Andy's case, the wall was actually useful. The Andersons sure have a giant house to put up all their neighbors during a storm. Maybe Andy should think about starting a hotel, it would make him some decent money. But I don't think they have enough bathrooms for that. So anyway, I definitely recommend Raindrops Keep Falling on My Bed. Classic Life With Louie with great messages.