Thanks, everyone for your advice. I asked him to come over for coffee tomorrow. He watches our home for us when we go on vacation and has helped me work on things that is how he knows where the tools are. I will be moving things and asking him for all of them back. I am sure he isn't selling them and think he probably plans on returning them when he takes them.
My first reaction to your situation betrays my large metro area origins. It was along the lines of " YOU may think he's a good friend, but obviously HE doesn't consider you one or he wouldn't do that." but it may well be that he considers you to a
good enough friend that he wouldn't mind at all if you borrowed some of
his tools without asking-even though you
don't borrow his and wouldn't think about doing so without asking him for permission every time.
We moved to a rural county in
East Tennessee about 14 years ago and it took some doing for us suspicious types to get used to how informal things can be out here in the sticks, and how some people even today can be so incredibly trusting-something that would be almost beyond belief in a big city setting. But what's equally important to remember is that if you once betray that trust, or cause hard feelings over a misunderstanding to fester, or continually take advantage of people by not at least offerring to reciprocate (even if they don't take you up on it) or are just plain "uppity" or very stand-offish it can be very hard to stay (or become) well thought of and well-integrated within the community of immediate neighbors.
In our situation, we live 20 miles from the nearest small town, in a sparsely populated area, so the majority of the neighbors are from families that have lived here for generations and were naturally well-acquainted with and connected to their neighbors-out of necessity, if not necessarily by blood.
We've met people here, ones with far fewer resources than we have, who have no compunction against inviting complete strangers into their homes for dinner after talking with them for only a few minutes, and who would give you the shirt off their backs along with every cent they had in their pockets-without even having to ask-if they knew
or even felt that you needed it.
I've offered time and time again to loan tools and help neighbors with building and vehicle-related repairs, etc., but especially at first it much less frequently went to that extent and more often than not it was me who was asking for advice or their help-to get a stuck tractor out or to help fell a dangerously-positioned tree, or (like you) to watch our house and feed our pets when my wife was in the hospital for weeks and I stayed with her.
In the past several years I've been able (or been
allowed to help more often), with things ranging as widely as tillage, welding, car and home repairs, stray animal transport to the shelter, sharing plants and vegetables that we grow, picking up groceries for neighbors when I'm going to town anyway, etc.
I hope that your coffee and talk with the neighbor cleared things up for you, that it was just a miscommunication issue with no evil intent, and that you're still on good terms with the neighbor.
