Love Your Neighbor

Dean and Karen Olsen came to Kissing Tree from just up the road in Buda, Texas. They closed in December of 2019 and moved in February of 2020, but they’ve been coming to events and activities at KT since the beginning. The Olsens chose the Bryant floorplan with the attached casita so that Karen’s mother Hurky could live with them. “Hurky lived in Austin before we moved out here, and she loves that she has her own porch and bed and bath.” Dean says. “She’s a painter, and she has her studio there.” Insider tip: you might have seen Hurky’s beautiful work at the Kissing Tree’s annual Christmas Bazaar.

Small Acts of Kindness

After moving in, Dean started putting out the trash can on garbage days for the single neighbor who lived next door. He would put her trash can out in the morning and pull it back to the house after the truck had come. Soon, he started putting out the trash cans for all the single ladies on their street. Then Dean started worrying that the married couples on his street might feel left out, so he started putting out and pulling in their trash cans as well. “It’s no big deal,” Dean says. “I just do the 13 houses on our street, and I enjoy it. I’d love to see it happen on other blocks; it ends up being a good neighborhood get together.”

Big Fun at Kissing Tree

When he’s not helping the neighbors, Dean is a self-proclaimed bookaholic. The retired professional counselor loves teaching at church, and he hopes to get into golf and pickleball this summer — he’s already taken the KTPA  Intro to Pickleball course with Deb Pryor, and he used to play a lot of tennis.

Most days, you can find Dean walking the neighborhood “in his shirt sleeves” with his little dog Charlie Brown or tending plants in his xeriscaped yard. On warmer evenings, he and Karen enjoy conversations, wine, and snacks in the driveway with their neighbors. “You’ve got a bunch of amazing people here at Kissing Tree,” Dean says. We say it takes one to know one.

If you want to be Dean and Karen’s neighbor, explore our available floor plans or make a plan to come out for an in-person tour. Schedule an appointment and make a day trip!