So, I'll come right out and say it. "I'm not very neighborly." I don't really know why, but I'm just not. Perhaps it's because we're surrounded by folks who are a lot older than Evan and I or perhaps it's because they are all kinda weirdos. Let me break it down for ya.
Our Neighbor to the East: He used to be, or maybe still is, the president of the Neighborhood Watch. I don't think they've done anything organized in years, but he certainly still likes to be in everyone's business. I actually like this neighbor...when they aren't being nosy. They are friendly, they keep a nicely maintained yard and house, bring us sugary treats every Christmas and very rarely do anything annoying. When they are being nosy, however, it's a bit off-putting. When we first moved in, one of our fence posts in the back yard broke. Well, before we even had time to notice it, our neighbor (it wasn't on the side that bordered their yard) let himself in to our backyard and braced it. Then, once we got home and noticed this odd handy work in our backyard, he came over to explain what he did...by ringing the door bell, and walking in and through our house the moment we opened the door. Now, he did save us a lot of time, money and hard work because if the fence wasn't braced, more posts would have broke, but still....at least let us know before you take the liberty of trespassing on our property.
Our Neighbor to the West: These guys are odd birds. They moved in about a year or so after we first moved into our house. It's just a middle aged to older man and his wife. Oh and his big ass truck that is parked in front of their house everyday. These guys mainly keep to themselves...especially whenever we wave, or say hello, they never respond or even acknowledge us. The guy is out and about his yard and garage quite a bit, but I have only seen the woman maybe a total of 10 times in the 5 years that we've lived here. The only times I do, she is always shaking out the rugs.
In our neighborhood, the houses are very, very close together. There is probably less than 8 feet of separation between houses. So, needless to say, it's very easy to see in certain windows of our neighbors' house. We have 2 stories and this particular neighbor only has one. So from our upstairs bedroom we can look down into their kitchen window. Well, one evening I went to draw the shade in our bedroom and just happened to glance into our neighbors kitchen....where the guy was walking around buck naked! Yeah, that's a view that will never help my property value. Also because the houses are so close together, it feels like anything that's in this neighbors side yard is actually in my front yard. And this particular neighbor has a ton of crap just laying about and it drives me CRAZY!! It looks so junky and hey, it's actually a city code violation...so, yup, you guessed it. I reported him to the city so he'd have to clean up his shit. He did, a few weeks ago, but now new crap has taken it's place. I'd turn him in again, but they just put their house up for sale! Woohoo! Let's just hope some less junky...and less nude neighbors move in.
Our Neighbors Across the Street: The three houses across the street from us are more normal, but I see too much of them than I ever should. One neighbor is constantly working on his piece of junk car in his garage. No biggie, but he can't work on it unless his stereo is loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. The other 2 neighbors seem to be pretty good friends because they are constantly hanging out with each other...in their front yards.
The folks on that side of the street don't really have backyards because they slope down into a ditch or something, so I get that their only outdoor space is in front. The issue I have with both families is that they let their dogs (2-3 of them) and their VERY young children roam free and wild. Dogs chase each other or things across the busy street all the time and it's a miracle they haven't been run over yet. They are never on leashes, nor are they every picked up after. The children roam from yard to yard with the nearest parent a yard or 2 away. One of these kids can barely walk, but manages to run down the street. The kids also play baseball, golf, soccer, or just anything with a ball all the time in the front yard. Just like the dogs, the balls go into the busy street, often with a small child following after. We always hold our breath whenever they are all out there. Ugh. But hey, one of these neighbors is moving as well! Let's hope some more responsible people move in.
Or maybe you're looking for a new home! Well there are 2 right be me so come move on in. But buyer beware, I will be judging you from my front window.
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