How Are Your Neighbors?

[Rattus]

I am just loving our new neighbour. He seemed great when he first moved in last fall, but then winter hit so we didn't get a chance to absorb the full neighbour experience. Now that spring is here, we're tearing out the awful siding from our closed in porch to make an open one where we can sit and watch the neighbourhood. Anyway, my neighbour came by the other day to ask if he could take the old siding to reside above his front porch. Excellent. That is a load we don't have to pay 1-800-got-junk to cart away for us. And one of the first things he mentioned when he moved in is that he wants to build a wood fence between our properties (currently chain link, which I have wired bamboo fencing to for privacy) for which we would only have to pay for half the material at wholesale, and he would do all the work. Again, excellent. He agreed, with absolutely no quibbling, to a six foot privacy fence, and is totally amenable to my request that we put in a little grate back near the bike shed so I can greet his two dachshunds (I love them) and get a finger licking every night when I come home from work. He and the neighbours on the other side totally make up for the neighbours we had for the seventeen prior years.

[MRD]

I am just loving our new neighbour. He seemed great when he first moved in last fall, but then winter hit so we didn't get a chance to absorb the full neighbour experience. Now that spring is here, we're tearing out the awful siding from our closed in porch to make an open one where we can sit and watch the neighbourhood. Anyway, my neighbour came by the other day to ask if he could take the old siding to reside above his front porch. Excellent. That is a load we don't have to pay 1-800-got-junk to cart away for us. And one of the first things he mentioned when he moved in is that he wants to build a wood fence between our properties (currently chain link, which I have wired bamboo fencing to for privacy) for which we would only have to pay for half the material at wholesale, and he would do all the work. Again, excellent. He agreed, with absolutely no quibbling, to a six foot privacy fence, and is totally amenable to my request that we put in a little grate back near the bike shed so I can greet his two dachshunds (I love them) and get a finger licking every night when I come home from work. He and the neighbours on the other side totally make up for the neighbours we had for the seventeen prior years.

Oh, I want your neighbors. Glad you have gotten good ones finally. Maybe that will happen to me too soon.

[Rattus]

Oh, I want your neighbors. Glad you have gotten good ones finally. Maybe that will happen to me too soon.

Oh, it will - you will get good neighbours. Unfortunately, I think that it's a universal prerequisite to have awful/noisy/rude/dirty neighbours for at least a decade before you move up to the good neighbour finals. And at least Mr. Hummer turned out to be decent, so apparently you only really have to suffer one truly lousy neighbour at a time .

[MRD]

Oh, it will - you will get good neighbours. Unfortunately, I think that it's a universal prerequisite to have awful/noisy/rude/dirty neighbours for at least a decade before you move up to the good neighbour finals. And at least Mr. Hummer turned out to be decent, so apparently you only really have to suffer one truly lousy neighbour at a time .

I think I've endured the lousy neighbor thing for longer than a decade. I've not always had good neighbors. I can think of some other truly awful ones and some really great ones. I guess its about 50/50 which is ok and yes, Mr. Hummer seems to be turning into a good neighbor.

When I was pregnant, we lived in a duplex and the neighbor upstairs actually used OUR washer and dryer while we were gone one evening. We came back to our back door standing wide open and her stuff in OUR machines. My husband just about had a herd of cows. We were NOT happy. Turns out the landlord told her it was ok and GAVE her a key to the back door. Oh man, did he hear it from us about that one. That was the LAST time that happened and we had the locks changed the next day.

I have to say that probably ranks up there as my worst experience.

Then we had the neighbor that liked to fish. He had the most gorgeous yard ever and when we asked him how he managed to get his yard so nice, he informed us that he buried the fish heads and guts in his garden to fertilize it.
I remember turning green hearing that one. But at least it didn't smell and he was a really nice old guy.

We also had a family that all sported mullet hairstyles that lived across the street from us. This was only 3-4 years ago. They were nice, but we never really met them enough to know their names, so of course, they always got referred to as the mullet family. That wasn't a bad neighbor experience, just a weird one.

And I had a neighbor that used to steal our newspaper. But she was elderly and not quite all there. I caught her doing it one morning and she slipped it inside her coat and took off. I never knew she could move that fast.

I also remember being new in a neighborhood (one of the better neighborhoods as far as neighbors) when the kid next door locked herself in my bathroom. I couldn't get her out, her mom wasn't home which was why she was at my house. She was about 5 years old. I had to go flying to the other neighbor who I hadn't met yet and ask him if he could help. We ended up making good friends with he and his wife because of the rescue and the little girl is still a good friend of my daughter's. So that one worked out ok.

[cricketeen]

We also had a family that all sported mullet hairstyles that lived across the street from us.

I think I might have seen them on Treasure Hunters last summer .

[MRD]

I think I might have seen them on Treasure Hunters last summer .

The family across the street from me was VERY similar to that family, but the sons, were in elementary and middle school. Even the mom had one.

(I admit to having had one, but it was in the 80's. ALL fashion faux pas from that decade can be forgiven because you can just say: "it was the 80's" and everyone understands! :grin)

[CantGetNuf]

When I was pregnant, we lived in a duplex and the neighbor upstairs actually used OUR washer and dryer while we were gone one evening. We came back to our back door standing wide open and her stuff in OUR machines. My husband just about had a herd of cows. We were NOT happy. Turns out the landlord told her it was ok and GAVE her a key to the back door. Oh man, did he hear it from us about that one. That was the LAST time that happened and we had the locks changed the next day.

I am not one to agree with how sue happy our nation has become but I would consider this breaking and entering. Basically the landlord helped the woman break in and steal your water/electricity/detergent whatever. This is so invasive I cannot believe it. I would have seriously pressed charges.

[MRD]

I am not one to agree with how sue happy our nation has become but I would consider this breaking and entering. Basically the landlord helped the woman break in and steal your water/electricity/detergent whatever. This is so invasive I cannot believe it. I would have seriously pressed charges.

I know. Amazing what people think is ok to do isn't it?

I do think my husband mentioned the breaking and entering thing in his rant to both the neighbor and the landlord. It was over 16 years ago, so I can't quite remember all that was said, except that a LOT was said about it.

The landlord must have felt bad about it as I delivered about 3 weeks after that and he sent me flowers in the hospital which stunned and amazed me.

[cricketeen]

I'd apply that excuse to the seventies, too. Quiana. 'Nuff said.

[MRD]

My excuse for the 70's is: "I was a teenager". I haven't found one for the 90's yet.

We need a new lawn mower and one of our other "good" neighbors wants to sell us hers for the low price of $50. It's new and only been used once. I wanted to fall down and kiss her feet.
So I guess the good ones are out balancing the bad ones right now.
Got to call my husband with the good news! The "lawn" is looking pretty bad because our mower has not been running for almost 2 weeks now.