How Are Your Neighbors?

[cablejockey]

Right now I have no complaints. But, 5 years ago someone new moved onto the street. They were odd in that they spent every minute of their free time sitting in their driveway! They would read, drink their beer, play music--everytime I would leave my house there they were watching. Hardly blinking, asking where ya going, whats that in the bag? By the end of the first summer they had the BBQ parked on the driveway and a small table to eat at! They had a nice backyard with a patio, but for some reason wanted to stay in the front. By their second year, they had several other neighbors joining the cult of the drivway worshippers. The adjoining neighbour would move his car so they could spread out, and put another table and BBQ out there. Then came the tv so they could watch sports! And the crowd watching me and my family coming and going was getting larger. I would smile say hello and get inside my house and go into my peaceful backyard because the noise was out front!
I was so happy when they moved 2 years later and everything went back to what I call normal. Funny thing is my sister in another town is having to deal with this living in the driveway all summer, people on her street!

[SugarMama]

Reading this thread helps me to appreciate my neighbors. While I have to stock up on food, conserve trips to the stores, doctors, etc., my nearest neighbor is almost a mile away. Yipee Close enough to get to in an emergency, but far enough away to not have to endure them (they're nice people, but what if they weren't!). Rural life has its positives and negatives. :-)

[Gutmutter]

Right now I have no complaints. But, 5 years ago someone new moved onto the street. They were odd in that they spent every minute of their free time sitting in their driveway! They would read, drink their beer, play music--everytime I would leave my house there they were watching. Hardly blinking, asking where ya going, whats that in the bag? By the end of the first summer they had the BBQ parked on the driveway and a small table to eat at! They had a nice backyard with a patio, but for some reason wanted to stay in the front. By their second year, they had several other neighbors joining the cult of the drivway worshippers. The adjoining neighbour would move his car so they could spread out, and put another table and BBQ out there. Then came the tv so they could watch sports! And the crowd watching me and my family coming and going was getting larger. I would smile say hello and get inside my house and go into my peaceful backyard because the noise was out front!
I was so happy when they moved 2 years later and everything went back to what I call normal. Funny thing is my sister in another town is having to deal with this living in the driveway all summer, people on her street!

OMG cablejockey - you're talking about my neighbors!!! I like them and all, but they have a huge parking/turnaround area at the end of the driveway where they have a grill, chairs, etc. and the garage is his man-cave with a fridge full of beers and he has his workshop there and music, etc. I think his brother is living there now, too. They're up the hill a little from me and their view is my flower garden and bay window. Luckily I discovered early on, that even with my curtains drawn when it's dark out and my inside lights are on, they can see right into my living room, so I have a screen up on the bay ledge. I want to get light from that window and see out if someone is coming to visit or leave a delivery, etc. but I let my garden go to weeds this summer because I don't want to be the Gutmutter Gardening Show for them and their guests.

[cablejockey]

It seems some people have no lives and use the neighbourhood as their reality show so to speak. Its too bad you are in their line of sight and your garden is suffering from it.

[Bunny555]

I think we have all had the same neighbors. Our former neighbors were in their driveway 24/7. Whenever their phone rang they would come into the yard to answer it. As I liked to spend summer evenings sitting on my porch, I learned way more than I ever wanted to know about them because all of their phone calls were made public. I could have lived w/that but their children broke boundaries by decididing that my front porch was a good place for they and their friends to hang out. I remember coming home from a grocery shopping trip with with my children and my kids saying "excuse me" so the people sitting on our stairs would move and let us into our house. I wasn't as polite as I told them that our home wasn't their meeting place and to find another place to gather.

Gut can you put up a privacy fence?

[Little Sew&Sew]

I am very grateful for the majority of my neighbors. What they offer in the way of friendship and dependability more than makes up for the one who lives next door. Thankfully, there's about 90 feet of space between us which is more than the neighborhood we lived in 9 years ago afforded us.

When it comes to lawncare, I get my hair cut more often then he mows. They have an above-ground pool. This year, for whatever reason, they decided NOT to open it. To say that the color of the water reminds me of a swamp is an understatement. If the critter said to inhabit Loch Ness ever goes missing, you are welcome to hold your search party meetings in my backyard!

I once gave their daughter a check for $25 as a donation to the American Heart Association. The schools in our area typically have a Jump Rope-a-thon type thing to raise money. The check was written early in the school year (she had all the forms and paperwork). October came and went, then November, December and January. With the start of February, I began gathering paperwork for Income Tax preparations. Thinking of "cash" donations jogged my memory. The check was never cashed.

I called the school thinking the event had been postponed/cancelled/etc . . . and was assured that it had taken place as scheduled and the monies had all been sent to the AHA. My story of the uncashed check piqued the interest of the school secretary enough for her to make a few phone calls. Turns out that Mom (who is in the military and was deployed at the time of the fundraiser) says she found the form in the daughters book bag during Winter Break. Mom claims she sent them directly to the rightful recipient, but here we are, 4 years later, and my donation has yet to be deducted from my account.

It was at that point that I cut off what little contact we had with these people. I don't know for sure that anyone gave this child cash as a donation, but if my check was never handed over, what are the chances that real spendable money was sent it? The daughter is now entering teens and taking after her older sister . . . . this is not a good thing. If I had a dollar for every late night visit (I'm talking after 10 pm) from male friends with loud music and fast moving cars (speed limit is 25), I could give the Heart Association a check every month!

[inthegarden]

Gut What about planting a nice evergreen native shrub border to double as a screen and as a backdrop for your flower garden. I planted one to keep my nosey neighbors across the pasture from their watching me in my flower garden.
Absolutely no entertainment value.

Our other neighbors are preparing for their annual Labor Day Dove hunt.

[Gutmutter]

I'll look into it, but I'm downhill from them, so anything tall enough to actually block their view would block light to my garden. I may plant something pretty in front of my bay window at least, like a smoke bush.

[Critical]

Gut, I had a similar problem when I moved into the house I'm in now. My bedroom window is adjacent to my carport, so if someone is standing out there and my blinds are up, you can see right into my room. I like natural light during the day, but my creepy neighbor was always out there smoking (blech) and yammering away on his cell phone. I priced some of that cling film you can put on windows - they make some that looks like rice paper and lets in light, but you can't see through it - but it was way too expensive because my window is quite wide. I also considered getting a little lattice to put in the planter outside my window. In the end, I pulled my car up further, which blocks his view and just don't open my blinds all that much.

This is the same neighbor, btw, who always stands in front of my house to smoke and, if the door is open and the fan is on, his smoke comes right into the house. I like most of my neighbors, but this guy creeps me out!

I do have another neighbor who used my hose all the time. After someone didn't put it back the way they found it and I ran over it one night, flattening the nozzle (grrrr), I tossed it. Now the same neghbor just hooks her own hose up to my spigot to wash her car! She's a nice lady, but she clearly has boundary issues. Plus, she always seems to wash her car when I'm showering, washing clothing or doing the dishes and it messes with my water pressure.

OH! I also have a neighbor who has backed into my car at least once! The first time, I didn't see it happen - I just found red paint scraped all over my bumper. The second time, I was in my room and heard him hit my car. I wasn't dressed or I would have run out there. I got dressed and went out and, sure enough, another bunch of red paint. His bumper now has a bunch of silver paint on it. Jerk. Not sure what to do, since this is a small community (9 units and a manager) and his friends are the only rowdy ones we see around here - it's otherwise pretty quiet. I guess I don't want to rock the boat and then end up with my car keyed up or something. Want to know the kicker? He's got an US Air Force sticker on his car. The guy is military! So much for honor, right?

Okay, so maybe I have a few problem neighbors

[Eastcoastmom]

Critical, you are far too nice!