Tag Archives: neighbors

It’s none of my business but…

21 Aug

Every morning, he emerges from his house with one thing on his mind. The older man, who always wears a smile on his face and offers a wave to neighbors, walks to his backyard and begins inspecting his beautiful flowering plants that line his property. He cares for each one patiently and thoroughly, making sure they are pruned and watered. He loves them and it shows.

Now, his precious plants are being crowded and possibly threatened. The new neighbor behind him is building a fence. Practically right on top of them.

Does he have the right? Sure, if he obtained the proper permit and permission from the homeowners’ association. Does that mean it is right? I say no.

I’m heartbroken for him. It just seems so inconsiderate and in your face. I would have at least talked to the man about it before putting up the posts. I asked him if he was told about it. He gave me a very disappointed no.

Funny thing is, I think the fence will be nice for our block, providing some more privacy. I still can’t help think that it is not worth it though. A man’s feelings should mean more than another man’s privacy fence.

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Neighborhood Watch

17 Apr

Who needs a busy body policing the neighborhood when you have a 4 year old?

Today, Nia made it known to me and the neighbor across the street that she disapproved of how he was dressed.  This “he” is a teenage boy who is constantly working on his car that has one of those deliberately loud mufflers on it  (speak of the devil – I hear the car now) and one of those “systems” that he decides to blare at odd hours of the night.

Anyway, today Nia announced out her brother’s open bedroom window, “Momma!  That boy who’s our neighbor is outside and doesn’t have a shirt on!”

I’m not sure if he heard or not and I really don’t care anyway.  I know I’m supposed to “love thy neighbor” and I keep telling myself that but every time I hear his annoyingly loud car I feel the urge to cuss under my breath.

Maybe I should get Nia to give him a piece of my mind.  The G-rated version, of course.
 

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Mr. Rogers would be proud

21 Feb

I’ve been so fortunate to have lived next door to some really wonderful people.  I really can’t take credit for any of it – my mom and dad picked the first house and with our two houses, we had no idea who lived next to us.  Call it fate or luck or God or whatever you want to call it, but so far, we’ve had some of the best neighbors.

The neighbors I had while I was growing up are like family to me.  I’m so happy they are there for my mom and that my mom is there for them.  We’ve always had the key to their house and they’ve always had ours.  We’ve shared in ALL the happy family moments together, as well as the sad ones.  I couldn’t imagine my life without them.  I even got introduced to their culture and religion, attending Greek Bible School with them and even learning some of their language and traditions.  Words really can’t touch the appreciation and love I have for them.

When we lived in Savannah, the couple across the street helped take care of me while Andrew was deployed in Iraq and I was pregnant.  They landscaped our front yard and decorated our house for Andrew’s homecoming.  When they moved away, we tried to stay in touch.  One time, we ran into each other at the Atlanta Zoo and it was only because they recognized my laugh echoing through the trees!  I heard, “Nicole Valles, is that you?!?!”  It was a great feeling and we still continue to try to keep in touch.

Our neighbors now, Allison and James, are just as wonderful.  They’ve done the usual ‘neighborly’ thing of caring for our turtle, Clark, while we’re away and collecting our mail, but they’ve also alerted us to two outdoor spectacles that we would have missed if it wasn’t for them – the snow that fell here last month and tonight’s lunar eclipse.  Allison has even invited me to go with her and her friends for a birthday celebration this weekend in Atlanta!  I was like, “She likes me!  She really likes me!”  And so far, I haven’t done anything embarrassing to change her mind!

 

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Old Lady Valles

7 May

It’s hard for me to admit but I am slowly turning into my Grandma.  She was that old lady in your neighborhood who never let kids go into her yard to get their kickball and she called the neighbors living next door the “foreigners” (even though she was from Italy too) because they made her mad once.

Ok, maybe I’m not as bad yet but I’m getting there.  Specifically when it comes to one of neighbor’s punk kids and all of the cars that come and go from the house at all hours with their bass systems blaring and their engines ridiculously loud.  I know I wouldn’t care if we didn’t have kids – but we do and I don’t want them to wake up in the middle of the night because some dudes who thought they were cool had to blare their bass and rev their engines when they drop off or pick up their buddy.

I know I need to relax – I mean I’m sure I did a ton more annoying things than that when I was growing up.  It’s just now that I’m Old Lady Valles – I have to act the part!
 

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