Oh Please

I have neighbors who think it’s a good idea to tear down their old, wooden fence.  Part of the fence runs along the west side of my backyard, providing me with a nice 6 ft. privacy screen next to my 4 ft. chain link fence.  Part of their fence blew over in a winter storm 2 years ago…and it’s still piled up in the alley.  So now, their kids have been given the job of taking down the rest of the fence so they can build a new fence.  The kids are kicking it down.  KICKING IT DOWN.  Most of the fence was put together with screws, so they really have to kick at it to loosen up the boards.  There are screws and shattered pieces of wood flying everywhere….including into my yard.  I’m not pleased.  But I have to say this:  They are very quiet and you’d never know 6 kids (I think it’s 6. I’m not sure which kids are theirs and which are foster? relatives? found on the side of the road?)  were living next door to us.  They are really quiet, keep things picked up, and they don’t come into the yard unless they ask my permission.  My gripe is that I really like being in my backyard and feeling like I have at least some privacy.  I don’t think they are ever going to replace the fence.  They haven’t painted their house - which is almost paint free - or fixed the shingles on their roof - which are curling up and flap around in the wind - or even re-screened their window screens so they can hang them back up in the windows. 

But in the grand scheme of things, it’s really not much to crank about.  The Mr. and I just got done fertilizing our lawn.  I reset the sprinkler system to come on every morning now, so we’re set.  I hope I get to put a For Sale sign in the front yard next week.  By Tuesday, we should know whether or not he got the new job on the coast.  I hate waiting for news like this…I’m sure he hates it even more.  But as soon as we get the word, I’m going to troll all the businesses in town for boxes and start packing our crap as fast as I can.  I’ve been in this house for almost 2 years now, and I hate to leave it, but I really don’t want to stay.  I haven’t hung any pictures on the walls or even repainted any of the rooms.  It just doesn’t feel like mine.  I don’t care if we end up in trailer, I just want to get out of here and out from under this cloud.  Most people have been really nice, but I can’t count on any of them.  They just shake their heads and say “that’s just the way it is around here.”  What does that mean?  Some people are assholes but we don’t care?  It might be wrong but you’re not worth fighting for?  If it doesn’t have anything to do with my paycheck I really don’t care?  Well, they can just stew in all this dysfunction.  We’re not staying. 

I think, tomorrow, I’m going to spend the morning taking pictures.  And now that Emma is tick free, she’ll even get to come along and sit in the front of the truck with me.  Is it sad that my best friend is a dog?!

 

I’m getting tired of you leaving me at home.  And what does it say about me that my best friend is a human?!  Oh, wait, I’m a dog…