Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Neighborhood

Losing Hazel is so much a part of who I am and what my life is about right now, that it takes a lot to get me out of my fog. In some ways I’m super-attuned to others’ sadness, but I miss other things around me.

However, the lady next door coming out on her porch and shouting “Gotcha Bitch!” as well as other choice words was enough to shake me out of my own haze for a bit. This neighbor and the new owners of the house across the street have been having a bit of a feud. The next-doors have talked with me about the other people and I’ve been at a friend’s house when the other people have talked with her about the next-doors. I think they have both probably acted inappropriately, and I really hate being caught in the middle.

The others people are intent on “cleaning up the neighborhood” which includes, apparently, getting rid of loose dogs by shooting them with BB guns and trapping neighborhood cats and relocating them to the parking lot of a shopping mall (!!).

The next-doors are intent on living however they want whenever they want, which includes, apparently, listening to music at decibel levels heretofore unexplored, smoking pot, cutting firewood with a (very loud) tile cutter and having huge bonfires in their backyard.



Obviously, living in the city in houses thisclose to each other requires compromise. I’m aware they we are very lucky not to have dealt with anything like this before. But that means I’m clueless now.

When the next-doors came over to explain what’s going on (and, nicely, to apologize for having cussed someone out in front of my children), I encouraged them not to retaliate, and expressed my view that doing so will only make things worse, not better. They agreed that this was probably true.

However, since the other people have called animal control, the health department, the landlord and have threatened to call CPS on the next doors, I’m not sure how long the one sided cease-fire will last.

On a more positive note, we have had some families with young children move onto the street. So far, the kids are enjoying playing together and I’m enjoying watching them. This brings our block’s 0-5 year old children count to 16, I think.

1 comment:

Dilda says... said...

I love you!!!