Seriously. These new neighbors are crazy. I think I mentioned at one point I live about two-thirds of the way down a cul-de-sac. We don't get a lot of traffic, but for some reason Crazy Bitch seems to think every car that comes down the street turns around in her driveway. So she's taken to putting a laundry bin at the end of her driveway, to prevent cars from pulling in. Which also means instead of parking in their driveway, the park on the street, directly behind my driveway, which means I have to pull off a 9-point turn just to get out.
And their yard looks like Fred Sanford's junk yard. They just leave shit everywhere. Crazy Bitch's Crazy Husband used a stepladder to take down the Christmas lights yesterday. I have no doubt the ladder will still be leaning against the house on Memorial Day.
Still, I'll take these people over their unrepentantly selfish predecessors. About 10 years ago, the guy asked if he could use my portable sump pump, because he had water in his basement. A couple years later, I asked him if he could return it, and he acted like he had no idea what I was taking about.
The day they moved out, I found my sump pump on my front porch with a note that read: "I guess I had this after all. I forgot about it because it stopped working. Sorry!" With a smiley face drawn at the bottom. And it was missing the hose I also gave him when I loaned him the sump pump.

APIAD wrote:

If i could afford it id live in the middle of no place.  Id buy as much ground as possible and put my house in the middle of it.  I never had neighbors growing up and it isnt that my neighbors are bad, it is just that they are there.  From there leaves blowing in my yard because they are to lazy to rake or keep tabs on my comings and goings, i just find it annoying.

 
I can look into the windows of the neighbors on either side of me and tell when they're eating dinner.

The Christmas lights are still sitting on the front lawn. And it's been raining for the past few hours. And I know someone is home because the blue laundry bin is back at the end of the driveway.

APIAD wrote:

I couldnt deal with that sort of lack of privacy.  However im sure as far as white trash goes my everyday life would blow ur mind.

 
Worse than leaving up your Christmas lights until St. Patrick's Day? Or leaving a laundry bin in the middle of your driveway? For all the supposed sophistication we have here in the Athens of America, things can get very white trashy.

The Christmas lights are still on the front lawn. And it rained here for pretty much the last 36 hours.

artie_fufkin wrote:

APIAD wrote:

I dont have those issues actually and yes that is pretty white trash. Ive got a meth head neighbor who sort of lives in a trailer with no water. I assume she goes to her parents house when she needs water. Her parents have a rabbit in there house that piss and shits on a garbage bag but it is over flowing so the piss has run onto the floor. Their front yard is of course chain link fenced in, a true staple of white trash. This is just the tip of the ice berge.

There was big deal a few years ago when a family that moved here from one of the eastern European countries built a chicken coop in their backyard. Our town has a long-standing bylaw that limits livestock from residential zoning districts, but these people were raising the chickens for their own purposes. The neighbors went batshit and the various municipal boards were involved until a predators - coyotes, it's believed - got into the chicken coop one night and had themselves a nice, captive meal.

There are chickens in my "village" and nobody cares.  Id like some myself.  Everyone has there xmass lights down tho.

Grief, i couldnt imagen.  You know there is a whole world out there that isn't communist.  U can build what you want.  Live how you want.  And how the fuck do you have home owner rules that disallow a swingset but allow xmass lights all year around.  Allow you to block your driveway.  And how does a cub fan get in.  These are standards without standards.

Yeah... Subdivision mafia exists in my neighborhood too. I was working on my dad's Jeep Cherokee. Replacing a fuel gauge. Took the tank cover off and pulled the gas tank. Went to grab some food. When I got back the police were responding to the call and wanted to know how long I intended to leave a "mechanical project" in my driveway... Ensuring I knew that it all had to be moved inside the garage overnight. My fence has to be approved by every neighbor who can see it, and the entire street if it's in the front yard. Sheds are pretty much a hard no. Unless you feel like shelling out HUGE money for it to have a professional roof, vinyl siding, windows, etc...

The good news? Nobody leaves anything in their yard.... The Fairview Heights Police department is blessed with relatively low crime, so they respond to these highly important subdivision violations with insane efficiency...

If you're as non confrontational as I am, I would have just not called John and Mary. Yes, an invitee have your their number to specifically invite them, but invitee would be non the wiser if you didn't call.