Welcome to the neighborhood - we are watching you.
I don't want to appear too paranoid, but I find the conversation started when my next door neighbor came over to introduce himself troubling.
long rant behind the cut
"I know that we waved to each other this Fall when mowing our lawns, but wanted to take a moment to formally introduce you to the neighborhood."
No problem with this. It is normal, and quite frankly welcome - a formal introduction/greeting from the neighbor next door.
"I wanted to come over several times since then, but I can never figure out when you are home."
Alarms going off in the back of my head. Paranoia rising.
"Sometimes, I see your car in the driveway at 10:30 in the morning when I go to get my paper. Other times it is gone before then. These last two weeks, I've seen it there during the week after 1 pm."
"I've also noticed that when I am awake at night - he is 70, I believe - I see you house lights on at all hours of the night and early morning. I also notice that sometimes, you don't get in till after 11 pm or 2 am."
"I just wanted to say welcome to the neighborhood. Hope that I can drop by sometime for coffee and to chat some more."
Uber-paranoia has struck. So, it is not just the nosy neighbor that called the police because she saw my houselights on when she didn't think anyone had moved into the house yet, it is all the people of this little tight knit community that watch over and spy on each other like the Communist Chinese.
They probably think I run drugs or some crap with the hours, I have 'displayed' for all to see. Bah!!!
And, to top it off, yep, I come out to snow blow my driveway, and what do I find? The neighbor across the street already did half of it. I should be estatic right. WRONG!!! I'm not. This is worse than a housing association cutting your lawn because it was too high type of thing in my book.
Not only did someone blow out my driveway to the car today, but last Thursday, after leaving work an hour early to use the snow blower for the first time, I find my whole driveway and the way to the back steps blown out. It freaked me out.
Today, neighbor introducing himself states that he has been here since 1958, and raised his 5 sons in this community. There is only one individual that has been here longer than him. It is the tradition of those living in my house, his house and the house across the street, for the first person who gets up to do his driveway to start and blow out the other two. It's just being neighborly. (And, I say to myself, and after they slip and fall, or I accidentally gouge their driveway or soil, how "neighborly" and forgiving are they going to be, or expect me to be.)
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Am I being ungrateful? Am I being too paranoid? I really do not want someone else "helping" me, when I have not asked for help. ("Just leave me alone. I figure it out on my own. But, they just keep bugging me. <--- ala Institutionalized by the Suicidal Tendencies hehe)
I like my privacy. The last thing that I want is someone feeling that they can waltz over to the house and come inside for coffee or "just to chat", as they eye the whole house and my possessions. As it is, I feel that someone snowblowing out the driveway is akin to someone waltzing in unannounced into my house, and then letting me know that he noticed laundry in my dryer, so decided to fold it for me. AGGGHHH!
And, I do not want the neighbors waltzing over to a bbq, or dinner meet, or party - if I have one next year for Furry Gatherings, or my furry friends.
And, last of all, I definitely do not want someone waltzing over and knocking on the door - I have not found a wireless doorbell that does not play annoying sounds - well only checked out Wal-Mart so far, to see if he can stop by when I happen to have another car in the driveway because a friend decided to stop over.
I already discovered poop on my lawn next to the front door stoop that no one uses. On two different occasions - once before I moved in, and once after I moved in. There are two neighbors with little dogs that walk them up and down the street, so what is poop doing over 25 feet from the edge of the road? (another paranoid rant for another time)
I wish that I lived on a mountain top surrounded by beautiful trees and acreage. And, that my nearest neighbor was "over there somewhere". Instead, I feel like I am in that Monty Python skit where the two old women have telescopes out every window, and are spying on every individual that walks into view, with a negative comment and gossipy remark for everyone - except it appears that every house has telescopes in my case.
But, I do not. I have to decide how to say, I'm not snowblowing someone else's driveway, someone that I don't know and don't really care to know, someone who is not a friend, but at best a social contruct "neighbor", not even an acquaintance. I won't do it - especially when everyone in question has his own snow blower!!!
long rant behind the cut
"I know that we waved to each other this Fall when mowing our lawns, but wanted to take a moment to formally introduce you to the neighborhood."
No problem with this. It is normal, and quite frankly welcome - a formal introduction/greeting from the neighbor next door.
"I wanted to come over several times since then, but I can never figure out when you are home."
Alarms going off in the back of my head. Paranoia rising.
"Sometimes, I see your car in the driveway at 10:30 in the morning when I go to get my paper. Other times it is gone before then. These last two weeks, I've seen it there during the week after 1 pm."
"I've also noticed that when I am awake at night - he is 70, I believe - I see you house lights on at all hours of the night and early morning. I also notice that sometimes, you don't get in till after 11 pm or 2 am."
"I just wanted to say welcome to the neighborhood. Hope that I can drop by sometime for coffee and to chat some more."
Uber-paranoia has struck. So, it is not just the nosy neighbor that called the police because she saw my houselights on when she didn't think anyone had moved into the house yet, it is all the people of this little tight knit community that watch over and spy on each other like the Communist Chinese.
They probably think I run drugs or some crap with the hours, I have 'displayed' for all to see. Bah!!!
And, to top it off, yep, I come out to snow blow my driveway, and what do I find? The neighbor across the street already did half of it. I should be estatic right. WRONG!!! I'm not. This is worse than a housing association cutting your lawn because it was too high type of thing in my book.
Not only did someone blow out my driveway to the car today, but last Thursday, after leaving work an hour early to use the snow blower for the first time, I find my whole driveway and the way to the back steps blown out. It freaked me out.
Today, neighbor introducing himself states that he has been here since 1958, and raised his 5 sons in this community. There is only one individual that has been here longer than him. It is the tradition of those living in my house, his house and the house across the street, for the first person who gets up to do his driveway to start and blow out the other two. It's just being neighborly. (And, I say to myself, and after they slip and fall, or I accidentally gouge their driveway or soil, how "neighborly" and forgiving are they going to be, or expect me to be.)
------------
Am I being ungrateful? Am I being too paranoid? I really do not want someone else "helping" me, when I have not asked for help. ("Just leave me alone. I figure it out on my own. But, they just keep bugging me. <--- ala Institutionalized by the Suicidal Tendencies hehe)
I like my privacy. The last thing that I want is someone feeling that they can waltz over to the house and come inside for coffee or "just to chat", as they eye the whole house and my possessions. As it is, I feel that someone snowblowing out the driveway is akin to someone waltzing in unannounced into my house, and then letting me know that he noticed laundry in my dryer, so decided to fold it for me. AGGGHHH!
And, I do not want the neighbors waltzing over to a bbq, or dinner meet, or party - if I have one next year for Furry Gatherings, or my furry friends.
And, last of all, I definitely do not want someone waltzing over and knocking on the door - I have not found a wireless doorbell that does not play annoying sounds - well only checked out Wal-Mart so far, to see if he can stop by when I happen to have another car in the driveway because a friend decided to stop over.
I already discovered poop on my lawn next to the front door stoop that no one uses. On two different occasions - once before I moved in, and once after I moved in. There are two neighbors with little dogs that walk them up and down the street, so what is poop doing over 25 feet from the edge of the road? (another paranoid rant for another time)
I wish that I lived on a mountain top surrounded by beautiful trees and acreage. And, that my nearest neighbor was "over there somewhere". Instead, I feel like I am in that Monty Python skit where the two old women have telescopes out every window, and are spying on every individual that walks into view, with a negative comment and gossipy remark for everyone - except it appears that every house has telescopes in my case.
But, I do not. I have to decide how to say, I'm not snowblowing someone else's driveway, someone that I don't know and don't really care to know, someone who is not a friend, but at best a social contruct "neighbor", not even an acquaintance. I won't do it - especially when everyone in question has his own snow blower!!!