Information is a commodity that not many think about. It is never free is it? And the beauty of it is - you can sell the same information OVER and OVER again to different people. You hear me? Information is a very valuable thing to have.
When we are younger we think we know it all. When we get older, we fear we don't know enough.
I love having a small business and one of the advantages is that a lot of it is done from home. I knew that I needed to buy a bigger house prior to quitting my job because our small business had only been operating for about 18 months at that time. No lender would use that for a loan reference.
One of the resources we use are the court house research rooms in local counties. Many matters of public record can only be obtained through their books and records. Location, location, location. We had to move in a central area near as many adjacent county seats as possible. I wanted to buy private property. My husband wanted to move to a suburban neighborhood so that the kids would have friends to play with!
Dave won and I made up my mind that I would make the best of it. I am a very private person and I love to socialize, but I am very particular about when I feel like doing that. I don't want neighbors, really. Sorry. Two or more people in a group and you will eventually have some conflict. I try to avoid that at all costs. Neighbors scare me. They can't be easily gotten rid of, if things get ugly.
I found a decent two story home adjacent to a corn field. Bonus - it's on a corner lot. We moved in quietly, a couple people smiled and waved but everyone pretty much kept their distance. I thought this was a good sign! Boy was I wrong!
The next day, a girl came over from across the street and introduced herself. Turns out - she lived with her parents and her three children, ages 3 to 12. I asked her in and she launched into the business of filling me in about everyone in the neighborhood. I knew what that meant, too. Soon, she would be running door to door informing the neighborhood about me. I told her very little.
I decided I was going to just try to be polite but distant. The attached video is exactly how I feel about neighbors and how you should behave. Just don't get too chummy.
Next, the little lady next door came over. Let's call her Carrie. (Like in the Stephen King Novel!)
Carrie, short brown hair, blunt cut - no make up. Carrie spoke with her arms crossed, body slightly rocking, chin up. I knew right away this was a "little Hitler" and I resisted the urge to salute her. I already knew I was not gonna be asking her over for a glass of wine. Too freaking up tight and knowledgeable. You know the kind.
Carrie and her husband, Anis have 3 kids. The kids are nice. I kindly said all the right stuff and sent Carrie packing while I finished my own unpacking. I am pretty good at avoiding people so I didn't see anyone much for a while. I did think things were odd though. It was like we were being avoided. I did not mind this at all though so I just enjoyed the silence. This went on for two years!
I was commenting to my husband that there was something weird about this 'hood. He said it was just my over active imagination until one night when we were coming home from dinner out. It was just about dark as we drove down our street. Carrie, Anis and a few neighbors were playing basketball in the hoop that I have in my driveway.
The second they saw our headlights - the ball dropped and rolled and everyone ran! Dave looked at me and we were both laughing, incredulous!
"What was that about?" he asked with a shocked look on his face. "They scattered like roaches!"
Well, one day a lady that lived down the block struck up a conversation with me. I liked her a lot - she was an older lady and a smart one too! She did end up sharing with me a very funny story.
Apparently, since I did not fully inform my neighbors about how I earn a living they decided to make some assumptions of their own! I guess since I only run out for shopping and errands, and Dave leaves the house at 10 or 11 wearing cargo shorts, carrying a brief case gave them lots to talk about.
Nobody was talking TO us. They were too busy talking ABOUT us. I found out that we were in the Witness Protection Program! Yes! They got me! They figured it all out. Genius!
I did have a couple of suits from the IRS come knocking on my door shortly after we moved in. They were looking for the previous owners. I suppose that could have added some fuel.
Eventually it got around that we have a legit business and things settled down for several years.
Like a time bomb waiting to explode - after 7 years - the ticking started. I do not want to waste a bunch of my time getting all involved with the neighbors. I did find a way to effectively deal with a bad neighbor.
I was trying to figure out how to make Carrie and Anis just stay the hell on their own lawn after several ridiculous visits about my dogs barking. Suddenly, the people with three large dogs of their own, protest my indoor dogs barking. We all know it isn't about the dogs folks.
I noticed a peculiar thing about people. They behave in ways privately that they would NEVER be caught dead doing if all eyes were on them. So I decided to put it to the test. I have now outfitted my house with Night Owl Security cameras. If they are not embarrassed about their behaviour then I supposed it would continue. If they wouldn't want the whole world to see what they were doing, because they know it's wrong - they would stop.
So far so good! Here ya go - take care of that naughty neighbor quietly so you can enjoy the rest of your life!
http://realhousewife.hubpages.com/_188siy2o6o960/hub/The-Neighbor-The-Night-Owl
Keep it Real!
