March 23, 2004
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The Burbs
One thing about spring in my neighborhood is all of a sudden you see the neighbors out in their front yards doing yardwork. I doubt if the neighbors in a big apartment building in New York City do this, but in the suburbs people (well some of them anyway) watch the landscape of their block and judge. I’m not just being paranoid. I know this because I’ve met some of my neighbors (another thing that doesn’t always happen in big cities). I’ve listened to them discuss who lived where when and how things have changed. Now there’s a good side to this. Last summer one of my cats brought in a live mouse and dropped it in front of me. I ran to open all my doors, meanwhile yelling “Out, Out, Out” at the top of my lungs and grabbing the broom. Within seconds a neighbor was at my door to see what was going on. So embarrassing. So it’s a mixed bag. This year I’m taking out the flower borders along my front sidewalk so I can spend less time in front and more in my back yard where I have some privacy. This is partly because I’m getting older and creakier and the work is too much and partly because while I’m so glad my neighbors would come running, most of the time when I’m home I “vant to be alone.” Most of the time.
Deep Thought: One afternoon, when I was about ten, I decided to walk over to the “wrong side of the tracks.” At first I was a little scared. But then I noticed that the yards were nice, and so were the houses. In fact, most of the houses were better than those on our side of the tracks. A lot better.
Today I am grateful for: Oases
Comments (7)
I would love to do something with our bare back yard… we have a chain link fence around it, but it feels like we’re right in front of our neighbor’s all the way around and there’s no privacy at all. I’m thinking tall hedges and plants that obscure the view… It would take a lot of work, but the privacy would be so worth it!! I doubt I can start on it this year, with a brand new baby, but I sure can relate to you wanting some privacy!!
English laurel is the bomb.
I live in an apartment and have found most neighbors to keep to themselves. But, I found out my next door neighbor was ill, so I left a get well card on their door. The next morning, they knocked and gave me a really tasty dish of mexican soup! How sweet was that! It’s good to have good neighbors!
Hope you are enjoying your day.
I have spent the last month in the big city and found that good people are good people no matter where they live.
It’s nice that your neighbors are concerned for you, even if it can be embarrassing, like with the mouse. Enjoy your flowerbeds, I miss having a yard to putter in since living in an apartment.
Our neighbors are like that. They are wonderful. Our children grew up together. The men argue over who has the greenest lawn and we have barbecues. It’s a nice place. Few of them left like that any more.
I know just what I want for my yard and not the foggiest idea of how to get it. I’ve determined that I’m doing very little here and waiting until we build on our other land. I hope that as you make the changes you want, you enjoy them even more than you expected you would. Infinite Blessings