Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Car repairs, blech...
Two little weeks after paying off my car, I am facing repairs. It is as if the money gods looked down upon me and said "Hey, she thinks things are going ok. Let's send a Murphy at her." A Murphy is of course a variant on the whole Murphy's Law thing. Things are going ok, guess it's time for a roadblock. Fingers crossed that it's under $500.
Nosy neighbors...
I have one of the nosiest, but most well-intentioned neighbors. There are businesses along one side of our street, a rental on one side of me and a single, 50ish lady on the other. She is constantly providing the young, single female (me) with new homeowner tips.
I think she has a love affair of sorts with my roses, for example. I don't really like roses. Don't care for them as a cut flower and really hate how prickly they are while growing in the yard. Apparently, I'm not giving my roses proper care. I honestly don't care about them. They are an entire length of the yard, pink and prickly. Pretty, I suppose. But also a lot of work. She has already told me twice this Spring that I should trim them "way down so they bloom all summer long". Last summer, I didn't take good enough care of them so one day I came home and found that she had trimmed them all herself. I honestly didn't mind, it was one less chore than I had to do.
Now, she is apparently finding fault with the care of my dog, Sami. Sami is a little more than a puppy, a little more than an adult dog. Sort of teenagerish. Which means she has some nasty habits, doesn't like being alone and digs when bored. Since I started working those two days a week, I am home less than I was. According to the neighbor, poor Sami is alone so much that she worries that she is getting depressed. And if I ever think about getting rid of Sami, she would be happy to take her from me.
I don't have any plans to give up my dog or to trim my roses, but I may start planning ways to trim neighbor time away a little more. Where does the line appear between friendly advice and being a big old busy body? How do I remain polite and neighborly without actually doing any of the things she "suggests"? Apartment living never brought up this sort of dilemma. In fact, I was able to successfully avoid meeting most of my neighbors over the 10 years of apartment living. I didn't know then, but that was an ok arrangement for me.
I think she has a love affair of sorts with my roses, for example. I don't really like roses. Don't care for them as a cut flower and really hate how prickly they are while growing in the yard. Apparently, I'm not giving my roses proper care. I honestly don't care about them. They are an entire length of the yard, pink and prickly. Pretty, I suppose. But also a lot of work. She has already told me twice this Spring that I should trim them "way down so they bloom all summer long". Last summer, I didn't take good enough care of them so one day I came home and found that she had trimmed them all herself. I honestly didn't mind, it was one less chore than I had to do.
Now, she is apparently finding fault with the care of my dog, Sami. Sami is a little more than a puppy, a little more than an adult dog. Sort of teenagerish. Which means she has some nasty habits, doesn't like being alone and digs when bored. Since I started working those two days a week, I am home less than I was. According to the neighbor, poor Sami is alone so much that she worries that she is getting depressed. And if I ever think about getting rid of Sami, she would be happy to take her from me.
I don't have any plans to give up my dog or to trim my roses, but I may start planning ways to trim neighbor time away a little more. Where does the line appear between friendly advice and being a big old busy body? How do I remain polite and neighborly without actually doing any of the things she "suggests"? Apartment living never brought up this sort of dilemma. In fact, I was able to successfully avoid meeting most of my neighbors over the 10 years of apartment living. I didn't know then, but that was an ok arrangement for me.
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