Karma and where have all the good guys gone. or won't you be my neighbor?
As Karma would have it I was raised in a neighborhood with lots of kids always running about, staying out late catching fireflies all summer A neighborhood much like the fictional sesame street where everyone knew you and your parents,where you were safe and looked out for by all the neighborhood moms, a place where you could take a shortcut through the neighbors yard because you were being chased by a scary dog , were you could play freeze tag throughout the whole neighborhood.
My Mamaw and Papaw's neighborhood was the same way we had free reign to run up and down the road, climb the neighbors tree because after all it was the best one for climbing.
When baby bird was born my papaw asked a favor of baby bird and I, to live and look after my mamaw if anything were to happen to him, we kept that promise when he passed away and not long after we moved in. Baby bird soon became mamaw's sidekick and the mini Mr. Rogers of the neighborhood who made it a point when strolling through the neighborhood to greet everyone with a smile, a wave and a hearty hello. When mamaw passed away unexpectedly it was the neighbors who arrived first to offer words of comfort and a helping hand, for I was unsure as to how to handle things until my parents could arrived home from work. The whole neighbored came in rolled up their sleeves bringing with them comforting words and a bounty of casseroles.
It WAS a neighborhood like this that my parents moved to 30 plus years ago, a place where my kids used the neighbor's tree for climbing, where my oldest learned to ride her bike in the adjoining neighbors yard, a place where when hubs and I were married in my parents backyard we literally invented the whole neighborhood and came they did, no one complained about the 50 plus guest we had or the fact that we snapped a couple of wedding photo's in their apple orchard. It was that kind of neighborhood were when someone fell ill everyone made sure that his yard was mowed, the papers kept picked up, and an eye kept on the house.
It was this same kind of neighborhood that hubs and I raised our children in, as a matter of fact one of those neighbor kids is in the game room right now even though none of us no longer live in that -particular neighborhood.
I say all that to bring to light a recent turn of events that have come to take place in my parents neighborhood this past week that make me wonder, what happen to common curiosity and love thy neighbor? What happened to the good guys? A house that has long stood empty next door to my parents was sold when one day about 3 weeks ago to my aging parents bewilderment most of their yard was mowed. The neighbor informed my parents that the part of the yard that he mowed NOW BELONGED TO HIM that if they set foot near it or tried to mow that part of what my parents had know for 30 plus years to be their yard they would be trespassing.
This week my 71 year old mother came home from work to find little white flags and a white spray painted line right up beside her house and A WHITE SPRAY PAINTED LINE AND A FLAG RIGHT BEHIND DAD'S TRUCK, my parents were informed by D.H.(Douche Hole) that he would be building a fence right up to what he deemed his property line in which said fence would be
mere inch away from my parents home.
My dad is 72 he had a stroke earlier this year, and he is also blind in one eye he has long since retired and his health is not what it use to be, in other words neither of my parents are rowdy neighbor type folks.
Two days ago while puttering around the house my father is surprised to find a policeman at his door. The policeman informed my father that D.H. had called and ask for help because it seems that my father was being accused by D.H. of removing the flags and such and that dad's truck was parked a smidgen over the spray painted line. The flag was more than likely ran over by dad when he was backing out of his driveway ( Well I guess not dad's anymore Huh?) Dad was then informed that he was to remove his truck, and anything else that he had to somewhere else because D.H. was tired of my father using up his yard. *************(please note that the only thing that was over the line was a couple of yard decorations and a gardenia bush that my mother planted a very long time ago, and a bricked area where dad parks his truck so that no one would slip and fall during rainy weather in the mud.)
Last night my mother called to and asked that hubs the kids and I come over to help her move the bricks, her flower bed and the gardenia bush over to what she was told was her part of the yard.
Bright and early this morning we begin by moving dad's truck, yard decorations, and finally the gardenia bush which we had to pull up using a tractor since the plant had been there so long the roots were deep. After getting the gardenia settled into her new location we are all in the front yard taking a breather when NOT ONE BUT TWO POLICE CARS ROLL UP TO FIRST TO D.H. PLACE WHERE THEY RUN OUT THE DOOR AND BEGIN POINTING AND GESTURING IN OUR GENERAL DIRECTION AND WE ALL LOOK AT EACH OTHER LIKE WHAT
THE HECK IS GOING ON NOW?
A POLICEMAN DRIVES THE FEW FEET UP TO MY PARENTS HOME AND GETS OUT.
HE GREETS US AND GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS BY INFORMING US THAT D.H. AND WIFE HAVE CALLED THEM TO REPORT A THEFT.
Excuse Me? A theft, what did they say we took. Well the officer explains they say you took some of their property I say " Like we stole some of leaves off the trees, because that is pretty much all that is over their line. Um, well mam what did you folks take? My mother says "We dug up my flower bed, and some yard decorations, bricks we put down years ago and MY gardenia plant." My mother then explained that per the neighbors bullying I mean request we were to remove any and all things that were TOUCHING the lines and or flags.
This is where I am perplexed because my parents where doing what these people TOLD them to do.
This is where I am angry because my aging parents who live on a fixed income can't afford to move but will continue to deal with these greedy,self righteous,egotistical people.
This is where I am dispirited by the fact that the police were called on my 70 plus year old parents over a tree.
This is where I wonder where have all the good guys gone when lines are literally drawn over trees, and land.
This is where I worry that times have changed so much so that the worlds future children will never know what it is like to be able to run free all over the neighborhood and form bonds that very well may have lasted a life time.
My Mamaw and Papaw's neighborhood was the same way we had free reign to run up and down the road, climb the neighbors tree because after all it was the best one for climbing.
When baby bird was born my papaw asked a favor of baby bird and I, to live and look after my mamaw if anything were to happen to him, we kept that promise when he passed away and not long after we moved in. Baby bird soon became mamaw's sidekick and the mini Mr. Rogers of the neighborhood who made it a point when strolling through the neighborhood to greet everyone with a smile, a wave and a hearty hello. When mamaw passed away unexpectedly it was the neighbors who arrived first to offer words of comfort and a helping hand, for I was unsure as to how to handle things until my parents could arrived home from work. The whole neighbored came in rolled up their sleeves bringing with them comforting words and a bounty of casseroles.
It WAS a neighborhood like this that my parents moved to 30 plus years ago, a place where my kids used the neighbor's tree for climbing, where my oldest learned to ride her bike in the adjoining neighbors yard, a place where when hubs and I were married in my parents backyard we literally invented the whole neighborhood and came they did, no one complained about the 50 plus guest we had or the fact that we snapped a couple of wedding photo's in their apple orchard. It was that kind of neighborhood were when someone fell ill everyone made sure that his yard was mowed, the papers kept picked up, and an eye kept on the house.
It was this same kind of neighborhood that hubs and I raised our children in, as a matter of fact one of those neighbor kids is in the game room right now even though none of us no longer live in that -particular neighborhood.
I say all that to bring to light a recent turn of events that have come to take place in my parents neighborhood this past week that make me wonder, what happen to common curiosity and love thy neighbor? What happened to the good guys? A house that has long stood empty next door to my parents was sold when one day about 3 weeks ago to my aging parents bewilderment most of their yard was mowed. The neighbor informed my parents that the part of the yard that he mowed NOW BELONGED TO HIM that if they set foot near it or tried to mow that part of what my parents had know for 30 plus years to be their yard they would be trespassing.
This week my 71 year old mother came home from work to find little white flags and a white spray painted line right up beside her house and A WHITE SPRAY PAINTED LINE AND A FLAG RIGHT BEHIND DAD'S TRUCK, my parents were informed by D.H.(Douche Hole) that he would be building a fence right up to what he deemed his property line in which said fence would be
mere inch away from my parents home.
My dad is 72 he had a stroke earlier this year, and he is also blind in one eye he has long since retired and his health is not what it use to be, in other words neither of my parents are rowdy neighbor type folks.
Two days ago while puttering around the house my father is surprised to find a policeman at his door. The policeman informed my father that D.H. had called and ask for help because it seems that my father was being accused by D.H. of removing the flags and such and that dad's truck was parked a smidgen over the spray painted line. The flag was more than likely ran over by dad when he was backing out of his driveway ( Well I guess not dad's anymore Huh?) Dad was then informed that he was to remove his truck, and anything else that he had to somewhere else because D.H. was tired of my father using up his yard. *************(please note that the only thing that was over the line was a couple of yard decorations and a gardenia bush that my mother planted a very long time ago, and a bricked area where dad parks his truck so that no one would slip and fall during rainy weather in the mud.)
Last night my mother called to and asked that hubs the kids and I come over to help her move the bricks, her flower bed and the gardenia bush over to what she was told was her part of the yard.
Bright and early this morning we begin by moving dad's truck, yard decorations, and finally the gardenia bush which we had to pull up using a tractor since the plant had been there so long the roots were deep. After getting the gardenia settled into her new location we are all in the front yard taking a breather when NOT ONE BUT TWO POLICE CARS ROLL UP TO FIRST TO D.H. PLACE WHERE THEY RUN OUT THE DOOR AND BEGIN POINTING AND GESTURING IN OUR GENERAL DIRECTION AND WE ALL LOOK AT EACH OTHER LIKE WHAT
THE HECK IS GOING ON NOW?
A POLICEMAN DRIVES THE FEW FEET UP TO MY PARENTS HOME AND GETS OUT.
HE GREETS US AND GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS BY INFORMING US THAT D.H. AND WIFE HAVE CALLED THEM TO REPORT A THEFT.
Excuse Me? A theft, what did they say we took. Well the officer explains they say you took some of their property I say " Like we stole some of leaves off the trees, because that is pretty much all that is over their line. Um, well mam what did you folks take? My mother says "We dug up my flower bed, and some yard decorations, bricks we put down years ago and MY gardenia plant." My mother then explained that per the neighbors bullying I mean request we were to remove any and all things that were TOUCHING the lines and or flags.
This is where I am perplexed because my parents where doing what these people TOLD them to do.
This is where I am angry because my aging parents who live on a fixed income can't afford to move but will continue to deal with these greedy,self righteous,egotistical people.
This is where I am dispirited by the fact that the police were called on my 70 plus year old parents over a tree.
This is where I wonder where have all the good guys gone when lines are literally drawn over trees, and land.
This is where I worry that times have changed so much so that the worlds future children will never know what it is like to be able to run free all over the neighborhood and form bonds that very well may have lasted a life time.
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