I'm about to say the most cliché thing, and complain for a bit, please forgive me but... I completely hate my neighbors. There, I said it. I wrote before about how I don't love home ownership. At that point, my neighbors weren't a factor, but I think I need to add "you cannot get away from your shitty neighbors" to the list of things I don't enjoy about home ownership. I would love to pack these people up and send them somewhere elsewhere (we were here first!).
Since moving here almost six years ago, we've had four or five different neighbors in the house on the left side of ours. It seems like it's constantly changing hands, once even belonging to a nice guy that worked with my husband before he moved to Washington to take up organic farming (or something like that). For the most part, the people who have lived over there have been clean and quiet, to varying degrees. But, and maybe this is just me, it's annoying to constantly get new neighbors. What is wrong with that house that it changes hands so much?
For the most part, the most recent people over there are generally pretty quiet. Though it seems like there're two families living in the house next door, judging by the number of adults and cars there are over there, they keep to themselves and their kids usually aren't too noisy. The neighbor on the other side of us is a total dick, but he also keeps to himself, so I have no issue with him. We don't at all want to associate with our neighbors, on either side, so that's fine by us. We're those neighbors, the ones that keep to themselves and expect everyone else to do the same.
Here's the part that makes me hate them... every so often (a few times a year) these people make themselves a total nuisance. Around mid-2020 they shoved almost 50 people and a goddamn DJ into their postage-stamp-sized back yard for a baby shower. This isn't an exaggeration, the yard is literally tiny. I actually think my master bedroom with bathroom is roughly the same size as their yard. While the bedroom isn't at all small, if it were a backyard, it would be tiny! It's ridiculous... particularly because we're in a pandemic. Do you think a single one of those people were wearing a mask or social distancing? Yeah, no.
Over the fourth of July and Pioneer Day, they were shooting off fireworks all night for almost a week around each of those events. The noise, due to the closeness of our houses, was insanely loud. It was also so dry, sparks were flying everywhere, that I was seriously worried that they might set something (like our house) on fire.
Then, this past Saturday night, they were at the noise it again for a little kids birthday. Except, this time it was more than 50 people and again, zero masks. In fact, they were letting their kids play in my driveway and my husband almost ran them over when he came home from work. They moved, then went right back to playing loudly in my driveway. On and there was a piñata, because of course there was, and this thing literally shed tissue/crepe paper all over the neighborhood. They didn't clean it up, so there's still crepe paper stuck in one of the bushes in my front yard. They'll let their monsters play in my driveway, but won't come into my front yard to clean up after themselves.
On these occasions, they inconsiderately played loud music, with heavy bass, until the middle of the night and their tiny back yard is literally 15 feet from my bedroom windows. I almost called the police, but I don't ever want to be that neighbor. I generally like to keep the peace, even if it makes me angry or triggers my anxiety. So, instead, I sat inside and seethed, because sleep is completely out of the question when there's a fucking DJ right outside my windows. Why would the need a damn DJ for a two year old's birthday?! It's ridiculous!
I wish I could understand why people cannot be more considerate of their neighbors. We all have to live together, none of us are going anywhere anytime soon, so making the people who live next door hate you seems kind of stupid. I suppose I should be glad they're not doing that every weekend... I think I would go completely insane.
