35 Day Project: Spring Fun

We live on a really nice street in town.  The people are all really nice, there is minimal traffic, and everyone really gets along.  I am pretty lucky.  We live next to a family that has two little boys, and the boys are so sweet.  They love seeing our dogs outside, and we love hearing the laughter as the boys play.  I especially love going out to see their sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

So, today, I decided to make up a small basket to give to the boys.  It contained just a few small things that they could use to play outside (chalk, bubbles, small toys, etc.).  I slipped a note in it and the left the basket on the neighbor's porch.  I am so glad we have such great neighbors!

35 Day Project: Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow SNOW!

Every year, December 1 rolls around, and I start to long for snow.  There is just something appealing about a white Christmas.  The idea of a blanket of snow on the ground, and bright shining stars in the Christmas Eve sky is kind of my idea of holiday perfection.  Then, once Christmas is over, the snow can leave until next year.  This year, however, I was pretty content with the amount of snow we got.  Since I had a large project keeping me home for most of January and February, I did not mind the snow, so long as Hubby was safe on the roads.

But now it is March, and officially spring.  It is most certainly time for the snow to be gone.  Yet, here we are, with another fairly heavy snowfall.  And this snow is particularly sloppy.  It is wet, and heavy.  And it is still coming down.  While this snow is a major annoyance, it is also a GREAT opportunity for kindness.

Hubby cleared the snow as best he could when he left for work at 7 am.  But it has continued to fall at a pretty good clip since then, so that meant our walk and steps were once again covered.  Most of the block was pretty clear, but I noticed my next door neighbor's sidewalk was pretty covered as well.  Mid day is around the time the mail gets delivered, and I always worry about the postman slipping on a snowy, icy sidewalk.  So, just now, I bundled myself up, and went out to clear not only our walk, but also my next door neighbor's.  I also used the rest of our ice melt to put down on the sidewalk in front of both houses.   This way, the postman can safely walk on our block.  Hopefully the snow stops soon, and is gone for the year. At the very least, the ice melt will continue to melt the snow that does fall, and keep the sidewalks clear until the temperature drops.

Thankful for... holiday traditions

Photo Courtesy of ccho

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and like most families, we have our own traditional foods.  Thanksgiving traditions seem to be a regional thing, around here they include green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and of course, turkey.  But every family has their own traditional dishes or desserts that make the meal complete.

For my family, our more ethnically tradition centered holiday meals are Christmas and Easter.  You see, we are Polish.  Unless you live in certain parts of Pittsburgh or Chicago, you may not be aware that there are some pretty serious Polish traditions for the holidays, and for my family, they are what make the holidays complete.  At Christmas, we do the traditional Christmas eve Wigilia dinner, which includes several kinds of fish (no meat), and other Polish dishes, including my personal favorite, pierogi.  On Easter, we make Polish beet borscht, and have several other Polish traditions within our menu.  I cannot imagine celebrating these holidays without my favorite traditional foods.

Yet many people go without their favorite traditional foods during the holidays.  Many people go without any food at all.

In light of this, I am proud to be partnering with the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project as a sponsor during their holiday project this year (see the button in my sidebar to the right).  This year they are focusing on collecting ethnic holiday foods, to help support the culturally diverse people of the Pittsburgh area.  They have made it so easy to help support this project.  They list different ideas for how you can get involved, include shopping lists of ethnic food items that are in need,  discuss different ways you can become a sponsor, and even list donation drop off locations.

Imagine your absolutely favorite holiday dish.  Now imagine you had to go without it.  That is a pretty terrible feeling.  Imagine how incredible it would feel to know that you, YOU, made someone's holiday special by providing their favorite dish.  During your celebrations tomorrow, and throughout the month of December, please consider getting involved with this truly phenomenal organization and help fight hunger.

I am truly thankful, on this Thanksgiving eve, for the holiday traditions celebrated in my family.  I am equally thankful for the chance to help a family in need get to enjoy holiday traditions of their own.

 

Thankful for.... socks and underwear: Project Giving Skivvies

How many of us, as children, had that one relative, possibly even our parents, who insisted on giving us socks and underwear for Christmas and birthday gifts?  What we really wanted was the newest Transformer, or that sweet day-glo New Kids on the Block t-shirt (or was that just me), and instead we got crew socks and tighty whiteys.  To say we were disappointed would be a great understatement.  One of the greatest indicators of reaching adulthood is the day we actually get excited about new socks and underwear.

Most people take these things totally for granted, myself included.  I have never had to worry about having the very basic necessities in life.  Often, we forget how much we are blessed.

Today, on a facebook group, I was gently reminded to be thankful for socks and underwear.  I saw a post talking about the Light of Life Mission, a rescue mission helping to serve the homeless in Pittsburgh.  One of the things this organization provides is clean socks and underwear to individuals (men women and children) in need.  Except, lately, they have had nothing to give.  The organization has been completely out of these items, and had literally been turning away people in need.  They desperately need new socks and underwear for men, women, and children.

There are some ways in which you and I can help.  If you live in the Pittsburgh area, and have some time to stop by, you can drop clean, new, unused socks and/or underwear off at the mission, any time day or night.  Their address is 10 E. North Ave Pgh, PA 15212.

Another option would be to donate online at www.lightoflife.org and put "SOX" in the designation field.

Yet another option would be to purchase items online at a place like Amazon, Target, or Walmart websites, and have them shipped to the mission at Light of Life Mission, 10 E. North Ave Pgh, PA 15212.

Yet another way to donate is through a crowdwise fundraising page set up by another blogger in the Pittsburgh Bloggers community.  The widget for the page is here:






The final thing you can do would be to spread the word to others about this need.  Share this info or blog post on Twitter, Facebook, or blog about it yourself.  If you share it on Twitter, please use the hashtag #givingskivvies

Please consider helping out with this worthy and wonderful cause.  One dollar would buy a pair of socks or underwear for a person in need. Use social media for the greater good.  Help us all be thankful for socks and underwear.

Thankful for... living in town

Hubby and I both grew up in fairly rural areas.  Well, let me clarify, we both grew up in rural counties in our respective states of residence, and within those counties, we both grew up on rural county roads, as compared to "in town".  So, when we decided to buy a house smack in the middle of the town that is our county seat, we both knew it would be a bit of an adjustment.

I had less of an adjustment, since I had moved out at 24 for graduate school.  I lived "in town" the entire time I was in graduate school, then when I moved to Pittsburgh, I lived in (several of) the South Hills suburbs, which were in and of themselves little towns.  So, for me, it was more an adjustment to living in a house, as opposed to an apartment.  I had been used to hearing other residents moving around my building, so the first few times I was in our house alone, it was a little scary!

For Hubby, the adjustment was much bigger.  He, too, had moved out for college and grad school, but when he was finished, he moved back in with his parents.  When he moved into our house, it was his first real, permanent, move.  Dealing with street parking, lots of sirens from the 3 local fire houses, and neighbors 2 feet away from our house, not to mention all the changes our particular street has undergone in the nearly 3 years we have lived here (nearly 3 years?  already?!).  Luckily, we happened to buy a house on a fabulous street.  We live on a one way street that is a mix of long term residents and young families.  Once we got over a few bumps adjusting to neighbors, I can say that this is probably one of the nicest, quietest streets in town.  Last fall, a large housing development was added for seniors at the end of our block.  We all had concerns, but honestly, we rarely ever see any of the neighbors from that development, and the pretty houses and landscaping have really perked up the street.

All in all, people keep to themselves on our street, but everyone is really kind.  We are all so busy that we just do not see each other much.  But today, I was reminded why living in town has become a blessing to us.

Our neighbors to each side had fencing along the side boundaries of our yard, so our first full summer here, Hubby and my dad fenced in the back and put fencing up to the house, so our back yard is completely fenced in.  This is great for the doggies.  However, it is a pain for cutting grass, because we have to drag the mower out through the gate to cut the side and front yards.  On top of that, last summer, I talked Hubby into buying a manual mower to help be a little greener (and to help us get some extra exercise).  It is quite cumbersome to drag it through that gate.

With the early warm spring weather, our yard had become a jungle, and today, I decided to give Hubby a surprise but tackling the first mow of the year.  His current work shift gets him home after dark, and I knew if we waited until next weekend to mow, it would be a complete mess.  As I was dragging the manual mower up from the basement, and trying to get into the groove, our next door neighbor was mowing along his side of the fence line.  He stopped his mower, and remarked that he saw I was manually mowing, and since he knew it would take me a long time, he was going to mow my front and side yards for me.  I was beyond grateful!  He cut my mow time in half, simply because I would not have to maneuver the gate and fence.

In this small act of kindness, which took him a fraction of the time it would have taken me, my neighbor reminded me how truly thankful I am to live in this town, on this street, with these neighbors.

What Would You Have Done: Overheard

I live in town.  This means our yard is the size of a postage stamp, and our neighbors are all in close proximity.  On all four sides.  Even our neighbor's neighbors are close enough for us to hear and see.  Normally, this is never an issue.  Most people in our little section of town are family people, so it is pretty quiet.  But the other day, I stumbled into an uncomfortable situation.

I had taken my dogs outside to play and do their business.  It was a lovely evening, so I sat outside with them.  That was when I overheard something uncomfortable.  One of the couples in the neighborhood were having a disagreement of sorts regarding some home improvements.  Now, let me specify here, they were not fighting.  There was no hitting, not even any yelling.  There were no curse words being used.  Just a loud conversational speaking tone serving up plenty of snark and sarcasm.  But it was clearly being done loud enough for anyone to hear.  Things like "Oh no, please, drag it on longer.  There is nothing I would rather do than wait another month for this painting to be finished.".  Stuff like that.  Then the female came to her car to get something, and she clearly saw that I was out in my yard.  I just sat there looking kind of stupid.

I felt so darn uncomfortable.  Should I have gone in and allowed them the privacy to have their conversation? Should I have stayed out to watch my dogs?  Is it my fault for not ignoring it or making the dogs come inside? Was it their fault for having a private disagreement is a somewhat public arena?  This sort of thing always makes me so uncomfortable.  Write me a comment and tell me what you have done.

Rain Rain Go AWAY!

The weather is just miserable outside.  A disgusting mix of rain and snow the last couple of days has everything a sloshy, slippery mess.  Our yard looks like a swamp, and the dogs are very displeased when they have to go out in this ick.

But besides my own personal dislike about the weather, there is a serious reason I want this weather to stop.  We live in a town that is along the Allegheny river.  In town, there is a park with an amphitheater in it.  Usually, it has 8 rows of seats above a large stage area.  This was where we were going to get married, before the rain started on our wedding day.  But that little bit of rain was nothing compared to what we are dealing with now.

Yesterday, the amphitheater had 6 rows of seats dry, so that means the stage and 2 rows were under water.

Where these boys are sitting is now under water.

Today, there are only 3 rows dry.

And still the rain falls.  The top row of seats is only about a foot below street level, so we could be seeing some major damage within the next couple of days if the water does not recede.  Luckily, we live a few streets back, so I am hoping it will not reach us, even if it does get to street level.  This is so scary!

I pray for the residents and business owners in town, that the rain stops, the waters recede, and no one suffers any damage.

Ch-ch-changes!

Life in our little area of town is going to be changing soon, and I guess it is time I start preparing for the eventuality.  We will be getting over 20 new neighbors by the fall.  Let me explain.

In our town, there used to be a branch campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, or IUP.  Several years back, they closed the campus, and the land just sort of sat there.  There was a basketball court, several lots, and some parking that came in handy on street cleaning night.  Then, we received word that the land had all been sold, and a housing development was going to go in.  People were displeased to say the least.

Not only would this create potential for more traffic in an area heavily populated with small children, it would upset the balance of the tight knit community of neighbors.  As it was, things were different enough for them, what with Hubby and I moving in, then the long time resident across the street from us selling her house to another young couple.  But, despite all our protestations, the development is all systems go.

So much so, in fact, this winter, the end of one street was blocked off, and in came the construction crew.

First thing torn up was the parking lot, then the basketball courts.  Next thing I knew, the whole lot had been torn up and cleared.  Now, 3 houses are up, and the foundations for several more are ready.

This is going to be a huge change for my small community.  The upside is, the houses are for senior citizens on fixed incomes, so hopefully, the community will stay quiet and peaceful.  Apparently, similar housing communities were built in parts of Pittsburgh, and are doing well.  I guess we can only wait and see.

To us, this is not such a huge change, since we have only lived in town less than 2 years.  But some families have lived here 30 years or more, and had absolutely no say in this decision.  I can only hope this works out for the benefit of all.

Small Town Elements: Block Parties

Until I moved into our house last year, I had never really lived "in town".  I came close, when in grad school, but it was not at a place that had a real sense of community.  The town I live in now is a real small town, with a very real sense of community.  The very day we closed on the house, we were invited to the upcoming block party.

Last weekend, it was our second chance to participate in the annual block party.  It is still a little odd for me, having neighbors that actually talk to you.  Growing up in a rural area, that was pretty rare, we knew a handful of neighbors, mostly from church, but not many in a social manner.  And apartment dwelling did not really provide me any opportunities to get to know my neighbors.  So, I am still learning how to be neighborly, and finding it is not a skill that comes real natural to me, but I do try.  The neighbors on either side of us are simply wonderful, and lately, the whole street is really pulling together, as we are facing some upcoming construction at the end of the block that will mean big changes for us all.  So, little by little, I am feeling more a part of the community.  And liking it.

We did not stay very long at the block party, in part because we still do not know many people, and in part because we had other plans for the evening.  I did make Hungry Girl Scoopable Macaroni Salad for the party, and I think people liked it ok, it's pretty yummy.  Hubby ate, I did not (will power, go me!), instead I took Dexter out to mingle a little, which was a good way to talk to people.  I learned that we have a new couple moving onto the block, and they are getting married on our first anniversary.  This makes me happy!  Not only are we not the newbies, but we have more new neighbors to get to know.  Also, they have an adorable little doggie!

We left early into the party, and got home much later that night.  The party was still in full swing, but it never got loud or rowdy, no one bothered us, there was no trash left in our yard, and early Sunday morning, everyone got up to help clean up.  By 11 am, all evidence of a party was gone, it was amazing.  There is something truly special about my block.  These are good people, who look out for each other, and stand up for what is right.  I could not be happier that we ended up where we did, and look forward to getting to know my neighbors even better over the years to come.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I have never been one to buy into the whole Friday the 13th superstition really.  I know there is a whole history behind the day, one I will not recount here, but it never really got to me.  Until now that is.  My day has gone smashingly, and it is not even noon yet.

It started off at 3 am.  Hubby and I had gone to sleep at about 11:30, and all seemed normal in the neighborhood.  So, when I woke up at 3 am smelling smoke, I was alarmed to say the least.  I woke up Hubs, who at first could not smell it.  Finally, he realized that the smell of smoke was indeed wafting through our house.  Yet, no smoke detector was going off.  My concern was for the outlet in our bedroom, with which we previously had trouble, and just had replaced on Monday.  Quickly, we realized someone in the neighborhood had a bonfire.  How late must their little party have started, since it was after we went to bed?  Also, are bonfires even allowed in town?  I was annoyed to say the least.  Waking up to the smell of smoke is so scary!

I finally got back to sleep, and was only half awake when Hubs was getting ready for work this morning.  He kissed me goodbye, and went downstairs.  I heard him let out a noise.  Now, it is not unusual for him to have skirmishes with the cat, and that is what I figured was happening, so I yelled out, "What is going on down there?" more as a warning to the two of them to settle down than as an actual question.  Imagine my surprise when Hubs yells out "There is a BIRD in here!!!".

I threw on my robe and went down the steps, and before I got to the bottom, I was greeted by the site of Hubby, broom in right hand, dust pan in left, chasing this flying thing around our living room.  He says it was a bird, I say it was a bat.  We have decided to compromise and determined it was Edward Cullen.

So, Hubby was trying desperately to get this bird bat Edward to leave our house, and it just kept flying round and round.  Then, I heard him shriek unlike anything I have ever heard before.  Apparently, it landed on him.  At that point, we lost sight of the enemy, and we think it slunk out the back door, but for all we know, it could be sleeping in the basement, preparing for a second air attack at 2200 hours.

Hubby asked what I wanted to do, and like a big baby I of course wanted him to stay home from work and protect me, but I knew I could not ask him to do that, because I knew if I asked, he totally would, and then I would feel bad for making him miss work over something so silly.  So, I am hiding out in the bedroom for the most part.  I did go downstairs to feed the dog and grab a turkey sandwich for breakfast (it was faster than making cereal or oatmeal, DON'T JUDGE ME!).

So, that is how my Friday the 13th is going.  How is yours?

Home improvements- Part II

So, after Pappy (my dad) and Hubby finished my beautiful floor, they moved on to the next project. A fence.

In the past we have had problems with people randomly cutting through our yard. Not only do I find this incredibly rude, I also think it unsafe, as this is a liability for us. And now that we have Dexter, a fence just makes a ton more sense. So, because both our neighbors on either side have fences along the side property line, all we needed was to put one across the back, and across the small sides along the house, to use our neighbors fences and make a large, square, fenced in back yard. Both neighbors gave us permission, because they are awesome neighbors and not at all the ones we have had issues with.

After a day and a half, my fence was done! I love it, it looks so.....English. I told Hubby I was going to start telling people I lived "down the lane".



The neighborhood kids were sad to see it go up, because they all want to see Dexter. If I see them out, and they are talking to me, I will ask them if they want to come in the yard to see him. So far they have been really good about asking and not just coming in, but I always remind them to ask, and only come in if they see us out and we say it is ok. They are good kids, and love to play with the dog, so I do not mind one bit, I just want to make sure everyone is safe, and Dexter does not get loose.

So anyway, we have a nice fenced in yard now, complete with doggie pool and new table and chairs. We have lots to do still, but we are slowly getting there!

It Made My Day: Chasing Boys

I think I have told you about my neighbor who likes to have parties. Well a lot of the neighborhood people who attend have kids, so usually the kids congregate at someone else's house while the grown ups go drink around the bon fire. It sometimes irks me, because it appears there is no adult supervision over these kids while these parties go on, but as long as nothing happens to or on my property, I guess it is none of my business.

Anyway, last night, at 11 pm Hubby and I went to bed. He went to sleep right away, I was reading a little before lights out. Suddenly, we heard such a commotion outside out window, obviously male voices, that I literally thought someone was being hurt. I said to Hubby, who was now awake, "Gosh and gee willikers, what in tarnation was that" or something along those lines. We both scrambled to find our robes, and flew downstairs. I tore out the front door, and found three little girls playing in the street.

Immediately, one little girl turned and her hand flew to her mouth in horror. "Oh no, did we wake you up?" she said. I explained that yes, we had been woken up. She was so apologetic, and I explained that we did not know what was going on. She said, with an impish grin, "Oh, I will tell you what was going on. We were chasing boys."


The honesty with which she told me this, as if making me a co-conspirator, immediately melted all anger and frustration from my heart. I giggled, as did she and the other two girls, and I said "well just try to keep it down a little". They all apologized, and I told them goodnight, and they returned the sentiment.

I guess it is better that these kids were outside playing, chasing boys, even unsupervised, then sitting in front of a t.v. or gaming system. Moments like this are what childhood is all about.

So go ahead girls, chase those boys. It made my day.

Small Town Elements: Helping Hands

Last night I had the privilege of not only witnessing, but being a part of, one of my favorite things about small town life- helping hands.

Last night I got to help out by participating in a fund raising event for The American Cancer Society. Let me give you the back story.

Last fall, our friend Jason started dating Erin. It was a crazy time in life for me and Hubby, having just moved into the house, and only a few weeks to go until the wedding. Then we had holidays and the Snopacalypse of 2010, so it was not until a couple of months ago that Hubby and I really got a chance to start spending time with Erin and Jason as a couple.

Very quickly, Erin and I became good friends, (Hubby loves her too!)and she became a great source of support for me, in millions of little ways that she did not even realize. Now, I was finally able to support her.

The group is named The Aud Squad, because it was started in honor of a local woman named Audrey, who is a cancer survivor. (We happen to live on the same street as this woman, yet another thing I love about small town life, these little six degrees of separation). This year, two more survivors were joining the Squad, one of which was Erin’s aunt, Jane. Jane has been more than just an aunt, she is like a second mom to Erin, and Erin’s whole family has really come together to support each other during this time. Now was our chance, as Erin’s friends, to support her, and Jane, and everyone we ever knew who had battled cancer.

The benefit was a Pittsburgh Penguin Tailgate Party (LETS GO PENS!!!) and for a donation, you got a raffle ticket, and all the food and drinks you could ask for. But not just any food. Hot dogs. ALL KINDS OF HOT DOGS.
Me personally, I settle for what is commonly known as a New Jersey Dog, or Texas Tommy, which is a hot dog with cheese in it, wrapped in bacon, and deep fried. YIKES. I added onion and coleslaw, and it was amazzzzzing!
There were also chips, veggies, and of course desserts.



We had a chance to buy more tickets of raffle items, and with sales people this adorable, who can resist?


There was a chance to sign up for the Aud Squad’s Relay for Life Team, or to purchase various items, with proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society.


As you can see, everyone had a great time.


I can not imagine a better way to have spent a wonderful afternoon with friends, and neighbors, doing something that makes you feel so good, and helps people you care about. Take a look at the AUD SQUAD!!!


If you or anyone you know has battled cancer, and you would like to help, there are a couple of things you can do. Erin sells Pampered Chef merchandise, and they have some special s coming up in May called WHIP CANCER. You can find her personal website here.

Also, anyone who would like to help support the Aud Squad with donations for the American Cancer Society can contact Erin via email, wvuangel at hotmail dot com .

Take a look at some of the pictures both Erin and I took at the benefit, consider donating, and please please please leave a comment letting me and everyone else know of any loved ones you have or had who battled cancer so we can keep them in our thoughts and prayers as well!

To Erin and Jason, we love you guys so much, and consider ourselves blessed to have you as friends. Your love for each other and for Jane is truly inspirational!

Small Town Elements: Good Neighbors

Woah woah woah, didn't she just write about a bad neighbor, you must be thinking. Well, let me tell you, far and away, small town neighbors are fantastic, and mine are no exception. Sure, we have had a few snags along the way, there always are, but in general, we have some great neighbors.

I especially love the neighbors on each side of us. To the one side, we have a young family, with two small boys. They are always happy, and they love to play outside. The more they get to know me, the more they talk my leg off! One night, the wife made up plates of pasta and brought them over to us. Another time she brought us cupcakes. All in the name of being a good neighbor. So they were overjoyed when I took the dog over there for the first time, just days after we got him. On the other side of us, we have a middle aged couple, and while we do not see them nearly as much, they are always friendly. I have often caught the husband mowing our front lawn in the spring or summer, and shoveling our sidewalk this past winter. That is just the kind of guy he is.

There are plenty of other neighbors that we are still getting to know, and many of them prefer to do good deeds unseen. Case in point. Monday, we had terrible winds. When I looked out back I noticed the winds had tossed all of the garbage cans around. Two of our three cans were lying in our yard, but the other one, well, who knows where it went. Today, I went to take a bag of trash out, and noticed a third can had appeared. It was not the can we previously had, but someone know that in the windy melee, they ended up with an extra, and we needed one, so, there it sits. All in the name of being a good neighbor.

Growing up, my small town was much more rural, so we did not know our neighbors as well as I know my neighbors now. Luckily, one neighbor was my grandmother, so we lucked out there. However, living right next door to us was an older man named John. He lived way back, off a long wooded drive, in a run down house. He drove a rusty car (not very well or safely), and was generally a crank. I remember being scared of him, because he would have loud fights with his other neighbor, who was his sister in law, usually about his late wife. After I grew up, my mom told me how John knocked on their door. He needed some help of some sort, I can not remember what, and my mom helped him. His home and general appearance were in total disarray, and his health was failing. Shortly after this, he went into a nursing home, his land was sold, and his house was torn down to make way for a beautiful new home to be built. I wish, in retrospect, we had known how to be a better neighbor to him. Perhaps he never wanted it, but I still wish I would have tried.

Neighbor Woes

I think I am officially the neighborhood crank. Let me explain. We live on a street that is pretty quiet. Most of the time. And the neighbors on each side of our house are awesome neighbors. However, the day we closed on the house last summer, our across the street neighbor was having a get together. We were invited over to meet the neighbors, who were almost all sloshed, and were promptly told that a) we needed to cut our grass, b) we paid too much for our house, and c) the Catholic neighbor's sister had married a Jew. Awesome.

Soon, we were invited to the annual neighborhood block party. We went, and made our introductions to more neighbors, then after an hour or so, we left to go shopping. We got home several hours later to the party still going, but it was pretty quiet and harmless, so we did not mind.

Then....the winter came. And the parties continued. During one party, a neighbor hit my car. My husband happened to go look out the door, so the next day said neighbor told us what happened, and made arrangements to pay for the damages, provided we not involve insurance.

Parties continued all winter. And we noticed that people were cutting through our yard to get to the house across the street. I found this incredibly rude, first of all, and second of all, I did not want to be responsible for any bodily harm that befell them on their drunken sojourns. So finally, one night during a snowstorm, dressed in sweats, slippers, and wrapped in a blanket, I angrily confronted the neighbors about cutting through my yard and told them to stop. Since then, it has been quiet, but we have pretty much been labeled as the town cranks.

So tonight, we get home, and yet another drunken party is going on, complete with blaring music. I was livid, because we do not have our air conditioners in yet, so the only relief from stuffiness is to have the windows open, which is hard to do when music is blaring at 10 pm. We finally get them to turn the music down, and the next thing we know they are setting off firecrackers. It is Good Friday for pete's sake, not the 4th of July. I am so angry, because I feel like we can not even enjoy our home.

Am I in the wrong here? Should I just ignore this? I mean, yes, we are the new neighbors, but we are straight laced, we do not drink, we do not bother anyone else, so why should we have to put up with this? I just am very frustrated, and do not know what to do. I desperately want to get a fence for our yard, but that will only solve part of the problem. Do I just stop trying to reason with these people and call the cops? And, do I need to fear retaliation if I do?

Sigh, have I really become this much of a crank?