Category: neighbor

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

A very un-welcome mat

Posted on by William Douthwaite


So this is the most recent picture of the neighbor I’ve written about before. (You know, the one who ripped out his lawn, put lights in his driveway, and painted his house white.)

Anyway, here’s the latest. In the pictures above, you see that he’s stacked up sprinkler donuts to create a security barrier for his front door. A looped cable connects them. That “No Soliciting” sign will surely repel any who think they can jump the barrier.

Door-to-door sales is still a thing. I never did that, but did knock on doors for market research. Had I seen this setup, I wouldn’t have to read the sign. I would have walked right by. No way I’m walking up to this door.

I daily walk by homes with security system signs, motion-sensitive floodlights, cameras mounted along the roof, metal bars across the windows, loud woofing dogs, and prominent “No Soliciting” signs. I give them all a wide berth.

Ironically, the houses with the most security are the least appealing homes. Spoiler alert: no thief is casing your house. No solicitor thinks about knocking on your door.

Paranoid? Maybe this is a booby trap. Explosives? Who knows. Is that even legal? I have no idea.

Don’t worry, I’ll keep my distance.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

Anonymous neighbors

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Breno Assis on Unsplash

I have three new neighbors who live within one hundred yards of my home. Since the day they moved in, I have never seen them outside of their house.

As you (my readers) know, I walk my dogs at least twice a day. I pass by these homes in the early morning and in the afternoon or evening. I drive from and to my house and out of and into my neighborhood at least once a day. I see cars in the driveway and lights on inside the house. But I have never seen the people who live in these homes.

Do they never come out of their house? Do they spend all their time on the lanai by the pool out back? Does someone deliver their groceries to them? Are they alive? (On TV, people die in their homes and no one discovers them for weeks.) Are they nocturnal, awake at night but asleep during the day?

I know, I should take the first step. I should knock on their door and introduce myself. I should bring cookies or brownies to welcome them to the neighborhood.

But I don’t. I walk by their houses, wondering who’s in there. I naively assume that I’ll see them out and around. I’ll wave when they drive by. they’ll wave when I drive by. I’ll see them cutting the lawn, working in the garden, or washing their car. I’ll pass them walking around the block or gathering mail from the mail box.

Nope. None of that happens. Either they totally isolate themselves or they are completely invisible. I see no one going into our out of their house or garage.

I think that’s amazing. In this digital world, it’s almost impossible to disappear. We leave traces of ourselves everywhere, when we get cash from an ATM, drive through intersections, pay for gas, buy stamps, check email, text a friend, and follow GPS to a destination.

Aren’t there times when we all want to be invisible?

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

Do you smell that smell?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

I exclaimed, “Wow, do you smell that?” As the big dog and I rounded the corner on an pre-dawn Sunday walk, an amazing aroma filled the air.

Someone must have been frying bacon on a cast iron grill. The incredible smell filled the air around us for at least a hundred feet of our walk. I thought, “I need to get to know these neighbors!”

My joy quickly evaporated as we turned another corner and slammed into the obnoxious smell of someone lighting up their first cigarette of the day. That must be a powerful addiction to have to light up before sunrise.

We pass another house where someone likes to start their day with a cigar. I don’t mind that smell so much. It just surprises me when the breeze blows that smoke across a yard that early in the morning.

The other early morning aroma I enjoy comes when someone has been smoking brisket or a pork butt all night. What better than the smell of wood, seasoning, and cooked meat filling the air?

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

Nothing but white

Posted on by William Douthwaite

This is the latest episode in the saga of a neighbor with unusual house projects. So far, he’s torn out his lawn, installed yard lights, modified his yard lights, and made it very clear he doesn’t want to be disturbed.

He has decided to paint his house. He’s painting his house white. All of it. Walls, trim, and shutters. Everything.

I have nothing against the color white. White walls with contrasting trim could be attractive. White trim against darker walls is eye-catching. One hundred percent white? Sorry, that just doesn’t work for me.

Do you think he’s priming it in preparation for a few color? That would make sense. But I doubt it.

I haven’t actually seen my neighbor working on this project. And it looks like he’s using a brush rather than a roller, so this is going to take some time.

I’ll keep you up to date.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

That’s a lot of stuff

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Most garage doors are closed when I walk through the neighborhood. Those that are open are typically full, and this one was no exception. It’s hard to see them all, but I count at least thirty yellow-lidded black storage totes balanced along the wall. The opposite wall is just as impressive.

I’m impressed with the labeling, too. But I’m more impressed with all the stuff. Tote after tote of stuff. (Those totes aren’t cheap! Nine or ten bucks a pop.) Holiday decorations? Seasonal clothing? Books? Souvenirs from trips? Picture albums? Collections?

To tell you the truth, I can’t imagine enough content to fill all those boxes. But that accumulation is the rule not the exception. Three-car-garages are standard in new builds in my neighborhood. Few folks park cars in those garages. Cars live in the driveway, while box after box after box occupies the row of garages.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a neighbor whose three-car-garage contains a universal gym, multiple tool cabinets, and a grill he wheels out to cook supper. He’s got no clutter in his garage(s). He also has no cars or trucks in there.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood, noticing

Do not disturb

Posted on by William Douthwaite

This is another chapter in the bizarre happenings at my neighbor’s house. In our last episode, he had removed all the glass from the solar landscape lights around his front yard.

The other morning, the front door looked different. I couldn’t really tell what was across the front door and what was written on a piece of paper. I hesitated to walk up to the front door at 6 am. What if there’s a camera behind the doorbell or watching the front of the house?

But that evening, my curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t see any lights on in the house. What did I have to lose? The big dog and I walked up to the door to find two handwritten warnings: “Do not disturb.”

Interesting. From what I’ve seen, this is the last house in the neighborhood I’d like to disturb. On the other hand, I’ve gotten tired of door-to-door tree services, alarm companies, pest control companies, and well- meaning religious groups knocking on my door. I’ve just haven’t gotten around to putting a stylish “No soliciting” sign by the doorbell.

What’s going on in that home? Something illegal? Something sinister? I don’t know. But I’ll bet this isn’t the last post I’ll write about this house!

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

The glass is all gone

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve written about this fun neighbor before. In previous episodes, he tore all the sod out of his front yard, letting a field of weeds replace the grass. He then installed a string of thirty-two solar lights across the length of his property. He even drilled holes in the driveway and set the light spikes through the concrete.

Well, early this morning, the big dog and I noticed that this guy had taken all the glass panels out of every solar light spike. The lights worked, but all the glass was gone from every one! Just when I think it can’t get any weirder, it gets weirder.

I’m starting to think I should say something to someone, but I have no idea who. Keep in mind that this person lives across the street from someone who has a Ghostbuster vehicle parked in their driveway.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Posted on by William Douthwaite

…someone lost a bet and had to put the fuzzy flamingoes in their front yard this year.

…someone cleaned out their attic and found some long lost yard decorations. “Hey, remember these? Everyone said we had the best yard in the neighborhood!”

…the HOA went belly-up so anything goes.

…someone up the street died. Whoever cleaned out her house left stuff like this out on the curb. One person’s trash…

…my neighbor put out the first decorations on our block. While some are still trying to coax a few more days from Halloween pumpkins, many have started their Christmas festivities. Less than 25 yards from my house, I have the pleasure of seeing these fuzzy flamingoes every day. This is their first year along this neighbor’s driveway. They are an omen of what’s to come. Soon this neighbor will fill his yard with a hideous hodgepodge of lights, trees, ornaments, snowmen, and other Christmas characters.

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood, walking

What will it be: a new route or the same old streets?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Purple pumpkins? I never noticed those before.

When I take my Great Dane out for a walk in the morning, we have a choice. We can walk the usual two-and-a-half mile loop around our neighborhood, or we can explore some rarely walked cross streets. Regardless of which I choose, there’s much to notice.

If we take the longer route, I notice those things that have changed. Curbside trash announces a remodeling project. Seasonal holiday decorations appear each week. “For Sale” signs appear overnight. A carefully balanced pile of shingles precedes the arrival of roofers. That must a have been a great party in front of the vacant lot filled with beer cans and food wrappers. Out-of-state license plates reveal who’s got company. We know where every dog lives along this route.

On the other hand, if we zig-zag through some of the cross streets, we’ve got a new collection of houses, cars, and yards to notice. I see an older home with a one-car garage. There’s a driveway with two antique cars. Folks who just moved in have a mountain of cardboard boxes stacked up at the end of the driveway. I can see the backs of the houses I frequently pass on the longer route. The barks of dogs inside these houses sound unfamiliar.

No matter which route or direction I choose, I will notice something interesting to take a picture of and write about. I will notice something fascinating about a home I walked by a hundred times or the first time. I will hear cars, dogs, music, air conditioning units, children, birds, and sprinklers. Some I expect. Some surprise me.