insight

I texted my across the street nice neighbor yesterday afternoon. It read "Are you home? I have a bottle of wine and I need someone to drink it with." She texted back "Give me 15 minutes."

I needed to discuss the whole other neighbor thing. I wasn't shaking with anger anymore, but I was still angry.

So, the nice neighbor kept insisting that the rock tossing neighbors were not the kind of people who would do such a thing. I wouldn't know. She has never said a word to me and the one time I went next door to warn her that the mangy bald coyote was sniffing the air and looking towards her kid's play set she listened to me talking and then asked "Who are you?" in such a way that I knew she hadn't listened to a single word I said.

The nice neighbor even pulled up the rock throwing neighbor's facebook page to show me what a lovely woman she is. And, you know, she did seem like a normal person... on facebook. Also, just like me, I learned that she has recently gotten into container gardening (between the deer and the groundhogs we have no other choice here) and I felt like we had so much in common! Also, she grew all these really cool vegetables I never heard of. I know they are vegetables, because she would also show the amazing looking dishes she prepared with her garden bounty. I love trying new foods/recipes to cook. Between mushroom Tony and the rock throwing neighbor I could share seedlings in the spring and then totally have an amazing international garden next summer..... except for the whole rock throwing thing. The nice neighbor's husband finished work while we were still working on that bottle of wine, and he joined us and he pointed out that the rock throwing neighbor didn't mow their own lawn and it was probably their lawn service that was tossing rocks, and between that revelation, and that I figured out it was likely animals dragging their overflowing trash under the fence (still gross) and which was conveniently picked up just in time for my camera not to see the animals grabbing their garbage, I am feeling much better.

And, at least I can go over there and suggest their lawn service is throwing rocks, so now no matter how the rocks (and the shower curtain rod) got onto my side of the fence I can air the problem in the least confrontational way possible, which is great since we still do have to live next to them for the time being.

Also, thanks to trolling the rock tossing neighbor's facebook page I now know that the vining plant they came into my yard to plant at the rear of the part of their fence where they switched from tacky plastic (that doesn't match their house) to a bamboo window shade type section is a grape vine and I have no problem harvesting any grapes which grow on my side. I am trying hard not to focus on that there are no grape cluster remnants on my side right now... and I know the vine was bountiful this summer because she posted photos of her bounty, and I pretty much suspect that they crept onto my side to take what ever grew on my side this summer.. but, still.... I just don't want any neighbor drama.

Now I just have to summon whatever one needs to summon to paste on a big fake smile and go speak with the neighbors who never even said HELLO when we moved in 10 years ago and do the whole "lawn service/rocks" thing. I'm still trying to work out how to approach their unsanitary garbage situation, but I am half way there.