I’m sitting at my dining room table right now looking out the window at the bright sunny day and I can’t help but smile :)
As a person who suffers from some mild SAD it’s especially wonderful to squint my eyes to the shining sun on a winter day. I think it’s colder than it has been the past few days, but I wouldn’t really know since I’ve been inside for what seems like forever.
But the reason for this post is not to talk about the glorious sunshine…it’s to talk about my awesome new neighbors!
While I do love my neighborhood, you’ve also heard me whine here and here about my less than awesome neighbors across the street.
So you can imagine how nervous I was when our terrific neighbor Maria moved out of the house next door at the end of the summer. She was a really friendly single gal who had an equally friendly roommate. They were never loud or obtrusive and didn’t spend much time in the backyard which meant that I pretty much have total privacy in my yard because the old man on the other side of us is never outside either.
Maria’s house is right next door to us. I mean RIGHT next door. Her front door is actually on the side of her house which mean it practically sits on my driveway. This means that if anyone crazy or loud or obnoxious was to move into that house it could totally change my world.
A rental sign took up residence on the front lawn of that house as soon as Maria and her roommate moved out and I watched with trepidation as cars slowed down in front to jot down the phone number. I’d quickly try to figure out what kind of person they might be and whether I thought I could live practically on top of them for the next few years.
You obviously can’t judge a book by its cover (nor should you!) but some of the people who checked out the house made me nervous that I might be in for a real challenge when the house was ultimately snatched off the rental market.
I kept hoping for an older person or older couple. Someone who would be friendly but low-key. No loud car stereo and no kids.
I know, I know that makes me sound like a horrible person. But it’s what I was honestly hoping for.
A couple weeks ago I noticed that the nice man from the rental across the street was spending some time at the house next door. It seemed like he might have been making sure the junk mail was off the porch and I assumed that he may have been savvy enough to approach the owners about keeping an eye on the place until it was rented.
“Good for him,” I thought. Smart guy figured out how to make a few bucks on the side.
But it’s SO MUCH BETTER than that!
That nice man from across the street, along with his wife and dog have moved into the house!
They left their (seemingly nicer) place across the street (right next to the really loud neighbors) and moved into the house next to me!
I don’t know them well, but they are older (check!) and don’t have a bunch of kids living with them (check!) and they are quiet and friendly to boot!
I saw the man out walking this weekend and I couldn’t help but run out to my front porch to get the scoop. Turns out the rent across the street had gotten to be too much for them and they worked out a good price for the place next to me. I probably missed a few details since English appears to be the man’s second language, but I can tell you that I told him how happy I was to have them there about 4 times in our brief conversation!
My sister was inside holding Avery while I was talking to the new neighbor and when I came inside she laughed at me for being so emphatic about how happy I was to have them next door!
It might seem like a silly thing to get all worked up about, but I’ve been truly spoiled with good neighbors on both sides for the past 6 years and I never realized how awesome that was until it threatened to change.
We’re all in hibernation mode since it’s the dead of winter, but I’m looking forward to spring so that I can get to know my new neighbors!