But GAS is one of those neighbors that makes my head spin. He's abrasive. He doesn't think before he says things. He is not someone you'd provide any kind of confidential information too. He's not afraid to share YOUR business with everyone else. So the rest of this is going to be a not-so-nice (and not so graceful) view of my neighbor.
*****
Last year, one of our neighbors was pregnant. This gal is normally tiny and fit. But she did gain a bit of weight during her pregnancy. It was her last trimester and she and I were chatting in the street (as she was walking her dog). GAS saw us and walked up.
GAS: You ready to pop that thing out? You're HUGE!Uh....not what a pregnant gal needs to hear when she' already miserable, eh?
*****
GAS backyard has view fencing. There's an open drainage area behind his house (just like ours) that has natural plants. You can also see the end of the open cul-de-sac. He's got no houses behind him. Nice, right?
We found out that one of the gals who lives in the cul-de-sac saw GAS throwing doggy doodies through his view fencing into the open drainage area behind his fence.
GAL: Hey, you shouldn't do that.
GAS: Why not?
GAL: Well, there are some kids who like to go down in that ditch-drainage area and run around.
GAS: Yeah, so?
GAL: I'm going to call the Department of Health if I EVER see you doing that again.
He gave her a "PFFTT" kind of face and walked off. So with that? The GAL who lives in the cul-de-sac doesn't like GAS.
Can you believe he was just throwing his dogs "stuff" out like that? GROSS!
*****
Our Other Neighbor Across the Street (ONAS) had a garage sale a month or so ago. That morning GAS noticed the action going on. He walked over and asked her if she could sell his Christmas tree.
ONAS: Sure. How much do you want for it?
GAS: $150.
ONAS: Hmm....that's kind of pricey for a garage sale...
GAS: Well, that's what I want.
ONAS: Okay. Well, what's the minimum you'd want for it since there's usually bargaining that happens.
GAS: I want $150, nothing less than that. I paid $175 for it!
He wanted almost full price for that used Christmas tree? People could purchase a new tree for the money he wanted for it!
*****
One of my favorite neighbors (FAV) around the corner has a daughter in the first grade. Just like ONAS daughter. And both of these girls are in Girl Scouts. The other week, the troop had an overnight camping trip. GAS wife stayed and camped with the troop. The next day, I saw GAS wife out in her yard as I walked towards the cul-de-sac with my kidlings.
Me: How was camping?I wasn't surprised that FAV's daughter didn't go on this camping trip. She's a girly-girl. She doesn't like to get dirty. AND she doesn't have the best sleeping habits. She goes to sleep in her room. But somewhere during the night, she walks downstairs and ends up in her parents' bed. EVERY night. Plus, I remember when FAV's daughter went to a sleepover at GAS house last year. She didn't make it through the night. GAS had to walk her back to her house around midnight.
GASW: Oh. It was okay. It's not a very nice campsite though.
Me: That must have been disappointing.
GASW: Yeah. But the girls had a good time together.
Me: Did FAV's daughter have fun?
GASW: She didn't go.
Me: Oh. She didn't?
GASW: They NEVER let her do anything. [she said it in a condescending way like she couldn't believe FAV's daughter didn't go]
But FAV comes from the same background as me. She only has one sister. Conservative & traditional parents. And like my parents, FAV's folks were probably VERY protective of her. I mean, I wasn't allowed to go to sleepovers as a kid. So I'm not surprised FAV's daughter didn't go on this overnight camping trip.
*****
ONAS did her yard about a year ago. It's got a courtyard look to it. There's a fountain in the center with sod all around. And being in Arizona, she had to water the sod to make sure it took and didn't get too dry.
Apparently, the sprinkler system was spraying water onto the cinderblock fence separately ONAS & GAS backyards. GAS mentioned it to ONAS. ONAS let him know that she'd let her husband know and he'd change it when he got home. He was stationed about 100 miles away at the time and came home every two weeks or so.
A few weeks later, ONAS noticed that the grass was getting brown. She mentioned it to her husband. She asked him if he'd changed the settings. He said yes. And then he went out to check the system. He found that the sprinkler system was TURNED OFF. Off? How could that happen? We can only figure that GAS did it.
*****
A couple months after moving in, GAS got around to finding a company to install a water softening system. He was so proud of the deal he got.
GAS: I found them on the internet. It's a pretty cool deal. About HALF as much as the quote I got from the company you used!Okay. Whatever. The next day we saw the guys installing their system. Unfortunately for GAS, when he was getting the house built and selecting option, he hadn't decided if he'd get a water softening system. So.... the main water line wasn't near the garage. It was on the opposite side of the house. So this company had to dig out a shallow trench and put pipe down to re-route the water. It took about 2 full days for them to get things done. A couple weeks later, we saw those same guys back digging up the yard once more.
It turns out that when originally laid the pipe down, they hadn't really dug out the trench. They actually "shoved" the pipe along the ground. And there was NO kind of cover on the end they were using to shove. Thus....rocks and dirt ended up in the pipe. ROCKS and dirt in their pipes!
*****
GAS has a baseball hitter thing in his backyard. The kids play it and sometimes their balls go over the fence. Into ONAS backyard. So GAS would go into ONAS backyard and get the balls. And sometimes he'd leave the gate open. Did I tell you that ONAS has two little dogs? Yeah. GAS felt it was okay that he could just walk onto ONAS property.
Anyway, I guess ONAS and GAS had a discussion about the gate. So GAS got a ball grabber thingy. He'd use that to grab the balls in ONAS yard. Fine, right? But the thing is...we found out that ball grabber would rive the dogs CRAZY! They'd bark at it and snap at it. Not good, right?
We then found out that one of the kids in the cul-de-sac got bit by ONAS dog. The kid's Mom (MOK) came over and talked to ONAS.
MOK: Hi. My son got bit by your dog. Has he got all his shots?Well, MOK must have confronted GAS about using the ball retriever because he no longer uses it. His kids now come to ONAS door to ask about the balls.
ONAS: Yes. He's got all his shots. I'm surprised. My dog has never been aggressive.
MOK: It wasn't a big bite. But the skin was broken. I just wanted to be sure.
ONAS: I wonder how my dog bit him. We've got that mesh along the view fence so the dogs can't get out...
MOK: Oh. He was trying to get a ball that made its way into your yard.
ONAS: Oh...my dog must have been reacting like when GAS puts that ball retriever over the fence.
MOK: Ball retriever?
ONAS: Yes. When a ball goes over into our yard he uses that retriever to get the ball and he teases our dog with it.
Anyway, the story doesn't end there. I guess MOK's son was at school and one of his teacher's noticed the bandage on his hand. She asked him what happened and he told her that he got bit by a dog. And the teacher called Animal Protection! And someone showed up at ONAS house to ask her about her dog! Yeah. No one was happy about how the situation unfolded!
*****
When I purchased my Freestyle, GAS came over and looked at it.
GAS: Oh, a Ford?Okay. Find. A few months ago, GAS wife bought a new Mitsubishi Eclipse. So GAS tried selling his minivan. He ended up selling her Dodge Intrepid because there were no takers on the minivan. Unfortunately, the minivan has recently had a lot of mechanical issues. So recently GAS and his wife were out and talked to the Hubs while all our kids played together.
Me: Yes. I normally wouldn't have purchased an American car but it's just what we need. Three rows. Lots of cup holders. Fold down seats that we don't need to carry out the car. AND a DVD player when we take long drives to see family.
GAS: You shouldn't have bought a Ford. I heard on the news that Ford was going out of business.
GAS: So how do you like Grace's Freestyle?I guess they shouldn't have sold that Intrepid, eh?
Hubs: It's been good. It's small enough for her to drive. But still roomy enough for me to sit comfortably. AND it's got some good pick-up for passing on the highway.
GAS: Yeah. We're thinking about selling our minivan.
GASW: It's too big for us now. The kids aren't in carseats anymore.
*****
I was talking with ONAS in front of her house when GAS drove up. She and I were talking about her new flowers that she'd just purchased. GAS walked over to us. We talked for a bit when ONAS remembered something.
ONAS: Guess what we got in the mail from the IRS?I couldn't believe he said that. But NO....he had to say it was some "Mexican". What makes it worse is that my husband is half Mexican and ONAS is Mexican.
Me: The IRS?
ONAS: They sent us a letter that my husband failed to claim $3000 on our tax return.
Me: Failed to claim earnings? What?
ONAS: Yeah. We failed to claim $3000 that was earned in California. I checked our credit and no one has done anything fraudulent with our credit.
GAS: Oh, it must have been some MEXICAN using your husband's social security number to get wages.
*****
So those are some stories about GAS. What do you think? He's just one of those people who get under my skin. I constantly have to shake my head when I see or hear what he's done. A knuckle-head. All of us know this. And he thinks he's going to be able to get some of us to sign up the cleaning services he's got? I don't think so....
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