So-Called Neighbor Saga: Six More Neighbors

. . . . in which I finish writing about my neighbors and try to move on.

Five of the six remaining neighbors told me that they only signed the petition because Fanny* pressured them to do it.  "I just wanted her to go away," one said.  "I didn't even pay attention to it," another one said.  "I saw that everyone else had signed so I did," said a third. (This is how George W. Bush got elected!)

. . . . in which I finish writing about my neighbors and try to move on.

Five of the six remaining neighbors told me that they only signed the petition because Fanny* pressured them to do it.  "I just wanted her to go away," one said.  "I didn't even pay attention to it," another one said.  "I saw that everyone else had signed so I did," said a third. (This is how George W. Bush got elected!)

One of them spent a fair amount of time telling that he'd been given the crappiest streetside tree on the block (not true imo, but it is true the tree has since died) and threatening to sue the hoa.  I was not in the best mood to hear his concerns, but I listened and discovered that he thought the tree was evidence that the hoa was prejudiced against his ethnicity.  I did my best to lay his concerns to rest.  After all, it would be insane for us to deliberately make someone's landscaping look bad (and as far as making someone feel unwelcome--hello!  what did that petition he signed do?  I didn't say this parenthetical part though).

At the end of the conversation, he said, "You bring me a petition that you should be able to paint your house whatever color you want, and I'll sign it."   

All five espoused that "It's your house" sentiment, though one gentleman (the one with the terrific salmon colored house) asked worriedly, "That red door--are you sure it goes with the green?" 

"No, I'm not sure," I said.  "We tried to find a red that would go, and the painter said it was in the right color family, but we're still getting used to it.  I don't think we're going to repaint, though, at least not yet.  Maybe in awhile after we've saved enough money."

All five apologized and said they'd thought the petition was a bad idea because it caused problems between neighbors, but Fanny wouldn't take no for an answer.  The neighbor who lives directly across from us was particularly apologetic, and he said that he was starting to like our house color.

That's what they said to my face; I recognize that neighbors who want to avoid confrontation may say different things to me than they say to each other.  But that's ok.  At least we were able to have civil conversations.

And neighbor number six?  That's Fanny, reportedly the chief instigator of the petition.  She is normally very visible, out and about to all the houses, but for the past few days she has been laying low.  I haven't gone to her house yet.  Throughout the summer, she was repeatedly over at our house, chatting with our workers (sometimes coming close to listen to our conversations with the breezy explanation "I just want to know what's going on"), and inspecting everything in front and back without any word to us.  We would have gladly showed her everything, but it would have been nice if she'd asked us.  She may have asked the landscaper, but still.  Also, during her visits, she scavenged whatever leftovers she could use, including a pallet of sod. The landscaper asked me if it was ok, since we wouldn't be using it, and it was ok.  But again, a please or thank you would have been nice . . . and to rally the neighbors against us after taking things we'd paid for seems especially low.

So I am not sure I am ready to reach out to her.  If I see her, I'll talk to her, but so far I haven't seen her.