Surveillance

Now that Mr. Gadget and I are mostly retired and spending more time at home, we pride ourselves on our ability to keep up with the neighbors without actually having to talk to them. The binoculars are a handy tool, but we only use them in extreme cases.....like for instance when we have to zoom in on an out-of-state license plate. And sometimes we need to read a company name on the side of a truck to determine if a particular neighbor is having plumbing, cable, or septic woes, or if they're getting a flower delivery or some new furniture.

Just the other day, as we were having lunch, we noticed a big dumpster being delivered to a neighbor's driveway. Sorry about the dark pictures. I must be discreet.

"I wonder if they're moving out, or just doing a little remodeling?" I asked Mr. Gadget.

"We must remain vigilant until we find out," he replied.

It wasn't long before we saw two young men carrying old furniture and wood scraps out to the dumpster and slinging bags of stuff over the side.

"I think the old folks have decided to move to Florida permanently," I said, "and the son is going to stay in the house. At least that's my best guess. What's yours?"

Then the new, just-moved-in neighbor who lives next door to the dumpster neighbor, and who may well have waited till he saw dumpster neighbor go back in his house, walked right over and helped himself to a big piece of wood that he probably figured was there for the taking.

"Did you see that?" I asked Mr. G. "I wonder if he asked permission."

Then I wondered if I should send an email to our friends the old neighbors to let them know that the new occupants had torn up their lovely ground cover to plant flowers. And that they are dumpster divers.

There's another neighbor I like to call "The Outdoorsman." He likes to hunt. He's had a deer hanging from his tree for two or three hunting seasons. I've thought it strange, though, that no odor has been detected, nor have any buzzards been circling. I finally figured out (doing the V-8 head tap)....it's a life-sized deer target. At which he shoots arrows with a bow. So far he's had good aim....

I do feel a certain kinship with two of my neighbors--one who leaves a plastic Santa Claus out on the porch till May, and one who still had an evergreen wreath on their door in July. I did, for the record, verify these facts with the binocs. Long ago....you may remember the story......I left a pumpkin on a filing cabinet in my workplace till Spring-- long enough for the company president to visit our office and make mention of it.

You don't think we qualify as bonafide curmudgeons, do you?