Hide and Seek

It happened today – I swear I can’t go out of my house. My neighbor , I’ll call her Lucy, went to a meeting at 7pm – so I finally had the opportunity to take out my garbage & fetch my mail without worrying about running into her. I gathered my trash and was on my way out when my son called.

I talked to him a few minutes, all the while realizing my small window of opportunity was slipping away. Finally I told him I’d have to run and that he could call me on my cell in a few minutes. Walking out the door I had a premonition that I’d be part of the way back and she’d pull in. The meetings she went to rarely last more then an hour.

I got the garbage to the dumpster, pissed at myself for wearing flip flops because they made me walk slower – checked the mail which is by the dumpsters and headed back. I glanced down the road and yep, there she was coming back home. I tried to sprint to my front door before she was close enough to notice me. Along the way I twisted my ankle and dropped part of my mail.

As Lucy was driving slowly into the parking lot, a neighbor across the lot started hollering at me that I had dropped my mail. I tried saying “ok” loud enough that she’d hear me but not so loud that Lucy would with her car windows rolled up. The other lady couldn’t hear me and kept hollering until I wanted to shriek at her to shut the fuck up. I managed to get inside without having to deal with Lucy. I dropped my mail on the floor, kicked off those stupid flip flops and massaged my ankle.

I waited 10 minutes before going out to get my mail but there Lucy was, standing around like she was waiting for me. Luckily my son called my cell phone right then so I was able to talk to avoid her. She acted like she was going to walk my way when another neighbor called to her so I managed to escape back into my house.

I know she thinks I snubbed her – I guess I did -but this has got to stop. No more will I sneak around trying to avoid her. If we meet on the sidewalk I’ll be cordial and what not but I won’t invite her over or go to her house.

I can’t wait to move from here. She told the neighbor I ran into at the library, lets call him George, that she was going to be living her for a long, long time – just more reasons for me to move as soon as I can. Really, I think I’ll head back up North for awhile – keep my condo as a rental. My friend thinks I could rent my condo out for $1300 a month – I don’t think it would rent for that much but even at $1000, I’d make money.

Of course, I may just move to Fort Myers. One of my sisters wants to come visit over the next several years and take sailing classes with me so probably can’t move north before then. I would bet they have sailing classes up there too but they’d probably cost less down here.

I’m going to sign up for scuba lessons this Sept. I’m giving myself that much time to figure out how to work it around my schedule. My supervisor had a good idea – she said I should work 5 8hr days so I could take the classes at night. They offer the classes in the daytime as well so maybe I’ll work 5 8-hr evenings and take the classes through the day. Either way damn it, I’m going to take the classes this year!

Conduct is more convincing than language. –John Woolman

Friendship – Luxury or Obligation?

Went to the library today – got 3 sacks worth of books. Yes, I plan on reading a lot. Well, three books were ones I purchased for $2 each at the library store. Then I got a Nicholas Evans one for $5 – I know it isn’t one I’ve read so I feel like I’m lucky to find it. Of course, the two books that took me to the library weren’t there even though the computer said they were. Bummer.

On my way to my car, I ran into one of my male neighbors who spent 10 minutes chiding me for the way I don’t go over to that infamous (in that she is the topic of several blogs) other neighbor’s house anymore.

It wasn’t that he blamed me, he didn’t. He said my not going over is making her bother him more – so basically he was being selfish. He gave me all the reasons why he doesn’t want her bugging him as much which were pretty much the same reasons I don’t go over anymore. He concluded by saying he was going to be more like me by not spending as much time with her anymore.

She, in the mean time, is talking behind my back and telling people things I told her in confidence months ago. She is negative, talks behind everyone’s back, is very judgmental, very critical of everyone and everything…I could go on but I’m sure you get the point.

How do I know she has been revealing secrets? Because yet another neighbor stopped me outside to tell me to “keep my chin up” and that he hoped my son got his act together soon. Then he went on to say he had to have a gonad removed…like yuck! Too much information.

So, the question I put to the masses is whether a person is obligated to stay friends with a neighbor they were once friends with? I don’t see that I have an obligation to her but apparently not everyone agrees with me. I believe that if I’m no longer happy or interested in the friendship, I’m free to find other friends without feeling like I owe this neighbor anything. When did friendship become a burden or a requirement?

Please let me know, I value everyone’s opinion.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. –Mark Twain

Reading, A Favorite Passtime

Wow, I just finished updating my book catalog and then my DVD spreadsheet. It is amazing how long it takes – even when most of it was already in the system.

Once I was done cataloging what I owned, I made a list of books I still want or need to complete a series. It is a long list. I’m thinking I’ll take it to the library tomorrow to see if they have any books on my wish list. I wish I had started keeping a list of all the books I’ve read since I was able to read – it would be very lengthy.

What makes me happy is that my son and I can talk about books now because he has started reading more. My urge is to start buying him books, however, he would have to lug them with him every time he moved so it doesn’t seem very feasible. His library card is getting a workout – it is so great!

Someday I’m going to have a den with wall to wall books. I’ll have one of those nice big desks to write my manuscripts on and a few easy chairs to lounge in while I read. Oh, can’t forget the fireplace. You know, sounds like I’ll have to move North cuz a fireplace isn’t much use in Florida.

There is a house in WL that I really liked – two of my sisters owned it at different times. It has two stories with the three big bedrooms upstairs – downstairs it has a huge kitchen, living room and den. Yes, the den has a fireplace. That isn’t to say that I want this same house but I would like one like it – only perhaps a bit more modern in that it has more then one bathroom.

Have a year to decide what I’m going to do – it will be interesting to see how it all works out!

No one knows the story of tomorrow’s dawn. –African Proverb