HAPPY NEW YEAR

First off...Happy New Year, and good luck with all the resolutions for the year. Here's mine: Blog more! There is a couple more, but none that I really want to talk about right here. I have a more pressing piece of interesting "news" and it only took 10 hours into the New Year...

Well, you know about the issues in the past with my next door neighbors. The fence thing--they saying that we agreed to pay for half, and we didn't. Which led to the wife saying to me "God bless you" at the end of a asking for money confrontation when their air conditioner went out. When translated meant: "Fuck you very much." Well, now I have been labeled a racist. Yes girls, it only took 10 hours into 2007 for me to be called a racist. Needless to say, my jaw dropped open and I was utterly speechless when I heard that nasty statement. OK--I have been called a bitch many times and I am getting used to it, but what I can't get used to is that "new label". WTF?? So, I bet you are sitting their asking, "Karen, what the hell did you do?" Well, I will tell you.

I opened the door to find approximately a half a dozen men standing in my front yard looking at my neighbor and one other man unloading ATV's from a trailer onto the street in front of my house. I asked them to please not stand in my front yard, please stand in your own yard or in the street. They moved, and I shut the door and proceeded to go back to my morning. Not five minutes later, the wife came knocking at the door with her little whiny son (5 years old) in tow.

First off, the husband refuses to talk to me...he sends his wife over to talk to me when he has something to say to me. C thought it was just because she spoke English and he didn't; but he speaks English just fine.

She asked, "Do you have a problem?"
Response: "I just asked your visitors to respect our property and stand in your yard."
Neighbor: "Why? They weren't bothering you"
Response: "Actually, you and your visitors have never respected our property, and I would appreciate it if you asked your visitors not to park in front of our driveway, your children not to play in our yard, and others stand in our yard for no reason."
Neighbor: Well, your cat pees and poops in my laundry room, so why should I respect you?"
Response: I was unaware of that problem, and I would like to correct it, but I need your help to do so. But that doesn't mean that your visitors can use our yard as an extension of yours.
Neighbor: You don't want to solve...keep your cat, the black and white one on your property.
Response: I will make every effort to correct his behavior, but I would like you to ask your visitors to respect our property.
Neighbor: Get your cat out of my laundry room. Your cat doesn't respect, so why should we respect you.
Response: I told you that I would solve the cat problem, but I can't talk to the cat as easily as you can talk to your visitors.
Neighbor: Well, you are a racist.
LONG PAUSE... Response: What the hell? I am not a racist, and this issue has nothing to do with anything...

C then came to the door, and said this conversation is over and she needed to leave. Oh, btw, the whiny little boy continued to whine the entire time. A few words were exchanged between the husband and wife, and then Chris asked them both to get off our property.

We respect their property, we don't drive across their driveway, and I worked very hard to keep all cats off their property. Every time I saw one, I would grab him, discipline him, and throw them to the other side of the yard. I thought it had worked. I also collect their little drop kick dogs (they have four of them) when they get out, as they don't seem to notice when the little things escape or the kids leave the gate open We also put up with their yapping at all hours of the day and night--they don't bring the dogs in at night, and when its cold I feel really bad for the little things.

So, not sure what we are going to do now, but I pray they don't do something stupid like poison the cats, as much as I would love to put my "kids" in the house to protect them, they love to roam the front and back yards, and they would tear my house up if I locked them inside.

Here's the fact and possibly the sad truth in today's world that slapped me in the face today: No matter who you are, or what type of conflict you have with someone, if you are of different ethnicity, the "race card" can be thrown into the mix. I think it is more apparent here because we have huge issues with illegal immigrants from Mexico, and things are a bit touchy.

So, that's that. Welcome to 2007, I apparently have a cat that pees in my next door neighbor's laundry room, and I am a racist.