Meredith’s glasses broke in half last night, which forced Jeff and I to explore the 4,392,594 moving boxes that remain unopened in order to locate her glasses from last year. (Jeff was the winner who found the glasses. He’s perfect in so many ways.) The breaking of the glasses occurred approximately 37 minutes after we met another neighbor during our evening walk to the library. (In terms of FitBit success, the walk to the library from our house will score you approximately 1,000 steps. Yep. We live THAT close to the library. What’s that you were saying about a wonderful world, Louis Armstrong?)
We’ve met around a dozen neighbors so far, including Barefoot Mom and Son Who Don’t Like Pine Nuts and Lady Whose Husband Wants Her to Retire but She’s Not Ready. The woman we met last night is the person who I think will be our Gladys Kravitz.
Gladys Kravitz: Welcome to the neighborhood!
Us: Thanks!
Gladys Kravitz: I’m Gladys and I live down the street in the blue house. The people who used to live in your house had one of those pod things in their front yard and then the people across the street had their pod put in, and pretty soon it seemed like a race to see who could fill their pod the fastest!
Me (because I always get nervous and say goofy things): IT WAS A POD-OFF!
Gladys: So, are those dogs I hear barking in your yard during the day?
Me (regretting “pod-off”): Yep! Two dogs.
Gladys: Well, if you’re out walking, I would think that you would bring your dogs along with you! My daughter works with dogs and blah, blah, blah, blah…
Me (unmedicated): They run around in the yard all day and ALSO, just so you know, they are RESCUE DOGS! Both of them! Supporting the local rescue organizations is very important to us and we’re not walking the dogs only because we’re going to the LIBRARY and NO DOGS ALLOWED! We love animals!!!
Gladys: Hrm. Well, welcome to the neighborhood!
So, today I feel guilty for not taking our crazy unsocialized dogs out for walks. (Please know that there is a man in the neighborhood who walks two of his dogs without a leash. Because Scout and Henry are nuts, I really don’t want to even TRY walking them knowing that we might cross paths with No Leash Man.)
Do you think they look depressed?
This evening we’ll be attending a marching band event at the new school. The marching band event is also a food truck event and one of the food trucks will be selling tacos, so it’s almost like this event was designed to welcome our family to the district.
Edited to Add: Thank you to my friend Janet for kindly correcting my Bewitched reference!
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Those are some unloved-looking pooches. We’re pretty close to the library, but I don’t have a pedometer so I’d have to count the steps in my head or out loud, and either way I’d definitely lose count.
FYI- There is a glasses repair place out here off MRM Drive (though broken in half may be a bit much but I have yet to find a break they cannot solder). We are frequent customers and I am continually amused by the heavily tattooed guy who does the delicate repairs. Also, I’m jealous your marching band event had food trucks. My eldest plays in the marching band and we have had no food trucks!
Okay. Me offering to walk with you and the dogs was completely not meant to make you feel guilty about not walking your dogs. Just willing to help if you want to prep them for neighborhood walking to avoid the judging. Truly.
Miss Tempe: The neighbor lady injected the guilt. You injected no guilt at all! (Huge difference between Judgmental and Helpful. You? Helpful.)
You should read what Gladys is saying right now in her blog. She is pretty sure that one of your dogs used to be the mailman but Abner isn’t convinced. Not to spread neighborhood gossip or anything. (Tee, hee)
Look at that doggie on the couch with the windows. Those are some spectacular windows. I want to come kick Henry off the couch so I can lay there in the sunshine and laze.
Oh yes. So depressed. So sad to see two cute pups lying around on cozy sofas or being snuggled in a girl’s arms. Perfect illustration of neglect, loss, and ennui.
MY EYES BURN FROM THOSE PHOTOS OF CANINE TORTURE
When I still lived in OKC and hanging out at my friend Traci’s house, we’d take walks around her eclectic neighborhood. There was a family that lived on the street directly behind them who were always naked. The children were any way. You’d walk by and there they’d be. Naked kids riding bikes, jumping rope.
I love that you are meeting the people in your neighborhood (isn’t that a Sesame Street song?) and walking to the library.
That blue sofa/depressed dog bed is SPECTACULAR!!!
You were very, very, very patient with Gladys. Wow. Just wow.