Saturday, May 17, 2008

Red Neck Maybe?

The people behind me had some kids over. I think the kids may belong to one or the other, but they don't live there. The wife put a dart board up in the tree for the kids, but the kids threw a dart at the dogs and got sent in.

After the kids went back to where ever it is that they spend most of the their time, the man of the house returned to the tree with a hatchet and a tape measure. The board was placed at regulation height. A regulation distance was measured off and a line drawn in the dirt with the hatchet. All beer cans and garden implements were kicked out of the line of fire.

The good news is the trajectory is not over the fence to the east-where kids often play. Bad news is the trajectory is over my fence, where my dogs play.

I'm looking at the fence to MY east-a lovely 8 foot privacy fence, with complete and utter envy. Maybe the deer target winking at me from the back of the dartboard in the tree is a sign.

I am judging, but perhaps not why you think. I'm cool with outdoors play, darts in general, and hanging out under a shade tree. But dammit man, you hang your dart board on the back of the house, NOT in a tree in the backyard with no barrier between the darts and the dogs but a chainlink fence. I'm just a dumb girl, and I know THAT.

3 comments:

Mim said...

You ain't no dumb girl! You're a sensible human! that guy should not be throwing darts in your direction. Want us all to come over and beat him up?

studio lolo said...

it's funny how I'm one of the smoothest, most laid-back people around unless my animals are threatened in any way. Your neighbor would be wearing that dart board where the sun don't shine. And I mean that in the nicest way :)

Debra Kay said...

LOL-he's really not a bad guy for an old alchoholic....just not the sharpest pencil in the box.

I had a long talk with myself about judging and reminding myself that I moved into this neighborhood, knowing what it was. And in truth, I keep the crappiest lawn in the neighborhood although I am working on the front lawn.

The backlawn belongs to the dandilions and the clover and bees-but without the clover, the tomato harvest is poor.

I'm really torn between wanting that fence and wanting to learn to get along. Fences work both ways, shutting the unwanted things out, but shutting you in.

LOL, I can hear myself talking to myself now "how awful, your little world isn't PERFECT and PRETTY....imagine that?"

No darts flew over the fence. They drug the dining room table out and had a civilized, beer laden BBQ, which is a lot quieter event than the college kids that used to live near me in Dallas. And, if I had felt like it, I would have been perfectly welcome to hop the fence and say hi and have a plate of food.

In a movie script, I would have, bonded with the people, and realized that they are just like us. In real life, I didn't, because I know there are similarities, but we have some underlying core differences and experiences that should keep us amiable neighbors and not bosom buddies. Too bad the rest of the world can't learn that trick.