New Neighbors

"Did you see the for sale sign is out of the yard next door" asked my husband one early last week. I hadn't noticed and looked out the laundry room windows and, sure enough, it was gone.

A day or two after that, I came home to find a little white SUV parked out front of the house. Jon and I both noticed the "WA" tag which is a "West Campus A" parking pass for OSU and the same pass that I have for my car. Later that evening, horror set in when Jon and I went out for a walk. The couple who filed the complaint about my backyard through their realtor bought the house next door. When Jonnie and I got back from our walk, I told Jon the bad news. He told me not to worry about it because we were not and still are not violating any deed restrictions for the neighborhood.

A shipment of 12 plants arrived on Friday so Jonnie and I planted them. The verbenium didn't seem to do as well during shipping as the dark coleus. I hope some plant food and some time in moist soil resolve that issue. Later that night I went grocery shopping and picked up some orange mums because I realized my planter by the mailbox was still empty. I don't want to give the new neighbors anything else to complain about. I planted the mums when I got home.

I spent 4-5 hours on Saturday in the back area pulling out poison ivy, some other vine and various other yuck that accumulated in this back area over the years. I was amazed at the amount of building supply pieces that must have gotten tossed back there during building. I filled 3 of the large paper yard waste bags and a black garbage bag with debris. I am going to have to bring the wheel barrow back to get everything to put it at the curb for the waste collection. I was concerned that the new neighbors might report me for having these bags sitting in the back so I asked Jon if I should put them in the garage and park my car in the driveway. He told me not to worry about it. Easy for him to say!

When Jon came back from getting his hair done and going to the gun shop, he was surprised to still find me out back. He started laughing when he saw me trying to level a small stump with the band saw. I told him that I kept tripping over them. I then brought up the issue of the fence. There was a wire fence erected between our property and the property behind us many, many years ago. It was so long ago that we have trees that flattened the fence in spots as they grew and a couple that have become one with the fence. I mumbled about cutting the fence down and putting up something new. Jon showed me where the actual property line was. I had spent hours working and a large portion of the area isn't even mine! Jon also said that putting in a new fence is not feasible. I thought about buying some clematis to climb the fence to make a natural screen. Hmm.

I took a drive to London yesterday and went shopping at the Big K. I found some cheap shorts for me and bought Jonnie the water shoes he needs for school next week when they start water play. Of course, I ended up in the garden center. I found white and pink hydrangea bushes, a dogwood, and a lilac bush. I also found some other plant with little blue flowers but I don't know what it's called; the label just said "periennial". I bought 2 and put them out front to fill in the dead rose bush I yanked out yesterday. The bushes were all planted out back in hopes of them creating a natural screen to block the ugly fence.

As I pulled thorns out of my shoes after planting the new bushes out back, it dawned on me that I'm broke. I think I spent more on landscaping this year than I ever have in the past and that was even with Rose of Sharon that my FIL gave to me! Part of the expense, granted, was the rubber mulch which I used out front and would never have bought if I'd known that I was going to have to speed up my backyard project so quickly. We have not yet installed any edging material and I don't know if we are going to get to that until later this summer. Between my landscaping project and Jon's basement project, we have spent a ton of money in the past 2 months.

I feel defeated. I look at my back yard and know that I've done the best that I can but I cannot make the plants grow faster. The edging has to wait until Jon and I get some other materials paid off UNLESS.....the new neighbors file a complaint. ARGH!

I had to be at church early yesterday because I ushered. I prayed for patience not only for myself but from our new neighbors. I prayed for strength to roll with the punches that might come my way as they get settled into their new home. I prayed that I could forgive them and the complaint they filed in April against my property and that I can forgive any future complaints they might file against me. As I told my hubby in an email earlier today, I need to revisit all of these issues again during my Adoration hour tonight.

God's Peace and Blessings be with you this week.