Sorta.

NEW Neighbors! We have neighbors. Unfortunately we don't know how many.

Last night, 5 cars/trucks arrived at various times with lots of people. From what we can see, we think it's a younger couple with 2 boys about 12 and 15. Then again, there were 4 little boys (3-4 yrs) running all over screaming and jumping all over the place. Then there were 2 little girls. Adults were numerous.

Some boxes were unpacked and thrown in the yard and lights went on and off inside for a few hours. THEN everyone left and nobody has returned all day. Maybe they will all come back Saturday for the big move. I'll know more when I finally see some of the settling in. Could be 2 families are going to live there, or the young couple and grandma/grandpa. Hard to tell.

More exciting news about what kind of furniture they move in and if they have pets. I'm hoping for elephants or alligators.

Sorta. It is nice to see this saga end with a new family in town.

Yay for new neighbors! I hope they are great ones!

Sorta, maybe they will have a peacock for Penelope

Oh L4L, what a great idea! I wish someone would have a male around here. She's still sitting on eggs I guess. She just made her kama0kazi run for food and drink. Took her 3 minutes and a lot of 'honking'.

Still moving in over there. They put up sheets in the bedroom windows last night. Might have been someone sleeping there, but today I see the 2 identifiable vans (one white one red) coming in separate waves. I did see one guy I am starting to recognize. Middle aged, big pot belly. Can't miss him.

Well, you've had just about everything else happen over at that house, my guess is that they are probably aliens, in disguise. Yep, if you wake up from a "nap" one day and a strange urge to buy the components for a fusion battery, blame the neighbors.

By gosh, Trail, I think you've got it!

Why didn't I think of that!? Trail you are soooo smart. Yep, aliens it is. Actually I'm not sure that aliens would truck in on a flatbed trailer a classic Mustang car which looks more like just a 'shell' and is going to be worked on in the garage. Interesting to see what new neighbors bring to the table.

So far, a nice new 'simple' washer sitting on the driveway, sheets in the bedroom windows and nothing in any others. Two boys (one about 6 one a teen) with bicycles, a medium sized dog (dark with a white ruff). have no idea what type of dog it is but it's not a 'barker'. Gooooody!

Can't tell actually who will be living there, but I'm suspecting the young couple, the two boys, maybe the pot-bellied guy, who seems to be there all the time now. Probably spent the night, went away for a little this morning and is now back. He's got a white SUV. Now I can at least place him and a car together.

They turned off ALL the lights since starting the move. No porch lights, no security lights, nothing. VERY dark over there. AND I saw a TV going in the 'master' bedroom. Flicker is recognizable. Pot belly guy watched TV till the wee hours.

Such fun. At least so far, no annoying people, no drug deals, no fights. Simple family I think. Off to spy some more. I'm sure they will notice me sooner or later on my porch (sometimes with binoculars). I'm trying to be COVERT.

Sherlock Blonde.

Still spying. Pot belly stayed the night and left this morning in the 'other' SUV that was parked out front for 2 days. We thought that was someone from up the block but apparently it's also for this house. The dog is a boxer puppy about 4 months. HE managed to climb over the low cedar fence when the pot belly guy was out on the sidewalk. Oh boy. They are going to have to build a higher fence or tether him. Scary as it's a very busy, main drag street to everywhere. Fast cars at all hours.

The teen boy was there today and he is a BOXER. Not the doggie type, a real in the ring, gloved, boxer guy. He was setting up old tires and punching them off a wall and then ran around the back yard like Rocky boxing and running. Fun to watch. I assume he's on some high school boxing team or maybe a gym something or other. Interesting.

No women seen today at all but they are probably in the house. Guys are outside playing with cars, etc.

More fun and games in the neighborhood. I guess they have moved everything in? No movement of stuff all day. Must not have a lot of stuff. Time will tell.

I wonder if they know the history of their new home. Do they know they're being watched; the neighborhood news of the day?

During the Recession, the neighborhood where my ex and I lived, instead of outright purchases, there was a lot of rehabbing going on. Some s mall ranch homes, similar to what we had, were practically torn down and replaced by mansions. One took up an entire corner including the back yard which was left the size of a postage stamp. I think a builder owned that one. About a mile away, the property for another huge house included a full tennis court and pool. Just down the block, the next suburb over, in an area where homes are worth about $200,000; a place was built with an asking price of almost a million dollars. For the most part, these a safe, clean neighborhoods but not worth that much! Go figure!

OMG! Last night was a doozie! Just when I thought it was calm and I was just sorta watching to see who was going to live in the old scary evil nasty rehabbed house, we have ACTIVITY!

Picture this: Watched Fear the Walking Dead and was just starting to watch the recorded Last Ship. I hear a siren (not the fire truck). I look outside just in time to see an older white (1980's) car zoom by, followed by a police cruiser with all lights and sirens. They had come down the 'T' Street where the house is kitty corner to me. That street Tbones into my driveway and my neighbor's.

So they BOTH screech around that corner. I'm guessing they were going about 50ish. No kidding. Up the block to the corner (only 3 houses) and then left on that street. Still hearing sirens close by. Heard them coming BACK. It's the SECOND trip around the corner. Each time, the Toyota almost jumped the curb and it would have been either my phone pole out front OR my nice wooden fence that got taken out if he slipped just a bit.

Second go round and then the SAME pattern, they were coming AGAIN down the T street right at my house. THEN they stopped. Neighbor a few doors down saw the whole thing from his front yard where they were having a family barbeque. He came running in front of my house just as 3 more cruisers zoomed in and took up positions in front of my house, at the corners and up the street. Eventually we had about 7 police (probably more) AND the police Helicopter!

Seems the guy in the car had jumped out 2 doors up from the corner, ran across and THROUGH my crazy neighbor's yard across the street, then into the 'tow yard' and the police were yelling at him to "stop, get on the ground!" over and over. Just like an episode of COPS. Awesome.

Well the guy kept running and the helicopter finally spotted him 2 doors farther and the police and canine officer got him. Wheeee! Heart stopping fun.

Seems the guy stole the car and the police just happened to see it and the chase was on. The stolen car was driving with NO lights. Yikes.

My neighbor at the barbeque had run after the guy when he saw him coming this way and was going to 'tackle' him so he says. Keep in mind, that my neighbor guy was more than a little drunk. BUT he did see it all and told the police where to look. Crazy neighbor across from me (the one who shuns me for 2 years now) was out IN HIS YARD with is wife and 3 daughters WHILE the guy was IN his back yard, just feet away. Drunk neighbor kept shouting for them to get back in the house.

All the neighbors eventually were outside watching the whole fiasco and I'm amazed nobody was hurt. Police were awesome. Cars blocking the roads, police standing guard up and down the street, protecting all of us.

Fire truck came in (lights and sirens) to check out a policeman but he was OK I guess, since they just left soon. Tow truck took the car later. All this in about 1/2 hour! Amazing stuff. Front row seat. Never a dull moment around here.

Now here is the fun part. In all of this, the NEW family was inside and finally a few came out to see what was happening right in front of their NEW happy home. I mentioned to my friend/tenant who was watching TV with me, that this was our version of 'The Welcome Wagon' for new residents. As the drunk neighbors went home, he called across to the new people, WELCOME to the Neighborhood'. Oh so funny!

I can only imagine them rethinking what they got themselves into by buying a 'crack house', 'squatter's house' with bad karma, and now THIS. It's gonna be like this as usual. We are so used to stuff happening right here, right now, all the time.

So it was a fun night, I wonder what the new guys are thinking this morning?

OK finally I think I've got the new residents accounted for. Maybe. Man about 50 (mr. pot belly). His 20ish son, a girlfriend of the son's. I don't think the girlfriend actually lives with them, but I see her sometimes along with the little 3 year old son of the son. Then maybe a wife of mr. pot belly. Still hard to tell the actual residents.

Neighbor, who talked to them, says mr. Pot belly was living with his brother, moved out with the son and a nephew. Not sure who is the nephew, but maybe I'm confusing the son and another similar male. All I know is one is a BOXER. A really good looking, hard practicing guy. He's out every day for at least an hour, running, punching, shadow boxing. I saw him yesterday punching the fruit tree (huge tree) and boy was he fast with those hands. He just hit alternating hands for about a minute. Awesome.

Still moving in, still no curtains, have the new fridge and new washer/dryer. I'm not seeing any big furniture but it might have come earlier when I wasn't there. Only a few cardboard boxes lying in the yard. Strange. Maybe this guy didn't have many possessions at all.

Makes me wonder. If the house was listed at the lowest of $455,500. How could an unemployed guy afford it? He's not going to work, the son isn't going to work, don't see a car with women staying overnight ever so far. If the wives/girlfriends worked it wouldn't seem that they could afford the price, or the upcoming TAXES. Taxes will be around $6,000 and are due in November. This is interesting. Maybe a massive inheritance? Could be the 'brothers' were living together in the parent's home and they passed and then one brother 'bought out' the other? So far it's a mystery to be solved by Detective Sorta.

Well, this is interesting. For the past week I have seen only Pot Belly and the Boxer son. Last night, they put up a metal 'canopy' frame, strung lights on it and played around with a table. There was a woman who came for that later.

Today! Party truck arrived with CHAIRS. At least 30 or more of the nice ones that they use for weddings. Wooden ones, turned spindles, cushioned seats in white. Then the lady from last night arrived and hugged Pot Belly. I assume they are a couple in some sense.

Boxer son and Pot Belly went out and came back with what looked like a big sheet cake. A white canopy cover just went up on the metal frame and I'm assuming that they are going to be havinga wedding! Dunno who. Pot Belly and girlfriend? Boxer and girlfriend who has the 3 year old boy? Someone else we haven't seen yet?

Fun to ponder. Now we will see if these are nice quiet people, or if we have rowdey party types moving in. So far they have been very quiet over there. Still no curtains on the windows. Just the sheets in the bedroom windows and of course the TV on the wall in the master.

I think the big event will be tomrrow, but ya never know. Updates with their 'choice of music' when it happens.

Sounds like lots of fun, Sorta

Well, last night's party was strange. No one arrived until after 8pm. Then, there were maybe 3-4 extra cars that came and went. It looked like a sit down dinner thingy. Chairs around the tables and an extra table set up outside the 'patio' for the kids. Saw several kids running around.

It was VERY quiet. No music, nothing that would draw attention, except when people left and said goodbye, etc. Sound carries wonderfully from side to side of our street.

So I'm still in the dark as to what the party was, and still as to who actually lives there. Today is Sunday, should be nobody going to work and everyone should be 'home' today. I've got to start counting my 'chickens'. Seem like they will be nice quiet neighbors no matter who we finally determine lives there.

Only strange thing is they left the lovely chairs OUT last night in the dampness. I hope they are meant for that. Those cushioned seats would surely have soaked in the dew that happens overnight. Today should be a clean up of everything. Maybe I will see more people. OH and for the first time, there were lights on ALL over the house. I think maybe this was a 'housewarming' and everyone got tours. Tiny house, not much to tour but it's pretty now.

I'm going to post the 'before and after' pictures here later as soon as I figure out how to find that link again. Awesome stuff from the renovation company which shows some of what the squatters were living in. Ugh!


Before and After Pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...e=3&theater

Interesting that they put in new appliances but not a 'fridge. Wonder why?

Yeah, I thought the same thing L4L. They spared no expense on everything else. The hookups for the fridge were in (water) and hookups for washer and dryer. I'm guessing that those items were much more expensive and they just left them out. I'm still waiting for the 'recording' of the deed to show up on our City website or for the Tax statement (3 more weeks till then). Then I will know how much the house sold for and WHO bought it. Things go so slow on filing stuff. I'm still thinking that either this new guy or guys are the idle rich or they got a really good deal and might be relatives of the rehab crew. Still can't fathom anyone spending over 450k for that house even if it looks good. But then again, I've looked up other recent sales around the neighborhood and they are ALL above 400k when they were selling for 300's 6 months ago. Values are going UP. Good for the rest of us.

Yes it is! Except as it affects your taxes

Taxes, yep. We are sorta lucky that the assessor only does minimal ups each year according to what 'programs' we are being made to pay for. Mosquito abatement, rat and other critter abatement, bond measures, etc. I always hated paying for 'public schools' when I was a TEACHER. I figured I did my 'contributions'. The major reassessments come when you refinance or take a home loan and especially when you buy a new property. I had a mortgage for one amount, refinanced it for a bit more to payoff some bills and ended up getting dinged on my property tax. Ugh! I had no idea just a refinance would trigger a reassessment.

Well the new/old chapter is about to be over for this house.

The new tenants (so many I can't count) are there most of the time now. From my count, it's a Man and Wife. Their 2 boys (ages 18 and 21), and sometimes, their married daughter and a few kids, and then the 18 year old's fiance and her kid. The 18 year old is getting married soon. Weekend before last they had an ELABORATE engagement party for him. It was huge. Very low key, but the decorations in the yard were awesome. Canopies, rented tables and chairs, beautiful all white stuff and a lot of people.

So that was it for the big influx of visitors. THEN we got a weekend off and THEN Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, they had TWO parties. One started at noon for a 2 year old kiddo, and it morphed into another starting about 5PM for the dad. My neighbor on their side had 'warned' me about the party. She has made 'friends' of the wife over there and got a load of information. The wife explained to her that they were having the parties, and that it would be a LIVE band and some sort of 'impersonator'. So after about 50 cars arrived at various times, each with 2 to 5 occupants, I decided that it might be a BIG party.

They had live music (actually pretty good Mexican stuff) a CATERED sit down meal, with waiters in black and white attire serving people, and a CLOWN. Yup a clown. I was waiting for the pony to arrive but it never did.

Things went pretty well except for the parking. Cars and trucks all over trying to find spots. There may have been more than 50 of them but I didn't go out to the sidewalk to look up and down the streets. I just saw people walking in from every direction, or being dropped off and then cars parked far away . The only problems were that my 'shunner' guy across the street, made frequent trips out to his car to INSPECT it for scratches or dents all night long. He's really paranoid. He went around it with a flashlight. I didn't see any damages anywhere. People were pretty careful.

THEN late late late, I noticed a car pulling up across my driveway. Earlier, a truck had blocked the handicap ramp in front of my neighbor's house, but it wasn't serious enough to call for traffic enforcement. BUT when the gal bridged my driveway that goes to my parking area behind my house and to both my tenant's houses, I watched to see what they were doing.

Turns out, one of the resident's (one of the sons) had come across to move his truck UP a few feet to allow the gal to park behind him. I finally walked out because they were just about to leave the gal's car sticking out into my narrow driveway from the back wheels and trunk. I politely accosted the guy and said that it wasn't going to work there. He looked at me strangely (I would have too) and they kept trying. Finally I repeated myself and said I have tenant's behind and they need access. I didn't mention that we need a clearance for fire truck and ambulance (city code) but that was my next attempt.

He finally gave up and the gal went up the street. Good. So then I put a traffic cone behind the truck so others wouldn't try to park in the little bitty spot. Actually a Geo or mini-compact car would have fit, but all the guests seemed to drive BIG cars or trucks, hummers, pickups and the like. Within 5 minutes (when my tenant/friend came up to watch TV) SOMEONE had MOVED the cone! How nice of them. I guess someone else tried to park there when I wasn't watching. Geez!

Party was good. Jumper castle for the kids, lots of music all night. The only problem was that somewhere about 10:30 PM, we had an 'attack' of 5 police cruisers zoom in with lights blinking! The party people immediately turned off the music and the policeman (who blocked the intersection with his car) walked over to talk to the home owner. I figured maybe someone got in a fight or? Turns out, it wasn't anything to do with the party. Some guy 2 blocks away had been robbed (probably at gunpoint) and the armed thief was running loose in this direction.

We had cars at every intersection (4 of them that I can see from my house) and on the scanner they blocked off the MAIN street in town. The police helicopter was circling and they had the dogs out. Wow. They really wanted this guy. Don't know if they ever found him. Then about an hour later, all the police left. Fun time. The party was still going on, (quietly for awhile).

So at midnight, I went to bed, music was getting louder and more booming booming booming of the base. AND at ONE AM someone got on the PA system and started saying some obscene things in Spanish. I guess he was trying to be funny. I assume by that time most of them were well marinated in alcohol.

The party finally broke up at 3:30 AM. Ugh. A party from noon till 3:30AM?????? 15 glorious hours of fun. THEN Sunday morning, someone finally woke up to clear up all the party stuff from the yard. Surprise that nobody in our lovely neighborhood didn't steal everything. THEN at noon again! More cars arrived with more kids with presents (I think a new party was starting) and they not only had the jumper castle, but a double water slide (blow up) with a pool at the bottom for the kids. It was a HOT day and it sure looked like fun.

That party lasted until 9ish at night. Long parties over there. THEN I found out from the close neighbor, that the wife, besides being a manager of a Jack-in-the-box, also had a side business of PARTY PLANNING and EVENTS. Oh boy. Lovely decorations, all the trimmings, she's GOOD.

So my question now is: After 2 parties in 3 weeks, and LONG hours of them with loud music on the last one, will this be the end of the celebrations? I don't think so. 18 year old son soon to be married (another party) and all those other family members will surely be having parties. My worst fear is that this family will be 'renting' out they yard for parties that the wife plans. Perfect location, big yard, etc. Hopefully I'm wrong, but time will tell.

Maybe the saga isn't over yet.

Sounds like my new neighbors! I believe the only actual residents are a couple about my age but they have more friends and family living nearby than I have ever had in my life! And they all gather at least 4 nights a week. They give me anxiety issues when they play on my front lawn. I don't like people on my property and in front of my windows. I don't draw the blinds except in the bedroom at bedtime.

I hope they run out of things to celebrate soon by you!

Sorta, I think you pegged it. I'll bet they are renting out the yard and she is doing a party business from the house. On the plus side, it'll be lots of fun for you all to watch