So here is another story from the depths of my nightmares.

Next door bachelor guy (nice but has a really short temper sometimes), decided to 'adopt' a long-time friend he hasn't seen since Jr. Hi! Yep.

I looked out my door yesterday morning and there was a huge motorhome parked right out front. I figured it was one of the street people who had been rousted from a street nearby. The city finally managed to disperse about 30 motorhomes, cars, busses, etc. that were parked illegally on a wide street that backs up to a motorhome park on one side and city property on the other (huge power lines there and nobody has access).

Anyway, the city started a 'pay to park' law. It limits recreational/commercial vehicles to parking for 3 days for a small fee. Then you can renew the permit for another 3 days, two more times, so 9 days total in one spot. After that, you have to move it. You can come back after a certain number of days and can get those permits for a total of 30 days a year max.

Major fines for no permit or overstaying. It's had a really good effect on the illegal parkers and those who used to just park on my street for weeks at a time and live in the vehicles. ALSO you can't live in the parked vehicle at any time. So here was a huge cab over motor home that I recognized as one that had been on that other street up until a month ago. It's got very distinctive markings. At times, it was also parked one block away on a side street near me.

I see the bachelor neighbor talking to a guy on the sidewalk and go out to see what's up. I figured the guy was just letting him know he was going to move the camper. Oh, forgot, if you park with that permit deal, you have to have the vehicle registered to YOUR address and it has to be in the BLOCK where you live. Otherwise, it's ticketed or towed. Nice for us homeowners.

So then the neighbor calls me over and introduces me to Armando. Ha. I get his life story from both of them. Jr. Hi buddies, kept in touch through the years, just bought this motorhome from someone and it's not working right. Tried parking all over town and got tagged and had to keep moving it. Also he just had some sort of 'major surgery' and is recovering AND he had to move from his brother's house because it's being termite tented? That sounded rather sketchy.

Guy seems friendly, looks like a guy down on his luck, his clothes are way too big for him (surgery aftermath?) and then the neighbor informs me that Armando will be parking his motorhome in his driveway for 'a few weeks'. As he's telling me this, my neighbor has a look on his face that tells me he is not happy, doesn't want to do this, but feels obligated to help his friend. He called me later to explain that he's not really wanting to do this, but will try to make the best of it for everyone. I told him IF he needs help getting rid of him after 'a few weeks' let me know.

So our local laws forbid anyone living in motorhomes on private property. You can be IN them during the day, but not at night and no electricity, gas, or water, can be hooked up to them. Period. That's how we got the one at the squatter's house removed. They were living in it. This neighbor guy got fined several years ago for letting another guy do the very same thing! You would think he would have learned. He says the guy won't be living in the motorhome, BUT this neighbor never lets ANYONE into his house, it's a horrible mess, water only gets turned on when he needs a shower (at the meter), no hot water heater or stove because there is a gas leak so he shut the gas off. I don't think he's going to have this guy in there for any reason.


So now Armando is parked safely off the street and this is day 2. Happily, he also has a ratty car, which runs, so that's a bit more encouraging. He made several trips shopping yesterday and brought home some 'medicine' so I'm sure he's telling the truth about his operation. He's friendly, waved at me as he walked by.

I'm skeptical that he might be someone we don't want to know, but time will tell. The major deal is, my neighbor won't put up with this new arrangement for long. He's had 'visitors' before and it's turned out badly. Lots of yelling, actual physical confrontations when he tried to get them to leave. 38 years of living next to him and I know what will eventually happen. He will get fed up with the 'imposition' and ask the guy to leave and then we will have some bad stuff going on.

Neighbor assures me it's only for 'a few weeks'. We have bets going on now. I say the guy will be there till January. My neighbor gal says this won't last till the end of the month. My tenant/friend says he agrees with my neighbor gal. This will be a fun diversion while I'm waiting for the 'party house' to do another event.

OH and Armando, the new guy, had a visitor last night. Female, didn't stay long, but I'm now assuming from the long long hug when she left it might have been a sister or mother. Not sure. Didn't look old enough for a mother. He did mention a girlfriend who left him over all this moving and operation bit. Could have been her just checking to see he's OK. I'll keep watching.

This will be hard to now keep track of all the activities around me. I might have to hire some help just to watch all the players.

And so it begins...

And here I was thinking my life would be boring.

So now there is a letter size paper glued to his side window of the SUV. It says: DON'T open door, Door will fall off! You pay!

Now that's a fun note. I'm wondering if the door really will fall off but am resisting the urge to go try it out. Why the heck does he even have to put a notice on there? Isn't the SUV locked up? How could you possibly open a locked door? Maybe it's a strange attempt to thwart thieves? If I were a thief, I'd for sure want to try opening that door.

New neighbor is very active about walking up the street and back. I assume he is getting 'supplies' for his 'home'. He also drives his SUV several times a day to somewhere. At least he's busy. Still don't know if he's staying in the guy's house or in the motorhome. I'll have to sneak out tonight and see if there are any lights on in the motorhome. Something else to keep my busy.

This is like a sequel novel from my favorite author.

;)I was thinking Sorta that Mr. Rogers did not adequately prepare you for the people in your neighborhood. LOL. Bless you for putting up with first the drugs & now the extreme noise.

Yeah, I thought when the drug house was fixed and sold that everything would calm down. I guess I was soooo wrong. Sometimes I think it's 'just me' seeing all this stuff, but several of my neighbors (who seem to be semi-sane) have approached me for information about what I've been seeing that THEY also are seeing. It's a neighborhood project I guess.

AND I just got a call from my next door lady (my BFF) who alerted me to the Roto Rooter van across the street at the house of the 'shunner guy'. I guess the 3 girls with waist length hair clogged the drain again. It used to be an almost every other week 'rooting' until the Landlord (also BFF's of mine) finally hooked up to the sewer. Then no more calls for plumbers. NOW we are starting a plumbing routine again? For the past 2 months, the Landlords have been over there painting, fixing soffits, sealing skylights and get this, doing massive 'routine' yard work. Yep. They have been weeding, mowing, replacing DEAD plants that the renters have let die. They also are throwing away (3 times now) 'stuff' that the renters keep piling up in the back yard. Tons of cardboard boxes, old broken chairs, etc. After the Landlord's leave, the renters sneak out and look at everything and start pulling stuff out of the trash cans. It's really funny to watch.

The Landlady told me that the renters are not taking care of the property, and not just the outside. Just before they rented to this nice family, they redid the entire inside of the house. NEW hardwood floors, carpeting, new appliances, new bathrooms. According to the Landlady, they have ruined the inside. She's furious. They are going to start by redoing the kitchen and then work on the other parts. I don't think they are kicking them out, but she said she was going to raise the rent by 200 dollars to cover all they are having to do for them.

I really think, just by watching the interactions over there (which are few now) that the Landlords would like the renters to move. Gentle hints all around and the renters either go away or hide inside when the Landlords are there. They used to be very friendly with each other. I think something went horribly wrong when the guy was off work for those 6 or so weeks. Maybe they didn't pay rent? I did hear some loud words between the guy and the landlord one day about the 'overspray' of paint on his cars. Landlord I think paid to have 2 (maybe all 3) of their cars detailed. Yeah. So I watch and wait. I HOPE they don't move. Despite the 'shunning', they are VERY quiet people and cause no problems at all for me.

Time to go watch more fun.

Things are slow around here. New neighbor guy who is a 'guest' with his huge motorhome next door, is doing a daily walk up and down the street. He's made 'friends' with the guys who bought the drug house now. Talked at the fence with the husband for over an hour! I'm avoiding being outside when the new guy walks by for fear I might have to 'chat'. I don't want to get to know him. Seems like a lost soul.

He has a girlfriend. He told me they broke up just before he came here. Something about losing a job, the big operation, getting kicked out of the brother's house, etc. I wasn't really going in for details. BUT the week after he moved in, SHE started appearing in her little white car and either taking him somewhere for a few hours, or going into the motorhome for a few hours. Looks like they are 'trying' to get back together in some way. She comes every other day. Doesn't bring anything (like a caretaker) and they sure look cozy when it's time for her to leave, BUT no kissing. Just him hugging and not letting go. Last night they sat in her car right out front of my front door for an hour talking. I could hear bits of conversation but the most telling was from her. "They think I'm mad at you, but I'm not". I'm guessing the respective families are against her being with him and she's trying to reassure him. So sad really. It's just a homeless guy, who has a huge motorhome and nowhere to put it and a crappy old SUV (which runs). He's alone, he's definitely not working, and it's hard to tell where this will go. He can't stay forever with the neighbor.

And in that vein: CODE enforcement was across the street yesterday! I recognize the city truck and the guy who drives it. They go around checking parking violations, and all sorts of stuff with property. This motorhome has to be parked on a cement slab, must not have water or electricity hooked up to it, cannot be slept in at night, etc. Code was here in daylight and sat across looking for several minutes. He kept creeping his truck up and back probably trying to get the license number, etc. I have no doubt that in a few days, there will be some 'notice' put on the motorhome which will outline the 'offences'. Someone must have notified the city (not me, nope) otherwise, they wouldn't have been there. Woe to the homeowner, my friend. I'm not alerting him to this one since I don't want to be the 'I told you so' neighbor. He allowed it, he will have to deal with the consequences. Strange, because several years back, he allowed another guy to live in a motorhome on his property (way in the back) and he got turned in by someone for that, and got fined! Now he's risking that again. There is being kind to a friend, and then there is just plain forgetting what can happen if you are too kind.

Always interesting there, Sorta