Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Bugging the Neighbors

The strangest thing happened to me the other day. Husband, dog, camera, and I were walking through the neighborhood. Objective: exercise, "quality time," and maybe a shot or two of autumn creeping into the Columbia River valley on a lovely September morning. (BTW, if you’ve looked at the Welcome Screen today, you know Mt. St. Helens is in the news…suffering some minor geological hiccups. If it blows up, I’ll let y’all know, since, if it wasn’t for some ill-placed trees and houses, I’d be able to see it from my front yard…)

Anyway, walking along on our little field trip, I spotted some unusually pretty mums in someone’s front yard. Halted the dog/husband parade, whipped out my camera, and started to frame the picture. And this woman comes striding out of the garage, practically vibrating with annoyance. "Can I help you?" she challenged me, clearly pissed off and completely paranoid about what my motivations would be for taking a picture of her yard. I stammered that I was just going to take some pictures of her flowers. Outrage and suspicion still played on her face. I said, "Well, I don’t have to if you’d rather I didn’t…" Satisfied, I suppose, that I wasn’t doing anything nefarious, she dismissed me by turning on her heel and marching back into her garage. Right neighborly woman! Needless to say, her flowers had lost their appeal, and husband, dog, and red-faced wife resumed their walk, properly humbled and embarrassed. I couldn’t say for sure that I haven’t been reported to Homeland Security.

Husband pointed out later that Bitchy Neighbor could have been feeling sensitive about the "Bush/Cheney ‘04" poster in her living room window. I hadn’t even seen it at the time, but I DID see it when dog and I walked past the same house this morning. And all I could think was, "What have we done to each other?" Is this where the contentious political climate in this country has taken us, that such an innocent interaction between people who live in the same neighborhood can be perceived, with good cause, as a threat?

I’m sure I’m at fault here. I’m just NOT up with the times. When I do crawl out of my hole and interact socially with people, I find that I’m still coming from somewhere in the seventies. Those days when we were all a little nicer, a little freer, and a little less likely to suffer from the unreasonable fear that our troubled times have imprinted upon us. I guess I don’t really blame Bitchy Neighbor for her actions. Actually, I am sure that I breached 21st century etiquette…I should have knocked on her door, introduced myself, and asked her permission to take pictures of her yard. And it never crossed my mind. In the end, which of us is really the bad neighbor?

Didn’t learn my lesson, though. I took THIS picture in a different neighbor’s yard…though these flowers were more attractively located on the STREET side of their privacy fence. Happy September in the land of the free, the brave, and the paranoid…

15 comments:

  1. I'm a Democrat and I still like you....Maybe its not the poster...she's prolly just a bitch.

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  2. Some people can be so cranky! Love the pictures of the flowers though!

    http://journals.aol.com/derasta/ADayInTheLife

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  3. Almost every yard in Los Angeles is decked out with flowers. Plus, I love architecture and well designed homes. I've wanted to grab my camera and snap pictures but thought it might create problems. Not because of the political divide but if it were me and some stranger started snapping pictures of my house I would think they were casing it to come back later and break in. It doesn't matter how normal and nice someone appears, there are some real swindlers out there. Paranoid? Unfortunately, I don't think so.

    If you can see Mt. St. Helen's from your house, does that mean you are in its path and will need to evacuate? Please be careful! :-) ---Robbie

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  4. greetings lisa

    as you know from previous communications, i'm a bush/cheney supporter...and i wouldn't have minded at all if you wanted to take pics of my flowers! this woman just sounds like a bitch.

    deb

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  5. So pretty!!!  Yikes about the neighbor...

    I will say this, I think that a lot people who support BUSH/Cheney have a little fear that if they show it in some way (by putting a sign in the yard or a sticker on their car), that someone who hates Bush will damage their property.  Really.

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  6. I, like krobbie76, live in Los Angeles where there are some beautiful yards and architecture to take pictures of.  Unfortunately we DO live in a paranoid (not to mention RUDE) society, and people either treat you like you're a threat (democrat OR republican - though in my opinion there are fewer and fewer republicans who actually resemble republicans anymore and I wish they'd look up their own history when they are defining themselves, since they are more acurately a third party that has sprouted within the last couple decades -  or people just want money for the privilege of taking their picture.  There are people here with AGENTS for their homes so they can have them used in film/tv shoots.  So no foto-ops here, unless they are very on the sly.

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  7. I Prefer to think your neighbor was simply having a shitcake of a day ... one of those days that foster misanthropic thoughts and attitudes ... either that or you're dealing with a  J.D. Salinger wannabe.

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  8. sorry about the neighbor, but the photo sure is pretty!

    ~jerseygirl
    http://journals.aol.com/cneinhorn/WonderGirl

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  9. I love the contrasting colors!  It's a great shot!  How awful she didn't compliment you on your good taste for selecting flowers in her yard.  What a spoilsport, huh!  Kinda like the people who live down from my uncle's place who think they own the beach in front of their house, and had the nerve to post "no trespassing" signs as we were down there enjoying the scenery.  How do people live with themselves?  But, it reminds me of a saying that I heard my Okie grma say once...."If that person can stand their own self, surely I can stand them for 5 minutes!"  Lisa

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  10. Nah, its her problem. Most gardeners are thrilled to have someone notice their yard!

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  11. I always feel a little self conscious about photographing something on someone's property...I'm sure that a bitchy neighbor incident like that would set me back.  I don't understand it though....she should be flattered that you so admired her flowers.  Oh well - these are beautiful too.  The contrast of the purple and pink is striking.

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  12. Some people just are miserable for no apparent reason!  beautiful pic anyway.

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  13. Man I hate being number 13.  Anyway, those flowers are beautiful.  I think Judith Heartsong should paint a picture of them.  Do not worry about your own thoughts, it was all her, she was the weirdo.  I mean, who in their right mind would put a Bush sign in their yard?  That is like saying, "Hey I support dumb people, careless people, people who make bad grades in school, people who drive several companies into bankruptcy, people who hang out in pancake houses instead of going to war."   Just consider the source!

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  14. This is just beautiful!!! It would make a gorgeous watercolor or acrylic. I am so sorry to hear about the interaction with the neighbor lady........ these are odd times. Hope you have a great afternoon!
    judi
    http://journals.aol.com/judithheartsong/newbeginning/

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  15. My goodness! Beautiful picture!!  You're very good at getting these shots.

    I wouldn't worry about that woman.  Perhaps it had nothing to do with her political sign.  Some people are just bitchy. lol

    I was videotaping at the movie theatre the other day out of pure silliness.  Just to put the crowd on video. Well, some man came up to me and got all ticked off because I might have included him on the video.  He claimed he was in the witness protection program, and went on about how "weird" it was to be videoing in front of the movie theatre.  Jeez.  What a jerk.  I doubt he was in any witness protection program.  Probably just in trouble with the law or something. lol

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