Sometimes.
Have you ever had someone steal something from you? It feels like that. Or someone spying on you from a dark corner. Feels like that.
I keep myself to myself and would never intend to hurt anyone. Live and let live. Mind my own business. But to have people complain about me, my dogs, my activities or family and friends. To complain, not to me but to others. Like the county or the police or the animal control people.
What is a neighbor? “fellow man” or “a kindred human being”. Neighbor is the wrong word, weirdo’s might be better. It just would never occur to me to look up what a neighbor was doing and try to find a reason for a complaint. Search the internet for “evidence”, look for something to be aggravated about.
My friend and soon to be nice neighbor wanted to do a “crank in” — getting fellow knitters with circular crankable sock knitting machines in for a get away. We thought that we would provide a pot luck and a few sandwiches. Perhaps we thought a spaghetti dinner.
But my “neighbors” found an ad on the internet advertising this event. These people complained to the county that we were conducting a business in our home and sent a copy of the internet ad. Who does that kind of thing? Well, we would not want to upset the neighbors with the noise of the knitting machines……I have heard about those rowdy crowds of sock knitters.
Well beggar–thy–neighbor. Gain at the expense of others. But what they gain I don’t know. I don’t know what to say….
I think not weirdo but obsessive meddler would be better. Or interfering nosey nogooder, board ‘everything must be my wayers’, or vindictive nearby residents.
Comment by Lynette McKnitter — May 29, 2008 @ 6:28 am
I’m really sorry you have such nosy, mean-spirited neighbors. Of course, I don’t know, you might be a troublemaker yourself! Those sock machines do sound troublesome.
Is there a problem with having a business at your home? I live in a township (the country) and I can’t imagine a home business being a problem.
Best wishes.
Gail in MN
Comment by Gail — May 30, 2008 @ 11:16 pm
I’M SORRY TO HEAR THAT, ALL I HAVE TO SAY IN THROWING MY TWO CENTS IN IS TO JUST TELL THEM TO BUGGER OFF!!!
BUT HANG IN THERE AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU….
YOUR FRIEND AND SUPPORTER.
Comment by MT — May 31, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
What a horrible feeling. I agree. I had a stocker once, a former mental health client and the whole thing really creeped me out. Had to get a restraining order. He knew way too much about me.
But I think that being turned in for something as social as sock knitting, you could turned around as harassment on you.
lovely web site by the way. I would only leave Vermont if I could live in Oregon.
Comment by Alexandra — June 3, 2008 @ 4:02 pm