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Neighbor’s latest request


Carrie12345
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It’s been quiet over there, though the tree is still laying on the ground.

The other night, she stood in my driveway, hollering my name. I went out and found out she had locked herself out of the house. So I pulled out my phone and asked if she’d like me to look up a locksmith.  
No. She wants to know if dh has some tools.  
To pick locks? No.  
Well, no. Firefighter tools to get in doors.  
Um. Not here, at home. And what’s on the trucks is just to rip off/knock down doors; they don’t unlock them.

She just stared at me for 10-15 seconds that felt like forever.

He can’t knock down your door. I don’t know how to pick locks. Do you want to call a locksmith?  
She wanted to call security. Security doesn’t get involved in non-911 issues at private residences, but I let her have a go. That was a whole drawn out thing where she was convinced my phone directed her to the wrong place (there are two numbers that redirect to each other as needed) and was confused that they said no. They mentioned AAA will usually help. She said she has Geico. They were silent. She was also silent for another 10-15 forever seconds before they finally went, “Okay.” And hung up.

I offered a locksmith again, but she decided she’d try other houses for help.

Eventually she called to let me know she got in safe, and thanked me for looking out for her.

I don’t understand my place in the world.

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53 minutes ago, mmasc said:

So, how’d she get in?😁Man, I bet you’re so excited about your new house not having this neighbor! 

 

I have no idea what the method was, but someone named Mike got her in.  I only know The Lastnames, the House With Little Kids, the Guy With Dog That Wears Boots, the Might Speak Russians, Rob & Lynn’s AirBnB, The Triplets’ House, and Guy Who Waves From Pretty House.

I’m nervous about moving and once again being the neighbor who is only too nice or too mean, no in between. 

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1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

  I only know The Lastnames, the House With Little Kids, the Guy With Dog That Wears Boots, the Might Speak Russians, Rob & Lynn’s AirBnB, The Triplets’ House, and Guy Who Waves From Pretty House.

 

I have populated my neighborhood this way too!  😂 We have Hangry guy, the Russians, the Rental, Locally Hated, Swat Team House....

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I am glad you didn't need to be involved. That sounds like every conversation with my MIL, ever. 

FYI: Sometimes locksmiths want to see proof of ID before they will unlock doors. BTDT once. I think they took pity on me because I had a baby in a carrier while locked out, and it was on the cold side (sheltered at a neighbor's while waiting). I was like, "Dude, I am locked out because my purse with my ID is in the house." Sigh. (Famous case of picking up the diaper bag and thinking I had my purse. Now it's a bag of school books that's liable to trip me up, but thankfully I haven't need a locksmith again.)

Anyway, just in case someone does call a locksmith for a neighbor, you might need to be there to help them actually get into the house and ID verification, etc. 

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1 hour ago, NorthwestMom said:

I have populated my neighborhood this way too!  😂 We have Hangry guy, the Russians, the Rental, Locally Hated, Swat Team House....

I find it interesting that you have the Locally Hated AND the SWAT Team house and that these two are not the same. There's at least 1 story that I am hoping you'll share, lol.

When I moved into this house, we found out the hard way that the key marked "Front" did not actually unlock the front door. I called the handy guy I had met a few weeks earlier, and he walked me through breaking and entering. (There was an awkward pause where he was like, "So, ...I don't do this type of thing anymore...but do you have a credit card?") I thanked him very profusely once I got inside and, now that I knew how easy it was to break in, asked him to come over sometime that week to install deadbolts, lol. 

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16 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I am glad you didn't need to be involved. That sounds like every conversation with my MIL, ever. 

FYI: Sometimes locksmiths want to see proof of ID before they will unlock doors. BTDT once. I think they took pity on me because I had a baby in a carrier while locked out, and it was on the cold side (sheltered at a neighbor's while waiting). I was like, "Dude, I am locked out because my purse with my ID is in the house." Sigh. (Famous case of picking up the diaper bag and thinking I had my purse. Now it's a bag of school books that's liable to trip me up, but thankfully I haven't need a locksmith again.)

Anyway, just in case someone does call a locksmith for a neighbor, you might need to be there to help them actually get into the house and ID verification, etc. 

I definitely would have vouched for her. But I was also doing everything I could to avoid asking her inside. 
When we first moved here, a neighbor (actually from the other side of the neighborhood, but her kid sat with my kid on the bus) dropped  by and stayed for HOURS. Even after Dh did the whole “It’s late, gotta go to bed” and went to bed. I did lots of saying I needed to get to bed, but it wasn’t working. I don’t even remember how I finally got her out. I was probably half asleep. 
Now I’m afraid to let anyone in!

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9 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

I find it interesting that you have the Locally Hated AND the SWAT Team house and that these two are not the same. There's at least 1 story that I am hoping you'll share, lol.

 

Locally Hated is a skinny young dude who modded his car so it is incredibly loud, and he has a huge sticker across the bottom of his windshield that says, "Locally Hated" in cursive. We always know when he comes and goes. 🙄

The Swat Team House: The original owners are elderly and still live in it, and their trashy adult children and grandchildren cycle in and out.  One day the swat team pulled up and removed an escapee from the local state prison who was friends with a grandchild. That guy was hiding in the garage rafters. 

We plan to move soon. 😂

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4 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

She is clearly living in the wrong place.  She literally doesn’t have the skill set to live there.

I want to reply to this nicely and not in the form of a sociology essay, so here’s my best attempt, lol.

I live in a weird/complex area. There’s a long-standing history of real estate being advertised toward the suburban and urban areas in a 90-minute radius (before rush hour is accounted for.) Our lower COL is a major draw for both people being priced out of other areas and for those who just want more for their money.  But the realities of living a more rural kind of life aren’t given a whole lot of attention. People learn as they go, and they either adapt, or they try to change things. Or some just sit in misery. (That last option was me for a while. But now I plan to happily grow old here.) It is harder to build and sustain relationships here. Everyday life takes more planning and driving time. Some degree of self-sufficiency is needed. You will get a dozen recommendations for any service you could need, and lots of donations in an emergency, but we’re not a community barn raising type of area.

The part that surprises me with this particular neighbor is that she’s been a part-time resident exactly as long as I’ve lived here, which is over 16 years. Yes, full residency is new to her, but come on! 16 years is a long time, even just in weekends and some vacations! I feel like she’s an extra special case. But she is all alone, and she’s an older black woman in an area where I’d generously call 25% of people overtly racist and misogynistic, so I hate to leave her hanging. (Our specific street is 100% safe in both regards. Except for Rob, but he doesn’t actually live in his house.)

But, yes, this isn’t the most appropriate area for someone used to city life to grow old, alone! (And in a great, big house, to boot!)

To add a laugh... she did suggest I pay $1,000 to have my large porch re-stained instead of doing it myself. 🤪

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