What are your most and least favorite neighborhood practices that you think point to the terms or lack of terms of our tacit social contract. Here are just a few to get us started:
Least Favorite Top Five:
1. Leaving your dog or cat's poop for me to discover on a sunny afternoon while weeding in my front yard. Disgusting and sneaky!
2. Putting your used refrigerator or used TV or your old couch or chair left on the corner with a FREE sign for days on end. If it's not gone on day 1, TAKE IT TO GOOD WILL or have it picked up by the Value Village folks.
3. Not participating in Halloween. It's one of the few times of the year when you get to meet the kids. So what, it's cheap candy. It's bad for their teeth. Most of it gets taken to the office and eaten by grown ups the next week. Carve a pumpkin, join in the community ritual. Open your door and get to know whose kids are whose.
4. Leaving your RV or your boat trailer parked on the street or on the parking strip. Our tiny streets were not intended as long-term storage for your giant vehicles.
5. Litter — where, who, how, why, why why. Our uncovered trash cans are probably one source of the supply, but mostly I think the solution is for each of us to take responsibility for our little stretch of sidewalk in front of our homes. If you see a can that was left in front of your house, get it and throw it away right away. Yeah, it's gross, so wash your hands. The more those bits stay there, the more they send the message…throw your trash here, we don't care. ESPECIALLY OFFENSIVE are used condoms and dead rodents. One of my neighbors left both of these sitting in front of his door for about 6 months.
Hope this is good for some fun and friendly ranting — Do you agree, do you have other least favorites??? Do you disagree — hey, RV's are things of beauty — whatever, I'd love to read your thoughts.
Andrea (42nd and Angeline)