Free At Last

Posted Fri, 07/28/06

If I could dance a jig, I would. My hip prevents such a joyous action, but if I was able to shower myself with a little fairy dust I would climb to the roof of the house and jig for the entire world to see.

After two years of piled garbage, broken-down cars in the driveway and general filthiness, our neighbors in the house next door are gone. Sorry to say the slobs living in the triplex on the corner are still around, but the worst possible lot has finally vacated the neighborhood.

They left behind old, dirty furniture such as chairs, couches and stained mattresses; clothing and other debris strewn in the driveway, rusted barrels and other scrap from the garage, and God knows what else. I bet most of the rubbish left behind – if not all of it – is infested with some sort of vermin.

I feel sorry for the man who owns the house. He came by this afternoon and discovered the "tenants" had changed the locks before they left, so he was forced to call a locksmith to get in. I was in the backyard with the dogs while he was there. He told me the inside of the house was worse than the outside – no surprise there – and that it was going to take several thousand dollars to make the place habitable again.

He also told me it came down to the pig brigade being evicted, and a sheriff's deputy showing up this morning to tell them they had until noon to get out.

Whatever the means to an end, I am one happy clam today. It's like being freed from the edges of a garbage dump, once and for all.

Remnants of the pigpen next door (07/28/06). Click on picture to see larger size in a new window.

POSTSCRIPT 07/29/06: I took the above photo of the neighbor's driveway after their hasty exit yesterday. It gives some idea of what we've had to look at every day for two years. Good riddance to bad rubbish...

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