The eagerly-awaited day finally arrived for the neighborhood. A 'problem' family was finally pulling up stakes and moving. Those of us close by kept the roars and cheers down to a minimum and we 'high fived' behind closed doors. We had all been waiting 15 years for this day to arrive!
The local and county police must have rejoiced also. No more speeding tickets for those folks, drunken-driving citations issued, or neighborhood complaints of loud noise or stinking garbage.
Hopefully, the next people to live in that house will also prove entertaining, though. We shall miss the skinny dipping in the pool, the yelling at midnight, the kids climbing on the garage to get to an upstairs window when they've been locked out, and the wild excuses about how parts kept getting knocked off their vehicles.
One particular 4th of July stands out in memory. The adults next door were firing potato rocket bombs, having a contest to see who could come closest to the flag on the golf course green next to their property. The green was littered with hunks of potato by the time the course manager stormed up to complain. The offenders could not understand his irritation. They replied, "But potatoes are bio-degradable, what's the harm!"
They did not run a recycling center at the house. They simply littered the yard with whatever didn't work! Anyone want a snow mobile, trailer for same, 2 smokers, 2 grills, assorted plastic baskets full of beer cans, garden tools, picnic table, chairs, or a shed with no doors but lots of junk inside?
Although we knew the family was moving to a troubled part of the world, we all felt they would be in more danger from future neighbors than they would be from any terrorists. We dutifully wiped the smiles off our faces when we went to say goodbye, wished them well, and prayed (silently) that they would never return!
