Dear Mr & Mrs Calcara,
On behalf of the neighborhood in which you live, we would like to inform you that we are getting ready to call the police on your barking dog.
Apparently, you don't know that you are violating an ordinance of Miami Township. But, you are.
We have listened to your barking dog for quite awhile now and we are tired of it. THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD IS!!!!!!!! In addition to the neighbors being tired of the noise violation, so are the golfers. We now are going to inform Aston Oaks Golf Course, and the Homeowners Association.
How about showing consideration for others. You live in a nice house. Have you any manners? Were you not taught to show respect for others? We respect you. How about respect for us?
Now we get the police involved.
Sincerely,
The neighborhood
I re-typed it word for word here...it was typed, on plain white paper, no return address.
Seriously?
We have a dog. I've heard her bark about 3 times in her life. Someone is home about 90% of the time here, so she is rarely left here alone, when she might bark and we wouldn't hear it. I called a few of the neighbors tonight to ask if she has been barking while we're gone...no-one has heard her (that I talked to).
Who does this? Maybe the same people that told our nanny that she could no longer bring the kids to the pool because she is not a resident of the neighborhood?
This is one of those situations where we are SERIOUSLY challenged to live out "love wins" and to love our neighbors.
And, one of those situations where I'm reminded that "attacks" come in all shapes and sizes. I'm not surprised that we are being "persecuted" by our neighbors right now. Truth is, we don't know them very well, and have kept to ourselves more than we should have since we moved in. I don't believe this is any kind of 'karma' punishment, it's just that our neighborhood has proven difficult to "break into" the groups of friendships and seemingly life-long relationships that folks have with each other.
In any case, if we end up in jail for our barking dog, or whatever other rule they can think of next to accuse us of breaking, maybe a few of you will pool your money and post bail for us! ;-)
8 comments:
This is why I'm glad that my neighbors are either nice or crack heads. My nice neighbors would just ask me to keep it down and my crack head neighbors wouldn't care.
Ann, I quote you from your earlier remarks surrounding your trip to Az...While I was there, I feel like God revealed some truth to me in terms of understanding how strong and deceptive the presence of evil is in the world.
Clear where the opposition is. We wrestle not against flesh and blood...
John Eldridge reminds us of 3 things:
1. Things are not what they seem.
2. We are at WAR
3. Our hearts are the prize being fought over.
www.leadingleaders.net
That would make me want to hunt down that neighbor and destroy him/her.
Then I would ask for forgiveness.
But first, the destroying part.
Oh Ann, I am so sorry you are going through this. I have found living in a neighborhood to be a true test of my faith and as you said living out Love Wins. We had a crazy situation right after we moved in last year and I thought "who acts like this?" It was hard but I prayed for this person and told my children to do the same. It worked! I don't know why I am still surprised! But as Allan said, we wrestle not with flesh and blood. Be angry with the enemy, not the people-truly the hardest thing yet! I'll keep you all in my prayers.
How seriously can you take a letter like that when the "neighbor" didn't have the guts to sign it. That is truly a strange way for an adult to act.
That's too bad, Ann. Have you checked *the ordinance* that this person is talking about? My sense is that there is no such ordinance.
I can't imagine a "no barking" ordinance.
I don't take these things serious unless someone says it to my face.I choose to simply ignore cowards.
We've been in our house for a little over a year now and I don't really know any of our neighbors (at least not the adults, I do know some of the kids). I too was looking forward to making new friendships with some of my neighbors, but I guess I really haven't put any effort into it.
I often wonder if we are going to get one of those letters ourselves because of the oil stain on the driveway or the front yard rehab not being complete.
But we do have a lady down the street (who happens to be remotely related to Kelly) that has threatened to call the dog police the next time our mutt runs away.
Some people just have too much time on their hands. Or, they percieve their own lives as so miserable that they want to share with everyone.
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