Oy Vey!

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When I brought my house 3 years ago, it was a wonderful quiet and peaceful neighborhood. I visited the home several times before we made an offer to purchase. I came during different times of the day and weekends. I even spoke with several neighbors who lived further down my street. They seemed very nice. The neighborhood is clean with no visible debris on the street. We purchased the home and the following year my neighbor to my right moved to a senior community area in Phoenix. My neighbor to my left decided to move away and left the home to renters.

The guy directly across the street rents his home out too. It seems that every year there are different folks living there. Now I am an easy going gal and I work from home. But the new neighbors are so loud. I think there are two families living in that home. There is constant noise from Moms screaming at toddlers, others driving up and blaring their car horns. Folks driving down the street with music blaring anything from country to rap. Ugh! I feel like the grinch when I say oh the noise, noise, noise!

When did we all become so uncivilized? I hear people screaming into their cell phones, kids running up and down in restaurants and car horns blaring away. It would have taken this neighbor a few moments to get out of her car and walk up to the house and ring the doorbell to let her know she arrived. Instead, she just layed on the car horn over and over and over.

Do you know that each city has noise pollution laws? In most cities it is against the law to make a loud racket from lawnmowers before 9:00 a.m. And yet, gardeners will cut grass at 7:30 a..m. I know here in Southern California the weather does get really hot at even 9 a.m. and perhaps they are getting a jump on the heat and possibly avoiding sunburn too. But 7:30 a.m.? Yikes!

Are you guilty of screaming on the cell phone in the grocery store, in line to pick up a prescription or at a restaurant? Do your children run wild like little heathens in restaurants? Do you still drive a huge minivan and pull in front of smaller cars? Or worse, park in spots designated with "compact only" signs there in front of you?

Ten lashes with the wet noodle for you! If we all did our part to be a little more respectful of each other, wouldn't our world be that much better and quieter? Let us all be better neighbors. And then, oy vey what a wonderful world this would be. Yes, I know... I am Latina. And if others can say Hasta la vista, baby then I can say oy vey!