New Houses :-) New Neighbors :-(

New houses.

Before furniture is moved in, they are so clean.
Cleaner than they will ever be when owned by you.

New Neighbors.

Some are known by you and are already good friends. They may or may not come over immediately. After all, you're good friends. That's not necessary.

Others....oohh, the mystery. Who are the people that live in the beautiful houses around you?
In your own little world you imagine that they are all so nice and lovely. They are all so mysterious.

Some quickly come out to meet you.
They offer anything to you that you may need. They let you borrow a wine opener because you have forgotten yours. They are truly sincere when they say you can keep it, and reiterate how you should have kept it when you return it the following day.

Others, wave jovially as they drive by.
Some come over when they catch you in the drive way and love it that you have invited them in so they can get a look inside.

They even quickly try to show you how you are already connected - your mother-in-law taught their child.

Others send their hellos via an agent with the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation and Control. Because the substance that has been placed on the ant hill next to your mail box could be dangerous.
It could have been used incorrectly by not being "watered in".

It could be anthrax.
It is, after all, next to the mail box.

It could also be a way of poisoning lots of things around you because the offending substance has been used within 4 feet of the rainwater drain (that drains to the back of YOUR OWN YARD).

All of the other neighbors (the nice ones that aren't mysterious anymore), upon hearing of this most fantastic "Welcome to the Neighborhood Telegram" know exactly which mysterious neighbor said her hellos in such a manner.

Apparently she's "harmless".

However, her warm welcome has consisted of me having my own personal meet and greet with a state official.

So that a photo could be taken of the offending ant killer: used by us: left by the previous owners: and I'm sure purchased from our "Local Home Supply Store".

Luckily we did nothing wrong.
We followed the label as we should have.
We have violated no HOA rules.

We just have a CONTROL FREAK for a neighbor.

This welcome also allowed the state official to meet my brother.
Because he was the person who actually put out the offending ant killer.
And his signed statement had to be obtained for "the file" so that the claimant could know there was no malicious intent in the powdering of the ant pile.

Except to kill the ants.

And this meet and greet of state official and brother had to take place 20 miles or so out of the way of the state officials' normal routine. Because that's how far away my brother is. I think she was as baffled as we are about this whole thing. I think I can probably scratch this woman off the list of future potential buyers of the house - thanks to "Control Freak Neighbor".

We hadn't even owned the house for 7 days when we received the phone call from the state - much less moved in yet. Well, I say to me...Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Friday we had a neighborhood child over to play. Guess what happened?
He got stung by an ant from another pile!

So what did I do?
I powdered two more ant beds with the same offending ant killer!

I triple dog dare my lovely, mysterious neighbor to call the state on me again. Because I will be the one quickly going out of my way to catch her in her driveway for my own version of a personal meet and greet. I won't be so mysterious to her if she dares make call number 2.

So much for the honeymoon, huh?

A.P. (after post) Quick FYI - there weren't even skull and cross bones on this ant killer packaging.