It Takes a Village: I have a new neighbor!

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I moved into a new housing development?

I think it's fun to move to a new place. You can kind of reinvent yourself and how you want to live. I decided to go all "green" and "save the environment," so I bought a bike and started hanging my laundry on the line.

Well, yesterday, my friend, Dotty, moved next door. I'm so excited. We have been friends for a long time. We share a love of reading, and in fact, she even formally started me on my quilting journey.

I really like her new home. Dotty and her husband, Al, have four kids, all married, with lots of cool grandchildren. So when they moved next door, they decided to get a snazzy new sports car. And Al is a Master Gardener, so it looks like they are starting their landscaping project with wildflowers.

Here is a funny true-life story. Years ago when they built their home, they were on the outskirts of Fresno, with lots of acreage around them. A nearby neighbor had peacocks. Al and Dotty hated the peacocks. The peacocks would come into their yard, make a big mess, eat the vegetables in their garden. Really. They are not fans of the peacock.

So imagine my surprise when they decided to build a fancy new fence on the side of their house and then decided to have a peacock as a pet!! Very odd...

Oh, and I think another new neighbor's house will be done today. The interesting things you find out about your friends when they move next door. Just like Dotty, she is making some "interesting" decisions...

And in case you were wondering...do you live in a neighborhood that has a lot of CC&R codes? Stuff like the color you are allowed to paint your front door, or how many cars you can park at your house? Well, this particular housing development has only one: it is a requirement that you wear a kerchief at all times...