Why my Neighbors Hate Me

As I look at my 8-year-old, 65-pound son sitting in our 11-inch plastic pool in the front yard, I just can't help but laugh out loud. I think I now know why my neighbors hate me.

Some of my neighbors have nice, in-ground, $30,000 pools with the works...lights, landscaping, volleyball nets...the whole sha-bang. But not me.

I have a turquoise blue, plastic pool that currently holds about 8 inches of water. I mean sure, it has some mildew stains and an old, orange towel that we got from Ken's grandmother's estate plugging the water in, but it's not THAT bad. I got it at a garage sale back in 2001 for $3.00. I'm pretty sure it was a dog pool before I lucked into it. No worries, though. After a complete bleach overhaul, it's decently clean and ready to go again for another season at the McCreary house.

I thought it was a great find until I see my neighbors drive by and shake their heads in disbelief. Yep, it's official. They hate me.

In my defense, however, I never really had neighbors until I got married, so I'm learning as I go. I actually give those lucky people that happen to live next to me quite a few things to hate me about.

Number one...I planted my garden way too close together this year, so instead of looking neat and orderly, it looks more like a tomato jungle. It's not pretty. Scary, really.

Number two...we open our windows in the spring and fall to save money. This way everyone up and down the street can hear me yell at the kids and whistle at them when dinner is ready. Oh, yes, and I also sing at the top of my lungs without even knowing it. Good stuff.

Number three...my dryer went out a few months back, so I was forced to dry my clothes on the back deck until we got a new dryer. OK, I even think that's white trash, so I'll give 'em that one.

I could go on and on, but I'll spare you all the messy details. Maybe we should just move and start over with a new set of unsuspecting strangers, but quite frankly this is much more entertaining :)