The Eyesores Next Door

Unbelievable. I actually saw a living person come out of one of the McMansions in the development next to our farm yesterday. We’ve been living here over two years now and this is maybe the third or fourth sign of life I’ve witnessed. Seriously. It’s kind of creepy, really. There are a bunch of those deluxe wooden swingsets up, but I’ve never actually seen any children using them.

Have long suspected that it’s some kind of colony of pod people over there. One guy did come over once last year to let us know that one of our cows had gotten into his yard. He seemed kind of put out when I explained that they weren’t actually my cows (they belonged to the guy who rents our fields for various agricultural pursuits). I think my neighbor expected me to get out my lasso and come take care of it tout de suite.

The development, by the way, is named for an upscale village which is nowhere in sight but does add a certain cachet to one's mansion tract. On the other had, our little Lovetown (which is much closer) brings associations of tractor hats and such. The houses have been there for a few years, built on the farm next to ours, which was sold by a local lawyer/landowner for a couple mil. I clearly remember driving by on my first date with Christian in 2002 just as they were burning down the old farmhouse to make way for the new monstrosities. The houses were going for over a million each at one point. Not sure what the going rate is these days given our local housing glut and all the rest.

I have to confess I recently found myself fantasizing about living in one of those places. It was one of those days when the realities of living in an old house were getting me down—the layers of dirt, the termite damage, the peeling paint. But don’t worry-- it was just a momentary thing. The truth is, my man and I are just not cut out for the HOA lifestyle. We like to let the grass grow and leave our junk strewn about in the yard. And if I want to put up a clothesline one of these days, well I’m just gonna go ahead and do it. In case you’re curious, here’s some info on the Right to Dry movement.