This very long, so hot and dry summer brings back memories of the first summer I lived here, in the New Wild West. While I look back on it now and appreciate the novelty, at the time I was still finding my way in this unique biosphere I refer to as South Park. As the mercury in the outside thermometer creeps toward 100⁰ f, my mind drifts back to my now ex-next door neighbour, Deborah, about whom I will always remember …
Do you have a Nosy Posey living next door? I do. I would have thought that my Nosy Posey neighbour would be too busy, dashing here and there, to bother with my habits, in particular my lawn watering habit. Apparently, I’m wrong. Occasionally, watching the Sandycove channel (yep, we have our very own TV channel), I notice that water restrictions are in effect, using the time-honoured tradition of odd/even water usage for lawns, car washing, etc. Upon reading the monthly newsletter, I see that newly seeded/sodded lawns are exempt. Yay! I can keep my lawn alive, I hope. I try to maintain the odd/even schedule as much as possible but there is the occasional time that I water on an odd numbered day, even though I live in an even numbered house.
Well, don’t I get a call from ‘Julie’ in the SCA admin office about watering on an odd-number day. Tsk Tsk Tsk. We have a brief chat and I refresh her that my lawn is exempt since it’s new sod. There was quite the silence after that. Then Julie mentions that maybe I could water for only 2 hours per day instead of 3. Hmmm, I think to myself, how would anyone but a Nosey Neighbour know how long I water my lawn for? I’m sure that SCA personnel have more to do with their time, than to stand in front of my house and watch my sprinkler putt its way ‘round and ‘round for three hours. Has to be a neighbour – is there a Nosey Posey living on Marlin Court? I mention to Julie that if the water pressure was better, I could probably water for a shorter time. Another silence. We end our confab with me saying that I’ll try and cut down a little. I am a conservationist at heart, especially with water (a non-renewable resource) but unless SCA gives me something in writing, stating that they’ll replace my sod when it dies for lack of water, I’ll keep on watering, odd days or not.
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| Sad Lawn |
A few days later, my suspicions about the Nosey Posey living next door seem to be confirmed, when she jumps out at me as I’m setting up the sprinkler. She startles me, since my back is to her house. She flings open her side door so hard, it smacks into the wall behind it and out she pops. She calls me by name, her tone reminiscent of Fran Fine (from the hit TV series, The Nanny - Fran Drescher in real life) and asks me if I know that there is a watering ban. I respond and acknowledge that I’m aware of the odd/even restriction.
Since I don’t sit in front of my TV every waking moment to watch the SCA ‘roll-around’, how would I know? Gently, I mention that newly seeded/sodded lawns are exempt. The look on her face is priceless. “Exempt”, Deborah repeats with a glassy look in her small, rat-like eyes. “Yes, exempt”, I repeat. “Oh”. Deborah says, and retreats into her house, shutting the door a lot more quietly than she opened it.
All the pieces start to fall into place, at least in my mind, and form, which I believe, is a rather accurate image of a
Water Rat. There always has to be at least ‘One of Those’ in every neighbourhood, doesn’t there? I wonder if Nosey Posey will be taking a walk around the Court and informing the other non-conforming residents about the water ban?I didn’t see her out there, but later, while chatting with some of my neighbours, I voice my suspicions about having a resident Water Rat on Marlin Court. They all seemed to be shocked to hear we have ‘One of Those’ living here. From their reaction, I know that I have leapt to the correct conclusion of just who ratted me out. I feel that I should take it personally, since she lives right next door.
I hope Nosey Posey gets a life and finds something more positive to focus on besides my lawn-watering habit. In this kind of close environment, I try to follow the ‘Live and let live’ philosophy. If what your neighbour is doing is against THE PARK RULES, unless there’s a direct and harmful impact on your life, why be a tattle-tale?
The next day, I see Rich walking his dog, Sherman and I meander outside to ask him if he was going to mow my lawn today, since it’s cooled off quite a bit. Then I mention to him that I know who my Water Rat is. “Who?” he asks. “Deborah”, I reply, jerking my thumb toward her house. His caterpillar-like eyebrows shoot skyward. He then proceeds to tell me how one of his neighbours is convinced that when he turns on his water, it affects her water pressure. That’s a new one on me, but real or imagined, she has ratted out that neighbour, who is referred to as The Mayor of Marlin Court. So, it seems that we may have a whole family of Water Rats nesting on our quiet little court.
