I hope this stays...

The adorable home that served as the den of the Jackass Neighbors is now spiffied up, clean, and looking *really* good. It's been so long since I've seen it this way. A nice man came this morning and finished up the yard work, and even tidied up the edge of our driveway. I smiled when I saw this, and considered the impact of his random act of kindness on my day.

I'm just in from walking Totsi the Dog, and I took a good, long look at the place again while reflecting even further on how nice it was for him to do that. And that's not sarcasm - I really appreciate that he did that. I was even able to feel a little good will towards the property owners who never mind never mind never mind. What had deteriorated has been fixed, mostly. The hole is still in the path I've talked so much about, but maybe they're not finished. It's all nice now. What's done is done. Let's stay in the present.

Care for some truth about the present?

My truth in this present is that I don't want them to rent that damned place. I hope it doesn't rent. I hope it smells like rotten eggs and turtle guts and every bad thing I can think of inside, and that there is a poltergeist who flings vinegar-soaked Nerf balls at whoever goes in. I hope there is a voice like this one:

I hope it sits there, beautiful and unrented, for a long time. As long as the property owners are trying to rent it, it stays clean and well-maintained. It's when they rent it that we are greeted with the potential for it going back to shit, and I have had quite the bloody damned hell enough of living next to something that looks like it just might be a teensy tad shy of being condemned.

I love the empty, clean, pretty house next door so much and want to keep it forever and ever. Is that so bad?