How many of us have those neighbors that seem to crawl out of the woodwork and appear just as we are entering the garage to get some work done? They wanna stand there and talk to you about all the cars they 'used to have'. It made me think about adding up all them time wasted talking to people like that. How many months of labor were lost listening to some dudes story about his 1979 blah blah that he had when he was in high school. I'm not trying to be snooty, I think it's funny in way. I usually try to talk the person into starting a project of their own but when I mention welding and using an air compressor, their eyes glaze over and they start looking back at their house. LOL!!!! But I suppose these types of neighbors are better than the ones that hate cars!
Just ask them to help you lift something or hold something while you weld it... they suddenly remember they have an appointment in 10 minutes.
I'd take neighbors like that ANY day over the ones that drive by with that scowl on their faces because your shirt is dirty because you are working on your car. Then the next day code enforcement is banging on your door. Or the ones that call every single agency that might have someone come to your house and lie to them about the scary dog you let run loose (even though you don't have a dog) or the EPA complaining that your dumping antifreeze down the storm drain when your car has not been together enough to have antifreeze for over a year. Yeah, I'll take the chatty ones any day of the week.
That brings a great Beatles song and lyrics to mind... All the lonely people Where do they all come from ? All the lonely people Where do they all belong ? ...
It can be worse, you can have a neighbor who calls the cops every time you open the garage...... Lucky for me I got good neighbors, I never see.
Yep and if they happen to need something welded or a bit of help with something that takes a few minutes on the bench it gives you a lot of points in your favor. I've welded and repaired things, sharpened mower blades, hoes and shovels and when I lived in Texas aired up who knows how many bicycle tires for the neighbor kids. Still if you decide that you are tired of someone hanging around the best way to get rid of them seems to be to ask them to help with something.
I can relate. I had a little girl (I suppose around 8 or 9) that was the most unruly child I've ever encountered. I don't blame her so much as her parents. Her parents would dump her off at her aunt's (my neighbor) and she would just run wild because no one watched her or supervised her at all. Everytime I would go out to the garage she would run over to see what I was doing. I don't mean to sound harsh- I don't mind kids but this girl was completely uncontrollable. She would walk into the garage while I was working, pick things up, move things around I asked her repeatedly to 'please don't touch' and then just grab other random things and say they were hers and then run off with them. She was always climbing on projects that were barely together and frankly it was way too dangerous for a kid that young to be poking around. I honeslty hoped she'd settle down long enough to either learn something or get bored and leave. I'd try to encourage her to play in her own yard but she wouldn't go and her parents/Aunt were (conveniently) never around to bring her back home. SOmetimes I'd just go back in the house to get her to go home. I don't know how much time I spent not working having to keep her from hurting herself or from wrecking or stealing things of mine. Oh, and did I mention she liked to bite too? Seriously. I wasn't very sad when her parents moved away. I know she was just bored and lonely but she was still a real terror. Jay
I wish we lived in the days when you could whoop an unruly child that didn't belong to you... Our neighbors don't really fuss that much, we live out in the country a little bit. One of our neighbors is kind of a hippie, but he's kind of a car guy: he has an old VW Beetle. He doesn't really complain when we're making noise, although I do remember him griping when my dad was exercising the race car a little bit.
I have one of those, but he has actualy turned into a good buddy, he kinda reminds me of "Floyd the barber" on the " Andy Griffith show", funny dude!!
I thought about putting a couple of old tires and wheels along side my neighbors house so they would feel more at home. They have this kid that yells instead of talking. I ripped him one day in front of my wife. He climbs the fence sounds like a rat then looks over. All I get from him now is in a very quite voice saying you havin good day...........
I have a neighbor that lives across the "holler" (that's WV slang) that calls me Mister Grinder man. He doesn't complain, but says " what the hell could you be grinding on all these years? " I guess when my garage door is open ,the noise echoes over to his place. Bill
Talk them into building a car then you can get rid of parts and they are in they'll be buzy at their place
There is a yuppie type nerd that lives around the corner from me and next to a biker. The yuppie put in artifical grass in front. He also called all the time about the biker. For some reason, someone put cat nip all over his front lawn carpet and the cats were making a mess.
I did that with some Jehovah's Witnesses. I was tearing down a parts car, they came by my shop, and I let them talk, but I also had the one guy help me with the heavy stuff (lifting the hood off and such). They were real cool about it but they didn't stay long.
Ive got one..shes pissed off at the world, 'cause her old man stays at the bar all night every night..i havent ever seen him sober in the 12 years ive lived here..but than again if i had an ol' lady like his i would probably be a drinker too. Her deal is with me that when it snows, she will have a fit if any of my snow from my drive way ends up on her front lawn, as if mother nature up here doesent land some on her front yard as it is.. there are just those people who are not happy and have to try to make someones life miserable or are so petty that nothing will make them happy. this year if the wind is right and any of my snow ends up in her yard im going to hand her my phone and tell her to call the cops...that way they can deal with her ass.
I had a neighbor who liked to walk over and talk. He was 83 years old and had been a mechanic for many years. I actually enjoyed his visits. I almost always just stopped what I was doing and we sat around and talked for a hour or so. He would inspect my progress ... sometimes making a comment. Then after we drank a Diet Coke or two ... he would head back to his place. He was just lonely ... and needed someone to talk to. His wife had died in 2001 and he was by himself ... His children all had jobs and did not visit much. They all had families and children of their own. He died about 2 months ago I learned a good bit about life by just listening to him. Wish he was here today ... and could walk over
Deuce Roadster: You're absolutely right on the mark. Someday any one of us will be that 'old geezer' down the street. Our kids will have already taken us out of the cockpit, sold any remnants of our beloved hobby, and we'll be left with either sitting around "the home" comparing prescription lists, or over at the neighbor kid's garage telling him how great a throaty set of duals made a real hot rod sound while he diddles around with the fart can on his "classic Civic" There isn't a one of us in here that's going to stay young...no matter how hard we try. Give the old fart a break - let him talk - you could learn something - like patience and humility. dj
i have a set of the worst neighbors a hotrodder could ask for. i have a garage everyone seems to bring their stuff over to work on so the troll on the left calls in to the local authority everytime a part is left outside more than an hour.she has a full time job but still manages to make my life hell with all the visits from the village. the guy behind me leaves me hate mail at least once a week and has the police stop by based on noise complaints and cars in the back yard but it seems they just like to stop by and inspect the progress of my latest project.the old lady and her 40 yr old son on the otherside just let their dog out into my yard to leave nice land mines all over my lot. i would be more than greatful to have a neighbor that actually came over to say something on a positive note! Yall are pretty lucky to have chatty neighbors.
I'm lucky One neighbor we very seldom see outside unless he's washing his vehicle or cutting the grass. If I holler over he'll wave ,say Hi and keep working If its a hot day , while he's cutting the grass I'll take over a cold beer or ice cold water. We chat for 5 minutes and its back to work Our other neighbors are one of the friendliest couples you could wish for I holler over and we chat , maybe have a drink and its back to work Seems like I'm doing a lot of hollering in this neighborhood Both neighbors watch our house and property when gone and promptly return any tools they borrow Everybody waves when they go by The first mentionned neighbor broke his leg 2 yrs ago I cut his grass every week , kept his driveway clean from the snow and the other neighbor and I raked up and carried all the leaves In the spring we tag team dethatching, sweeping the lawns and aerating them I'd bend over backwards for my neighbors because I know they are there for me when I need them I'm one of the luckiest SOB's there ever was
I have a neighbor a few doors down that can be an idiot..I live in a community with narrow streets and houses that are close to one another..I was driving my 62 Dodge Dart with a 413 Max wedge..driving carefully...and she was standing outside and made this pissy comment "why does your car have to be so loud"..I just laughed and thought what an idiot. 2nd story..I helped a friend bring his 14k original mile 61 Ford Starliner home from Grandmas garage a week or so ago..We arrived a little before my friend and proceeded to unload the car. My friends neighbors (the 25 year old crazy daughter) came out and stared at the car and said "what the hell!, they better not be thinking of leaving that THING in the driveway!" I turned around and told her that the "thing" she was refering to was probably worth more than all 3 cars she had parked in her driveway and what the hell businuess was it of hers and to mind it and go away.. Thank God my cranky neighbor is at least 5 doors down
I told my neighbor about this post. our garage doors face each other.... he went back home started up his big block and started to rev the shit out of it... OF COURSE I had to start up mine and drown him out... just as were about to stop, and old guy in his '56 FORD drove up, open up his exhaust dumps and we made a trio of the most beautiful music I've heard in a long time. We shut down and all the kids nearby gave a standing ovation....I've got some of the good ones.....
Mine don't care what I do. My only complaint is when one of the hundred people at their house parks in front of my mailbox. The old man rides their ass and makes them move the car. They have 5 kids from 18-30 with a lot of friends and they have a pool so people are there all the time. Kinda ice to see normal people in your neighborhood.
I am that annoying neighbor... just be greatfull they're not asshole complainer neighbors. i like when people stop and talk to me when im workin on my car. i can work and talk at the same time, and you got an extra set of hands depending on who the neighbor is. and as far as salesmen, and religion peddlers go, the best way to get rid of them without being a jerk is to tell them you do whatever it is they are selling. selling windows? "oh, i actually am a window guy"." whats that you say? you do roofing as well? "well im actually a general contractor. book of mormon? welcome brother, im a mormon too! works every time!
only have one 'imediate' neighbor [have a business on the other side], although i don't have a 'car/project' at this time, i do alot of side work when the weather is decent [mostly 40's-50's fords], if he goes by and sees an oldie in the garage, he'll wander over and chat, and ask 'what's this one here for' [in a good way], and usually during yard work/snow removal we'll chat and swap beers. i feel lucky, as he once told me, 'hey, make the cash while you can doing side work, nothing wrong with that'. in return, i try to keep the noise down, don't keep alot of 'junk' around, and don't make alot of noise after 9pm.
The Jalopy Journal
