what's he building in there...

The place I live is not just a part of the city, it isn't a subdivision or just a street with some houses on it... It's a neighborhood, a community all its own. I love our neighborhood... so when something goes funny I get... weird. Well weirder then normal. I stress I get anxious and nervous and I want to know what is going on. I want it fixed...

I talk to, smile at, wave to and laugh with most of my neighbors, which is something that I didn't do in any of the other places I've lived. I went the crazy recluse route in our former neighborhoods because there didn't seem to be anyone worth talking to... In this neighborhood it didn't seem right to keep to myself. It's a friendly place where your neighbors keep an eye on your house if you are out of town, if some one sees something funny, they give you a call or come on over to tell you. If you have a back yard BBQ or oh say... a Tiki Party... you want to welcome all your neighbors as well because you share a link that is the amazing community you live in.

So I have met or know most of my neighbors... Except one. She seems to really like to keep to herself. She isn't a bad neighbor... she just doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone... I've said hi, smiled and even waved but she just doesn't seem to reciprocate the neighborly feeling. That's okay though, I get it, I don't like people much either so I don't hold it against her.

But now something is happening and I am curious. Curiouser and Curiouser still. Last week suddenly a fleet trucks and trailers started arriving in front of her house (I know, I am so the creepy neighbor lady who watches out her window, but I have a really big window so I can't help myself). Plumbers, rubbish removal, a contractor maybe, carpenters... lots of different trucks. I noted it and then went about my daily business...

Then Friday morning as he was leaving for work Mike noted a leak in the street as though a pipe had burst and was seeping up through the asphalt... NOOOOOOOO! He asked me to call the water bureau which I did. I spent a million years on hold before some one finally answered, then transferred me to another department where I spent only about a year on hold so it was okay... I gave them all the info and the nice young man on the phone said "thanks so much, we'll send someone out later today to take a look".

True to his word they did. A guy parked his truck in front of the house for less than 5 minutes... I don't even think he ever got out... then away he went and I never heard a word.

Meanwhile the house across the street continued to have workers workers workers getting stuff done and I began to wonder if some plumbing debacle had caused the pipe to burst... but then I started to think about it some more and in this neighborhood when you have that much work done all at once it usually means you are getting ready to sell your house.... so now I wonder...

Yesterday a big City of Portland truck pulled up in front of the house. A guy with a fabulous mustache got out with some spray paint, a unicycle looking wheelie thing and a long pole with a hook on it... He looked, poled, sprayed, wheeled and sprayed some more... looked at it for a moment... sprayed again and got back in his big City of Portland truck and went on his merry way...

Today there are many more workers across the street and I am left to wonder...

What's he building in there?

and yes... that is a line from a Tom Waits song...