Our neighborhood watch is out of control!

A couple of months back a man, posing as a salesman, went knocking on doors around our neighborhood during the day. Mum opened the door to him, irritated because he woke Daisy from her nap, gave him a piece of her mind, and when he refused to leave, closed the door in his face. (Go Mum!) Two nights later, Hubby's laptop was stolen from the back seat of his car and some other cars in the neighborhood were broken into. (The fact that the laptop was in the car overnight is another matter we shan't go into.) We're not convinced these two incidents are related but, everyone around here seems to think they are.

Obviously, this got our Neighborhood Watch all fired up. I don't think I mentioned the spate of burglaries last fall that had the men on our block literally patrolling the streets after dark in their pick-up trucks but I think this gives you some insight into how vigilant people are around here. Someone unusual shows up on the street and an email begins to circulate with his/her description and details of multiple neighbor interactions. It's to such an extent that, when my nanny's husband first started waiting outside out house to pick her up, neighbors would emerge into their driveway to eyeball him. I. KID. YOU. NOT. At first he was really weirded out by our crazy neighbors until, of course, I explained the situation.

Today we had two "elderly boys" (my mother's interesting description - she has many) knock on our door, again waking Daisy from her nap (why is their timing so impeccable?) and claiming to be peddling something or other. Mum closed the door on them again and I went downstairs to take a gander, see what they were up to. I was in my workout clothes and had just worked out on my Total Gym, so I was feeling very burly. By then the boys had crossed the street and were knocking on someone else's door.

As I was eye-balling them from my driveway, two men who I think are neighbors from down the street, came strutting along the road and asked me if I had seen a couple of boys knocking on doors around here. I said I had, of course, and pointed across the street. The men then proceeded to approach the boys and question them for ten minutes before heading back home. Not fifteen minutes after that, the Sheriff's car passed by our front door.

Of course, I shouldn't complain but sometimes it's just entertaining.