Protecting our little slice of the pie

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. Hectic holiday activities, as I am sure everyone can relate to! I wanted to take a minute to write about something very important to me.
I have noticed a few houses in our neighborhood popping up for sale. Some have been on the market for quite awhile and others are newbies. At first I wondered why someone would try to sell in this economy- what a dumb idea with the way things are right now. But it is not for me to judge, as you never really know what the situation is just by living down the street from someone. I thought how aweful it would be if I HAD to sell right now, either a job transfer, family emergency or loss of job and money. That is happening to many people I know! Is there something I can do to help, you ask??? Of course!
If we want to protect our little slice of the pie, and by that I mean, OUR neighborhood, we are going to have to work together. Sounds corny, right? But it is so true! We want these houses to fetch a great price so that our houses retain their value. If a potential buyer drives through the neighborhood and sees ten cars parked on the curb with missing hubcaps or a giant pile of debris in the front yard, they will most likely pass on by to the next house. There are so many to choose from so why waste time? Out of frustration, the seller drops the price to lure in more buyers. Bad news people!! The 4 bedroom 2 bath house around the corner from you sells for $165K- what do you think will be your comp when you want to sell??
So here is the action plan...keep up your exterior. Get those kids away from the TV and hand them a rake. Turn the thermostat down so low that the kids think outside is warm and have them do a yard makeover. No kids? Borrow one from your neighbor. I have two available. There are 6 across the street and 2 nextdoor to me. Maybe someone would be willing to organize a neighborhood-wide yard day where everyone gets out there and rakes, cleans, bags leaves, etc. I would love to know if there are any elderly or disabled neighbors who simply cannot participate but have a yard that needs some TLC. There was an overwhelming response to the yard cleanup on the little neighborhood poll a couple months ago. Maybe after the holidays? What do y'all think?

Dun "roamin"

This past week we received a letter from the Cobb County Animal Control warning that they have had complaints about our animal running loose. I was perplexed by this, considering that I have a 12 lb dachshund that lives indoors. When he is outside, he is in enclosed by a 6 foot privacy fence. Any escapes are immediately thwarted by me- sometimes running down the street in my underwear to keep him from being hit on Shiloh Rd. I must admit, I felt betrayed too. Who would turn me in without so much as a word or anything?? Of course, calling the animal control office was a waste of time. The case worker (yes, I now had a case number), was out of the office and would not return until Sunday. I had to wait four long days to solve my dilemma! Today, we got an email from the case worker. It was a mistake. Someone has reported a grey cat who is apparently not "dunroamin" so if it is your's, claim it. Moral of the story here? It is OKAY to confront a neighbor with a concern before calling authorities- cats, dog poop, leaves, car in the street, rusted out dishwasher next to the mailbox, etc. You will find that 9 times out of 10, the person you consider the perpetrator, is totally clueless about their offense. I mean, hey, until last week, I had NO idea I even had a cat....

Garage sale pictures

It was neat to walk around the neighborhood this past Saturday and see all the merchandise for sale. Hope everyone made a few bucks!

Celebrating Neighbors

Here are some pictures from the Dunmovin Halloween party. I want to personally thank everyone who was involved in putting on this event. What a great job!!

Trash or Treasure??

There has been interest in having a neighborhood yard sale this weekend. I know it is kind of last minute, but if you have any "treasures" hiding in your garage or closets, this is a great time to get them out for others to sift through. Someone has offered to make some signs to post at the front of the neighborhood on Shiloh Rd to advertise. This yard sale will take place this Friday/Saturday November 7 and 8 from 8:00 till 2:00PM. If you don't have enough stuff to fill up your driveway, you could possibly arrange to combine stuff in a neighbor's driveway.

Bwaahaahaahaa Halloween!

Halloween. The one holiday that I don't exactly understand, but it seems to be widely celebrated in our culture. I never really participated much as a kid, because we didn't live in a subdivision and our road was off of a busy highway. Walking around in the dark with a mask on near that highway was suicide, so we attended fall festivals and the like in place of trick-or-treating.
As an adult, I like the idea of all my neighbors, many whom I don't know, coming to my door to say hi with all their kiddos. But I also know that others are disturbed and annoyed by it too. So in light of this holiday, here are a few courtesies for homeowners and trick-or-treaters.
Homeowners, if you want kids to come to your door, leave your porch light on and have your candy ready. Introduce yourself if you don't know the person- it helps build community! Be careful driving around the streets, watching for the little ones who are not paying attention to traffic. If you decide that Halloween is not for you, simply turn out your lights in front.
Trick-or-treaters, walk on the right side of the road. It would be even better to have something reflective on your shirt or carry a flashlight. Be respectful to your neighbors who do not wish to participate. And please do not throw any candywrappers on someone else's property.
If you have any other ideas or recommendations to make this a better or safer Halloween for Dunmovin residents, please feel free to share!

Frowny Face

As I looked over my son's papers from preK, I remember that instead of a numeric grade, teachers would just put happy faces or frowny faces on the top of the page. It was a way to say that the level of skill in this area is disappointing and needs improvement. The little face always seemed appropriate because even the youngest child could decipher the meaning with out reading one letter. Soooo, I have discovered a real "frowny face" in our little neighborhood...
Poop. Lots of poop. Everywhere, some more than others. But it is definitely poop. I have personally witnessed people walking their dogs through the neighborhood and allow them to squat and "go" right at the end of another's driveway. To my disappointment, I discovered a giant gift on my lawn last week as I was doing some yardwork. BIG frowny face. I find it hard to believe that any of the wonderful people in our community would find it acceptable to let our young children play in a lawn with poop on it. (which, by the way, poop attracts many kinds of bugs and critters that carry disease-ridden bacteria)
With all that being said- please be respectful of your neighborhood family. Take Fido for walk, but bring along your courteous poop bag so that you can clean off any unwanted "gifts" that may occur on a neighbor's lawn. Don't be surprised if you see a happy face next time you and your dog pass by!

Follow the yellow brick road

Well, not really yellow bricks...more like vines and thorn bushes. I am referring to the pathway, known as the "cut" that passes between my fence and my next door neighbor's fence. When we first moved in, we were a little disturbed by kids just walking through or hanging out in that area and even thought about plugging it up. But I am glad that we didn't! Our plan is to open it up and clear out all the thorns and snakes so that the kids that live behind us in the cul-de-sac can safely pass through to play with the kids on Norman Drive. Some of us parents worry about the speeding that goes on around here and are looking for alternative ways to travel the neighborhood. Sooo, what I'm saying is....if you have a "cut" or footpath that could help connect one part of our neighborhood to another part of our neighborhood, please consider allowing others to use it. I know that many people will comment or even complain about liabilities and older kids doing questionable things in the woods, but I think the good outweighs the bad. I will keep you updated on my progress in recreating the "Cut." For now, here are some pics of what has already taken me 45 minutes to clear this afternoon.

The Great Money Pit

As I'm driving around town these days, I notice all of the new subdivisions and the fresh Hardiplank siding, boasting energy efficient appliances and all the best upgrades. Then I pull into my driveway- and I have flashbacks from the movie "Money Pit" where everything on the house is falling apart. Okay, so no raccoons have jumped out of the cabinets and the tub has not fallen through the upstairs floor- yet, but this place has definitely seen better days. We have been slowly fixing things up around here, mostly on the inside of the house, but hope to get to the exterior soon. Please share with everyone your best remodeling story. Or if you could tackle a remodel on part of your house, what would it be?
We demolished the kitchen, all except the cabinets the first year we lived here. Not only was it very dated, but there was waaaaay too much DNA in the grout between the tiled countertops. There were 4 or 5 layers of linoleum floor and dark beadboard paneling that made the Batcave look like a cheery sunroom. Today, it has painted cottage white cabinetry with nickel pulls and grey/blue silestone countertops. The floors are grey/blue/terra cotta tiles. A vast improvement and very functional to our lifestyle!

Welcome to the Front Porch!

Hi Everyone,

This blog has been created so that we have a way to voice our ideas and concerns for our beautiful neighborhood. I know that efforts have been made in the past to bring unity to our subdivision, so this will hopefully foster that growth. Talking with neighbors down my street, there is a unanimous desire for a close-knit neighborhood, where everyone can build relationships. It is only appropriate that this blog be called "The Front Porch," since this is the place where we wave to our neighbors passing by and it is the way we view the world each morning when we wake up. So, in that light, let's make this a place where we respect each other's opinions and keep things G-rated for the family.

First item on the agenda...

What is your favorite thing about our neighborhood?

I'll go first. I love that we have soooo many trees! Builders in other neighborhoods mow down every plant, tree and flower and build a cookie cutter box. But our subdivision has character!