The Clampetts Have Arrived

We have recently moved.  This fact has brought on many emotions lately--revisiting our past and decisions and consequences and all the introspective re-hashing that I tend to do.  I can see God's provision and grace and kindness towards us.  But aside from all that I can see the humor of us living in this new location.

Because of the economy and weird housing market we have been able to lease a very beautiful home for a very reasonable price.  It didn't hurt either that my husband's aunt is the realtor's wife's god-mother and the owner grew up on her street etc.  Anyway, this is by far the nicest house I have ever lived in.  It comes with a beautiful, well-manicured neighborhood and a formidable HOA and it's all ours...for the next year.  We've already been visited by the president of the HOA and given a copy of the CC&Rs,  quilted by a nice orchid as a welcome gift.    You never know what renters are going to do.   As much as it irks me to admit, their fears may not be altogether unfounded.  We seem to be acting like a bunch of red-necks.  (Which is kind of ironic since we are from the city living in a little town surrounded by farming.)

The first week we had a crazy amount of activity.  Some friends stopped by and their boys and our boys had WWIII  in the back yard with nerf guns.  This prompted a visit by the neighbor behind us bearing zucchini  bread and the question "How many kids do you have,anyway?"  This was made even funnier by the fact that my daughter's visiting friend from Arizona answered the door and said "Um, I think there's 5..." without the benefit of explaining that she wasn't actually one of the kids.

And then we tried out putting our little pool (complete with duct tape patch) on our 3rd story deck--thinking we could siphon out the water when it was time.  That didn't work, so the kids ended up just dumping the water out of the pool over the edge of the THIRD story.  There was lots of hooting. hollering and screaming in the process.  My youngest daughter just happened to be on the second story deck when said dumping occurred.  

Yesterday, I finally met my next-door neighbor.  I was wonderfully clad in a Vote for Reagan t-shirt, ugly green shorts and pink and white running shoes.   Yep.

Today, I told the kids they should set up the pool--on the grass this time.  They found the pool in the garage and my oldest son told my youngest daughter to toss it off the deck(again--3rd story) at him because he wanted to catch it.  Well, she tossed it before he was ready so he was mad and disappointed.  I told him to go get the pool and I would toss it at him.  So he did.  And I did.  And I hoped no body had been watching this silliness unfold.  I hope we don't inspire a new clause in the CC&Rs about swimming pools and decks.