Indianapolis, IN

Fri 03 August 2007

So, I’m thinking about neighborhood associations. There is a little girl who lives in Avon who has a genetic disorder that prevents her from speaking (Trisomy 13). St. Vincent Hospital and Sweet Dreams chose her to be the recipient of a bedroom makeover, and on top of that, they donated a full-blown playhouse. The playhouse came furnished with a table and chairs, a play refrigerator and stove. (What girl wouldn’t love to have a playhouse like that??) Well, one of the neighbors (who needs to be hit in the head with something just for being a cold-hearted jerk), complained to the neighborhood association, saying that her playhouse looks like a mini-barn. They neighbors took a vote and voted to let them keep it. So, as a thank you to the neighbors who voted for them, they contacted Channel 13 and was the recipient of the last WTHR/Outback Block Party. (I wonder if the nosy neighbor was invited… I wouldn’t invite them if it was up to me.) This is just one example of why I’ll never live in a neighborhood where your neighbors dictate to you what you can and can’t have in your yard or on your property. If you’re paying for your house, and what you put in your yard is a reasonable size, then it shouldn’t matter to you. (So, bug off!) So, I’m giving a big tip of the hat to the neighbors and to the family and girl who won the bedroom makeover and the playhouse, and a huge wag of the finger to the nosy neighbor and the idea of neighborhood associations for coming up with stupid rules like that.

Avon Indiana, St. Francis Hospital, Sweet Dreams, neighborhood associations