Monday, February 25, 2008

“Boy, are you nosey!”


is this morning’s sidewalk snippet.

I turn around to see why Keith is following me.

Okay, Keith wasn’t following me - somebody else was actually being accused of being “nosey”.

I like to think that I am naturally “curious”.

“Nosey” puts a bad image in my mind…

Growing up we had Mrs. McNamara – she was the neighborhood busybody – who knew everything about everybody - sometimes even before they knew it themselves.

She was a short, round woman with a large mole on her chin that sported a hair twisting out of the middle of it (honestly, like a witch) and in her yard were large trees that gave off an odd odor - we called them "Stink Trees" - so when I think of a nosey person - or a busybody – I don’t get a warm/fuzzy feeling.

But I do recognize that every neighborhood has one - maybe I am the one in my hood.

You had one growing up – who was it?

I gotta know....

being curious and all.

call

8 comments:

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

We called her Louise Lasser, and boy could she ever scream at her children. I don't know why we called her that, thinking back, the actress herself was known as a ditz from the Character she played, but, for some reason the name stuck. This woman was NUTS!! the NWL, I mean. (neighborhood watch Lady) Curly tight black hair, Annie style, and she would walk around the blocks, just looking for gossip. Not a looker whatsoever, mean and grumpy for sure!

Great memory walk for me on Monday morning!
Thank you!
Always,
Crusty~

Susan's Snippets said...

Crusty - a big welcome!

Yes, Mrs. McNamara was quite the character. What I forgot to write about were two of her most pronounced physical attributes - she had a couple of "hedy"lights - that hung way down past her waistline.

Although your Louise was a complete nut job – too funny!!

Thank you for sharing!!

caring

Hedy said...

Yep. Every neighborhood has one. I can't name names but she could always be relied on to have the poop on everyone before anyone else.

Anonymous said...

My current 'hood has the older lady named simply as "Jane". She knows when anyone has a violation of the association by-laws, yet I still have the view of my cracker next door neighbor's grey satellite dish immediately outside my living room window.

Anonymous said...

My sister had some pig that lived across the street from her, who she'd always catch peeking thru her window with binoculars. One night, we played a trick on her....we put the front shade down and turned on all the front room lights...I got a HUGE butcher knife and pretended that I was butchering my sister. My sister screamed and screamed. I'm guessing the shadow looked pretty good, cuz the cops showed up about 10 minutes later.

master b****r

Anonymous said...

Growing up on an island pretty well means each neighborhood was pretty tightly bound, and, I guess, each with its busybody.

Strange though, I cannot recall any one person whom we looked on in that manner.

My folks never singled out anyone for that kind of criticism, I didn't look for anyone such in my daily life, but...communication?

Oh, yes, we had that. My mother would know what happened at school before I got home. My father would ask me something that told me that somebody told him. But...my parents would weigh my "excuse" for honesty, and, if satisfied, that was the end of it.

I was never "warned" about some neighbor's shenanigans. But I grew to be very impressed with the neighborhood communication network.

Anonymous said...

yup... mai neighborhoood has one only... one big aunty... she is know all about mai and mai kiddos and who come and who go and what time i come and what time she come.

OK...seriously.. moved into a neighborhood and after about 5 months there... enjoying the neighborly friends we made.

I come home from work one night and the neighbor lady has digital photos (printed from CVS) of a white van that parks outside my house every tuesday morning. She was like... u know.. ur wife is having an affair. Here is the proof, the white van.

I played along as much as I could but then bursted out laughing.. it was the weekly maid service we had hired and the maid lady used to come every tuesday in the AM. In fact... the day she took the photos, I was working from home that day.

The look on her face.... priceless!!!

Aaaah.. thank you "Amreeka" for giving me such wonderful neighbors.

Susan's Snippets said...

FM - Welcome and thanks for your comment!

Yes, as they say the proof is in the pictures.....now she will be letting everyone know that you must be making "good money" because you can afford a cleaning person EVERY week.

Let's hope something good comes out of her need to know.

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