Rules are rules…or are they?

So, right off the bat when I arrived, one of my neighbors knocked on the door to inform me that first, the dogs are not allowed on the grass (WHAT??? dogs not allowed on grass??) and second, that if the gate to the driveway is closed when I arrive, I need to close it after entering.  Never mind that other tenants do not do so!

Unfortunately, Cassie does not like to pee or poop anywhere except on grass.  She’s adapted to some extent – she will pee on weeds growing out of the sidewalk, but it’s not easy for her, or me.  Plus, at night, when it is super dark and there are hippies parked on the street, I don’t want to hike all over getting them to do their business.  The other full-time tenants and I have reached an understanding that at night, I will use the “garden” — otherwise known as grass — for this purpose.

The other one that cracked my ass is that if you are laying on a towel by the pool on the grass, it needs to be moved every two hours.  Set your alarm! What is it with these people and the bloody grass?

The next day, I was walking the dogs and there was a house with grass and their gate was open.  It looked like no one was home, so I let my dogs walk in.  Soon, a woman came out screaming — “es privado, eh!” loudly and with feeling.  I didn’t dream walking dogs would be so difficult.

There are lots of other societal rules I am just beginning to appreciate…such as not sitting on the floor ANYWHERE, including in a train station or the airport…maybe a future blog post.