So I'm awake. I'm usually not at this time of night. All because the neighbor's grandpa died and today was the funeral. Well, not really, but that's the excuse they're using next door shoot off a gun or two. While drunk.
I got woke up about an hour ago by gunshots. Not just a couple like there's a coyote or fox around. No, this was 10-20 of them. Knowing my dogs are gun shy and will destroy things when wound up by gun fire, I go check on them. They're doing okay, so I head back up to bed. There hadn't been any more shots, so I thought they were done for the night. Nope, just get back into bed, and hear more of them. Great. Now my husband is getting up. He goes downstairs, throws on some clothes, and heads out to the dogs to give them some reassurance, then heads next door to find out what the heck is going on. The neighbors were fine, it was one of the cousins that was doing the shooting, with a beer in hand, and got into my husbands face.
Husband: Why the heck are you shooting this late at night?
Cousin: Because we're in the middle of nowhere, that's why!
Husband: That doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want to do.
Neighbor: Well, your dogs howl three times a night every night.
Cousin: Our grandpa died.
Husband: So you're sending him off by shooting?
Some more words were exchanged. The thing about the dogs howling (We have sibes) really got to both of us. We asked them when they moved in if they could hear them and if they were bothered by it. And we have said many times to just let us know when something is bothering them, because we would try to reach a compromise. So seriously? Our dogs are bothering you. That's fine. It's not fine to bring it up when you're drunk and have a gun. And shooting a gun is NOT the same as our dogs howling. The dogs howl for finite amount of time. We had no idea when the shooting would stop, which direction they were pointing, and if our dogs and/or our family were in danger. The girls' room is on that side of the house! We have a three year old and a three month old. My husband came back shaking he was so angry. He didn't speak for the first 15 minutes. I was scared, he rarely gets that angry. But he walked away. He got jeered as he did it, but he made it a point to say, "I won't fight you. You're drunk." I'm proud that he did that. But they were trying to excuse the behavior.
"Oh, we're drunk. "
"Grandpa died, and his funeral was today."
We don't care that they have people over. That doesn't bother us. It's the aimless shooting. Alcohol and firearms do not mix. Unless there's an extenuating circumstance in which you were drinking and you need to defend yourself, family, or property. Not the case here. Ugh.
I envy the husband's ability to just go straight back to bed. I can't now. And I have to get up with the kids at about seven. Hmm...Our lawn needs to be mowed...Maybe I'll do that as soon as I get up. It doesn't have to be really dry, right?
All I had in mind when I went to bed is how I have to pick beans tomorrow so I can freeze them. It will be the first from our garden this year. Stupid neighbor's cousins! I told my husband before he went out that they were lucky I didn't call the sheriff and report shots fired. I didn't because we like the neighbors generally, and they would definitely know it was us calling. We're the only close neighbors. Next nearest are 3/4 mile down the road, and the mother of our neighbors (but a good person, and she would probably call him out on his stupidity). But this is going to take some patching up, I think. My hope is that they feel sheepish when they sober up. My husband did say there were some apologies on both sides, but not from drunken idiot gunman. Ugh. I think I'm going to read some, and see if that can calm me down enough to sleep again.
eta: It's now 1:00 a.m. They seem to have gone to bed. I didn't hear any vehicles leave, so that's good. That'd be about the next thing. Drunk drivers. I would call the sheriff then.
I got woke up about an hour ago by gunshots. Not just a couple like there's a coyote or fox around. No, this was 10-20 of them. Knowing my dogs are gun shy and will destroy things when wound up by gun fire, I go check on them. They're doing okay, so I head back up to bed. There hadn't been any more shots, so I thought they were done for the night. Nope, just get back into bed, and hear more of them. Great. Now my husband is getting up. He goes downstairs, throws on some clothes, and heads out to the dogs to give them some reassurance, then heads next door to find out what the heck is going on. The neighbors were fine, it was one of the cousins that was doing the shooting, with a beer in hand, and got into my husbands face.
Husband: Why the heck are you shooting this late at night?
Cousin: Because we're in the middle of nowhere, that's why!
Husband: That doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want to do.
Neighbor: Well, your dogs howl three times a night every night.
Cousin: Our grandpa died.
Husband: So you're sending him off by shooting?
Some more words were exchanged. The thing about the dogs howling (We have sibes) really got to both of us. We asked them when they moved in if they could hear them and if they were bothered by it. And we have said many times to just let us know when something is bothering them, because we would try to reach a compromise. So seriously? Our dogs are bothering you. That's fine. It's not fine to bring it up when you're drunk and have a gun. And shooting a gun is NOT the same as our dogs howling. The dogs howl for finite amount of time. We had no idea when the shooting would stop, which direction they were pointing, and if our dogs and/or our family were in danger. The girls' room is on that side of the house! We have a three year old and a three month old. My husband came back shaking he was so angry. He didn't speak for the first 15 minutes. I was scared, he rarely gets that angry. But he walked away. He got jeered as he did it, but he made it a point to say, "I won't fight you. You're drunk." I'm proud that he did that. But they were trying to excuse the behavior.
"Oh, we're drunk. "
"Grandpa died, and his funeral was today."
We don't care that they have people over. That doesn't bother us. It's the aimless shooting. Alcohol and firearms do not mix. Unless there's an extenuating circumstance in which you were drinking and you need to defend yourself, family, or property. Not the case here. Ugh.
I envy the husband's ability to just go straight back to bed. I can't now. And I have to get up with the kids at about seven. Hmm...Our lawn needs to be mowed...Maybe I'll do that as soon as I get up. It doesn't have to be really dry, right?
All I had in mind when I went to bed is how I have to pick beans tomorrow so I can freeze them. It will be the first from our garden this year. Stupid neighbor's cousins! I told my husband before he went out that they were lucky I didn't call the sheriff and report shots fired. I didn't because we like the neighbors generally, and they would definitely know it was us calling. We're the only close neighbors. Next nearest are 3/4 mile down the road, and the mother of our neighbors (but a good person, and she would probably call him out on his stupidity). But this is going to take some patching up, I think. My hope is that they feel sheepish when they sober up. My husband did say there were some apologies on both sides, but not from drunken idiot gunman. Ugh. I think I'm going to read some, and see if that can calm me down enough to sleep again.
eta: It's now 1:00 a.m. They seem to have gone to bed. I didn't hear any vehicles leave, so that's good. That'd be about the next thing. Drunk drivers. I would call the sheriff then.
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