More subtle than a restraining order

I have a peeping issue.

I am one of those people who peer into other people's windows when I walk down the street. I can't help myself. I want to know how people have decorated, what they are doing, how things are going, who is inside. I find myself weaving stories about people I have never met and am enthralled by little changes or daily goings-on.

I have been spying on a couple down the street for almost a year. Technically, it's not spying. I just happen to walk my dogs down the street every day, twice a day. I am a creature of habit. The only variations are which streets I turn on to make my way home. I always start off on the same street.

Two women live at the end of the street - a block or so away. They live in a house I have loved. Two stories, beautifully designed, I have watched them as they renovated and painted and built. The only lady is quite the carpenter. I watched her build an exquisite front porch, two sheds, a three tiered back deck and a cedar fence. Her partner is a painter and I have seen many of her pieces in the different stages of completion. I feel like I know them. I wave when I walk by and marvel in the competency of each.

Recently, the carpenter finished another project. A 6 inch lattice on the top of her fence. A 6 inches which blocks any view I could have. It is a double lattice - crissed and crossed so no space shows. And I feel left out. I am going to miss watching the carpenter working on the saw bench; miss the newest pieces of art being created. I am sure the lattice was always in the plan, but it feels like a door being closed on my insight into their lives.

Onto the next house!