Re the electrician just before he left: he looked out the window, not used to seeing that house on the next block from this side, and wondered out loud if he had the right one and if I knew: Did you get new neighbors recently?
Yes, in that house, confirming the one he thought it was.
We worked there! They had us take out all the old lights and rewire it for brighter.
I burst out laughing and exclaimed, So YOU’RE the one!!! And laughed and laughed and laughed. And then explained that, Oh yes. They ARE bright.
And they leave them on all night and they shine into our bedroom. (We’re talking like five streetlights, hon, but I didn’t say that. But he knew.)
His face started doing an oops but I was still laughing so he was laughing too and it’s no biggie because we’ve got those transom windows covered now, not to my satisfaction but good enough.
And now as of the past month or so they’ve finally started closing their curtains every night anyway. It was random the first year–they did tend to turn the intensity of their lights down once they saw ours go out–but still mostly frankly terrible, while we debated solutions the two of us could live with.
So rather suddenly, after a year, it’s not a problem. I’ve no idea why the change but I’ve been wanting to thank them–while thinking I’d probably be a better neighbor if I just keep my mouth shut unless they bring it up. (I still don’t like our transom coverings. I’d still love to take them down. We’ll see.)
And now I have an excuse to try again to connect in person: we have a great electrician in common. And this year’s crop of squirrels has not yet discovered that my pomegranates are edible once you get past the thorns. Just a little more ripening to go…