Trailer Park Livin'

"A bad neighbor is a misfortune,

as much as a good one is a great blessing."

 -Hesoid

Moving into a trailer park in Texas has not been without its challenges.  Although the majority of residents are great people thanks to strict management screening, a few slip through the system and then we have the dreaded trailer-trash.  (That may not be PC, but nothing else truly describes it).  Karlie and I both have had issues with this.

Busted!!! (not the white trailer, the building behind)

My former next-door neighbors, now across the street neighbors, approached us repeatedly to use our phones to either call the police because of domestic violence or get a ride across town.  He and she both had clear signs of drug abuse and their friends were loud and obnoxious at all hours of the night.  He asked me for rides repeatedly and I refused until he gave up. Although unpleasant neighbors, I never felt my safety was highly at risk and kept my distance when possible.  Recently two raids by the US Marshals has lead to them vacating the premises....problem solved...for now.  Rumor has it they were looking for him...I'm glad I never let him in my house or my car.

When we first moved Karlie in, the only space for her trailer was in the middle of the park.  Although the spot is parallel to us it still is four streets away and we wanted to have her as close as possible to help with her safety and possibly share internet. I asked to have her moved closer if  a space opened up, but the new managers were too engulfed in learning the basics of running the park to bother giving time to my request.

In front of her trailer was an empty mobile-home spot and large tree in bad need of grooming with numerous trunks branching out at the base.  The tree was a favorite hang out of the local neighbor underage kids who enjoyed hiding in the foliage as they snuck a few cigarettes here and there. After a few weeks, the management moved in a mobile home and cut the tree to the ground.  That solved the loitering problem, but created a privacy problem, not to mention took away the only shade she had on the property.  Busy with other things, we let the issue rest.

A few weeks back, Karlie came home from work to a blue piece of paper stuck to her door with electrical tape.  The note declared that one of the neighbors had seen her from afar and wanted to see if she would be interested in dating him, a 35 year old, good-looking, "shy" male.  He left a name and number.  Karlie has received fan mail before while waitressing , but at home it made her uneasy.   She quickly started to pay extra attention to locking up her home, to keep an extra eye on her surroundings and some pepper spray nearby.  A few days later, in the wee hours of the morning, she heard footsteps approach her home and then heard a tug on her door.  Unsuccessful at opening it, the footsteps retreated as she lay petrified in her bed eying her pepper-spray by her pillow.

I awoke to a text she sent saying that someone tried to enter my her house, I decided it was time for action.  I approached the management with the note and requested he check the residents of a trailer we suspected her admirer/stalker lived in.  With no record of the 3-4 guys who live there he couldn't verify anything, but after seeing the note he also felt it urgent to move her.  The only spot was previously reserved but he said he would see what he could do.  In the mean time he would send security by to keep an eye on her place.  John and I proceeded onto Lowe's to purchase a solar-powered-motion-detecting flood-light to mount to the top of her trailer covering her driveway and the entrance of her trailer.

A few days later the management called and said they had a spot for her, apparently they exchanged the reserved spot, and she need to move asap.  Although excited to get her moved, it did present a problem.  John's truck is in the shop, awaiting parts on order, and he was scheduled to work long days for the entire next week.  He knew we may not have another chance to get her closer to us, so he talked to a coworker to borrow a Peterbuilt he had never driven or hooked up, but had been told could haul the trailer.

Mostly grease... the corner is damaged. 

At 10pm he showed up with the loud Semi truck and backed in as we secured her personal effects and essentially 'broke camp'.  The tall truck barely slid under the hitch and latched on, ready to circle the block, John pulled forward and as the trailer crossed the sidewalk, it jumped the fifth-wheel hitch (we still have no idea why) and went crashing toward the ground, catching the front corner of the overhang on the edge of the truckbed.  Although painfully slow and sounding like they could quit at any moment, to our good fortune her trailer does have hydraulic jacks in the front.  Slowly, John lifted her house from the middle of the street and attached it again to the noisy truck.

After testing the attachment, we set off again, my stomach in knots.  Slowly we crept to her new spot and woke the neighbors as we backed her in, in the dead of night, dodging trucks parked along the side of the street.  Unable to get her level, and unwilling to continue with the ruckus so late, we settled her, a little sideways, in her new spot.  Leveling will be later this week.

She's now parked just around the corner from us, backing a field.  Her neighbors both have dogs which is a comfort to Karlie as they will announce any unwanted late-night visitors.  The on-sight tree is healthy and beautiful and the grass is actually there.

We're glad to have her finally moved closer thanks to the quick action of the management.  The truck came through unscathed and the trailer, a little worse for wear, is still upright, it's contents jumbled but not broken.  I think he new spot is going to serve her even better and I can sleep a little sounder knowing she's a little safer.