A lady came over today to tell me my house was on fire.

[proud2BlibKansan]

She was ready to go into my backyard to check it out. I just happened to be going out the door when I caught her walking across my yard. She yelled over at me and kept moving toward the backyard.

We were barbecuing. No more smoke than we usually get when barbecuing.

I thanked her and she left. She didn't seem the least bit embarrassed.

And the more I think about it, I get pissed. This lady was across the street, saw smoke and came running. I know I should be grateful but it just seems rude for her to barge on into my yard when it was just the barbecue grill.

So am I just being sensitive or was this lady intruding?

[annabanana]

1. Unless you genuinely question her motives,

and suspect she had other intentions.. I'd say you were being a bit techy.

If she drums up some lame excuse to come back into your backyard... you'll have something there

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. If she comes back,

DH says we'll have to shoot her

JK

[A HERETIC I AM]

13. If you shoot her, you'll have to skin her and cook her and THAT will make some smoke.

Unless you make sausage out of her.

I suggest sausage.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Sausage it is then.

Thanks.

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. Happy to help. n/t

[erinlough]

2. I would appreciate it, but

it doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, so no harm no foul.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Maybe she's new in the neighborhood? Maybe the smoke looked like more than usual? Dunno!

I suspect you're embarrassed...and I sure understand that.

Time will tell if she's just a busybody, or if she truly has your best interests at heart...

Maybe she just didn't know it was your grill.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. No I wasn't embarrassed. I thought it was strange.

And I was NICE to her. I just thought how weird to just walk into someone's yard when it was just the barbecue grill.

[Nikia]

4. A few blocks down from me, someone died in a house fire

In the middle of the afternoon. I was at home and did not know anything was amiss until I heard fire engines. I wonder if someone had noticed it sooner and called it in, the man would have lived.
In the area where I was raised recently, a couple noticed that their next door neighbor's house was on fire. The mother, with her two youngest children, including an infant were trapped on the second story. The male half of the couple got his ladder from his garage and rescued the family. As a result they lived, but probably would not if they had to wait for the fire truck to arrive.
Considering these recent events, I guess I would be glad if my neighbor noticed my house was on fire. I know that your house wasn't actually on fire, but isn't it nice that your neighbors are looking out for you?

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I know I should appreciate it.

She isn't my neighbor though. She just happened to be across the street and saw smoke.

But it was JUST THE BARBECUE GRILL. Has she not been around barbecue grills? LOL

[Chan790]

23. Well, it is out-of-season.

My first thought would not have been BBQ, but lawn fire. It gets cold, grass goes dormant and dry, a misplaced cigarette butt sets the grass and shrubs or brush on fire.

Not the strangest thing that ever happened. (This I can vouch for, I have a family full of volunteer fire-fighters.) By comparison, who the hell BBQs in January?

[ceile]

24. We do. It's currently 73 outside.

In TX we pretty much bbq all year round. Infact, for the past two Xmas we've grilled. One year goat, this year steaks.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. Anytime we have steak, it goes on the grill

Yesterday we were cooking a roast. An hour on the grill and then in the crock pot. Yummmmm.

[Chan790]

28. Lucky...

I grew up in New England, it's cold as hell this time of year. Too cold to grill.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. It gets cold here too in the winter

You put on a coat, button up and start up the coals. We cook steaks outside every Christmas Day.

It has been unseasonably warm here this winter. But we cook out no matter how cold it is.

[applegrove]

7. I saw a man bar b Qing in the building next door to mine. At first I could only see the flames. My

heart went to my throat. I think I yelled 'what are you doing'. Then I saw the hibatchi. Don't hold it against your neighbour. They were only trying to help.

[riderinthestorm]

9. Is she a nosey neighbor in general? Mine is.

If my one neighbor did that, it would be because she's a nosey one who loves getting in my business. I hardly know any of my other neighbors so if one of them came over, I'd believe them that they were worried about a fire.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. I don't know her at all.

She doesn't live around here.

[Justice wanted]

10. I wouldn't be so hard. About 9 years ago the house next to ours

was set fire too. (clear case of arson) anyways Hubby and I up late started smelling something like BBQ -it wasn't unusual for them to BBQ at 2 OR 3 IN THE morning. suddenly we heard glass breaking and I thought it was them breaking beer bottles. Anyways losing track here basically I'll never forget how the smellfrom that house was BBQ

[Curmudgeoness]

11. I would be grateful to have a neighbor who cared enough

to check it out instead of ignoring it. I don't think it was intrusive, I think it was neighborly.

Be glad that she didn't just call the fire department and forget about it. At least she checked on your house. The fire department would have been embarrassing.

[emilyg]

18. .....

[Dead_Parrot]

12. I few years ago, I thought my neighbour's house was on fire...

...so I went straight round to the back to see. Turns out it was on fire.

Unless she makes a habit of it, I'd go with being sensitive.

[RedCloud]

16. Sounds like you need to write a song about it...

"My barbecue brings all the gals to my back yard" or something like that!

[LeftyMom]

19. Years ago I was at some friends and saw smoke from their neighbor's house.

It was summertime and it wasn't much smoke, so I suppose we could have assumed it was a barbecue. But we went over to check and it turned out that the neighbors weren't there and their house was indeed on fire. Anyhow, we got it out with a couple garden hoses before the fire department arrived, the damage was minimal, and those people came home to a house that was standing and stuff that wasn't damaged, because we were less concerned about looking a bit silly if they were just grilling than about the possibility that their house might be on fire.

I think you're overreacting and you should be glad you have a neighbor who looks out for you. They're rare these days, and the first time you do have a fire or a break-in you'll be glad somebody notices.

[SwissTony]

20. Do people from Kansas often have BBQs in January? nt

[HopeHoops]

22. I'm in PA and they're common - as were they in NH - and we frequently do winter fires.

A pit fire in the snow is just spectacular. It also helps make the brick structure more obvious for the kids sledding on the hill and through our yard (but I still put up sawhorses both as a warning and a safety measure).

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. It was 60 degrees

And yes, at our house we barbecue all year long.

[HopeHoops]

21. Better safe than sorry.

[MissB]

25. Just yesterday

someone died from a fire in their kitchen. Didn't burn down the house. Just killed her in her kitchen.
So sometimes fires aren't all out flames and smokes. Sometimes they're more subtle, but just as deadly.

So I'd go with you're being sensitive.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. She was just what the Japanese call an "awaté-mono"--a person who

tends to get all excited and panicky for no reason.

[MineralMan]

32. Seems like an over-reaction on your part to me.

If someone thought there was a fire at my house, I would thank them very much for alerting me, no matter what the source of the smoke was.

In my neighborhood, we all watch out for problems. Neighbors watching have stopped a burglary and a car theft already this year. I like neighbors who keep an eye on things. I'd probably take that nice lady a plate of brownies or something to thank her.

[demtenjeep]

33. The Hubs likes to light his fire pit on the weekends. Once the neighbor looked through our

fence and came over to tell the hubs our back yard had a fire ...hehe. Hubs showed him the fire pit (all perfectly legal) and the neighbor got all angry about how you couldn't have an open fire in the city.

Hubs fire pit is actually one of those cool chiminea type things with a huge caged-in base. Neighbor was not happy but we noticed that in the last few months, he has gotten one and enjoys his back yard as well.


For living in the city, we have a pretty huge back yard. It is kind of pie shaped and has 8 feet privacy fencing all around. We enjoy being outdoors in the evenings and sitting in our hot tub listening to music with the fire going. In those elements, one doesn't get the feeling that we are in the city at all.