An observation...

 

I was behind a guy in line at a store today.  While the woman at the register was scanning his items, she asked, "Do you live around here."  Just making conversation, I'm sure.

The guy said, "I moved here from New Jersey 4 months ago.  Seems like most of the country thinks people from Jersey are mean and nasty - they are way meaner here in Phoenix."  The lady at the register agreed with him, and they discussed road rage and other recent incidents.

They aren't wrong.

To be fair, this is a big city.  And, I think it's a given that people in big cities are less friendly people than in small towns.  To be even more fair, that is a gross generalization - it depends on the person.  I've come across some very nice people here in Phoenix.  And, cold, prickly people, too.  There's just so many more people, and you tend to notice the nasty ones more.

I have a theory.  It's not just the big city thing.  When I first posted photos of our house here, a few friends asked me about the 6' wall around the property.  It isn't just this community - I would guess that over 95% of the homes built in the Phoenix area in the last 30 years have a block wall around them.  Maybe it's a desert thing, as I've seen this in other desert areas.

Here's what AI came up with when I asked about these walls: homes in Phoenix have block walls for several reasons, including

durability, privacy, security, and adherence to local codes. Block walls are resistant to Phoenix's extreme weather, can help keep out wildlife like coyotes, and are often required by homeowner associations (HOAs) for privacy and fire safety.

Seems to me that those block walls keep people from knowing their neighbors: they landscape their walled-in yards for outdoor living... swimming pools, hot tubs, outdoor kitchens, pergolas/ramadas (providing shade), patio furniture and umbrellas (for more shade).  They don't get to meet their neighbors like back in the good ol' Midwest.  

Summer is too darn hot to be outside, even in the shade.  This time of year, though, is pretty nice; it was mid-70s for a high today.  As it gets colder (and it will), some of us have propane patio heaters.  Ours is like new 'cause the only time it was used was to try it when we first got it.  I enjoy being outside, but not enough to try to heat the whole outdoors.  Sounds like something your parents said to you when you left the door open when you were a kid, huh?  ;-)