Neighbors-a blessing or a curse

Last night, Patrick, Jason (our next-door neighbor), and I were sitting on the porch reminiscing about past homes and neighbors. It amazes me how much a neighbor can impact your daily life. Patrick and my first home was a great one, however, we had the unfortunate experience of having one the worst neighbors ever. Now, I tried to do the right thing and welcome them, care for them in a neighborly way, but here is a sampling of why they sucked...
1. 20 bags of trash on the back porch, "don't worry about my trash, it is my business!" (these 20 trash bags had been festering in the 80 degree heat for several weeks)
2. 4 year olds with butcher knifes and lighter fluid (the kid situation made me cry, those kids were so neglected and it took everything in my power not to gather them and provide them with a safe life)
3. Bee-Bee guns shot at our house
4. Men in and out of the house at all hours, actually every sort of person in and out of the house at all hours.
5. Dirty mattresses on the front lawn that the kids "played," on
6. The owner yelling "I hate white people," after we had to call the cops over some ridiculous fiasco (mind you, she is white)
6. If you know Patrick, this killed him, their lawn was oh, about 4 ft. long
7. If you know Patrick, this killed him, their cars would routinely run over our landscaping
This list could continue up into the 100's, but there was a sampling of the craziness that we lived next to.
I know that my blood pressure was considerably higher than it is now...fast forward two years and Patrick and I are enjoying a quiet few moments with our neighbor. We have done progressive dinners with our new neighbors, we are planning a canoe trip this summer, our kids will grow up together. We just welcomed a new family in this weekend. We all seem to be on the same page, which helps, but man am I thankful for all of the families on Orchard Ave!