I've been in my new house since October and I've gotten used to a lot of things here and miss less and less about the house from which I moved. There is, however, one thing I desperately miss about my old house--the near-absolute quiet and privacy.
My former house was on a steep hill with trees on three sides. In the summer, I literally couldn't see any of my neighbor's houses from the back patio. And while I could hear dogs or kids playing in their yards, it wasn't constant. It was like this shady retreat and so peaceful. I adored this!
The new house? OMG, it's loud. Maybe it's because I'm on a level lot, but I can hear all the cars and golf carts drive by. I can hear people talking all the time as they walk past. I hear everything all the time even late enough at night that you'd think these kids would be in bed. And privacy? Forget about it. I have a fence around my yard, but one day while my dad and I were out working in the back, I see a head poke over the fence. "Howdy, neighbors!" Gah!
The only positive is that my bedroom is at the back of the house so I don't get the street noise back there, but I do hear my neighbors on that side. Their driveway is next to my bedroom and so is their patio. My dad does get all the street noise, but he doesn't hear well, so it's not an issue for him. The biggest problem is my office is at the front of the house. It makes it hard to write.
So I have a new goal now: Save enough money to get foam insulation added to the walls. Until then, I have to wear a headset and play music in order to get words.
