{"id":1187,"date":"2026-05-20T15:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1187"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T15:05:02","slug":"miss-manners-i-housesat-for-my-neighbor-and-got-berated-for-the-favor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1187","title":{"rendered":"Miss Manners: I housesat for my neighbor and got berated for the favor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR MISS MANNERS:<\/strong> A neighbor of ours has repeatedly asked my wife and me to watch his house, feed his fish and water his plants (inside and outside) when he is away.<\/p>\n

Read more Editorial: Folks complained about Spirit \u2014 until it was gone<\/a><\/p>\n

And the requests keep getting bigger: collect his mail, watch out for a UPS package, water his tomatoes.<\/p>\n

In the latest episode, he stated that he would give us the keys at 7:30 on a particular evening, but showed up 2\u00bd\u00a0 hours late. I took the keys and he quickly showed me what needed to be done. He was in a rush as he was about to leave town.<\/p>\n

After three weeks of me doing his chores, he returned \u2014 and he was mad. He tersely told us in front of at least one other neighbor that his bedroom door was wide open when he returned home, and that he had left it almost closed.<\/p>\n

I told him that since we had his house\u2019s front door open during our visits, perhaps the change in air pressure forced the upstairs door open. We are not snoopers and did not go where we were not supposed to.<\/p>\n

He also told my wife that his antique table (which had a plant on it) had gotten wet and was ruined. He never told us that it was antique.<\/p>\n

Now the tension between us is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Should we just let it go? Or should we tell him that we are not his maid and butler, and that he, in his early 40s, needs to take more responsibility for himself?<\/p>\n

GENTLE READER<\/strong>: As the choice you are offering is letting it go or making the situation worse, Miss Manners will, of course, pick the former.<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: She\u2019s the \u2018party boss\u2019 in our friend group, and I\u2019m tiring of the hierarchy<\/a><\/p>\n

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But do not worry: You will get the last word the next time your neighbor wants to leave town and needs someone to watch the house. You can then \u2014 with infinite politeness \u2014 apologize and say you think it will be better for neighborly harmony if he finds someone who can do the work to his satisfaction.<\/p>\n

DEAR MISS MANNERS<\/strong>: I am unclear about the etiquette for placing buffet tongs down after using them.<\/p>\n

Like 10% to 15% of the population, I am left-handed. Most often, buffet tongs are turned with the handle facing right and I have to turn them around.<\/p>\n

What is the proper etiquette for this situation?<\/p>\n

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GENTLE READER<\/strong>: Don\u2019t splash anyone when you throw them in the bouillabaisse?<\/p>\n

Miss Manners has some very near and dear relatives who are left-handed, but if you are suggesting that they are being discriminated against, she cannot see how.<\/p>\n

If right-handed and left-handed people naturally place the tongs back in ways that are mutually (and very mildly) inconvenient, then the inconvenience is as fair as one can make it. The 10% to 15% of left-handers have a 10% to 15% chance of having been preceded in line by a left-hander, while the right-handers \u2026 well, you get the idea.<\/p>\n

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Seminole looks to new indoor events complex to lure visitors<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After three weeks of doing my neighbor’s chores, he returned home \u2014 and he was livid at us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nMiss Manners: I housesat for my neighbor and got berated for the favor - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1187\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Miss Manners: I housesat for my neighbor and got berated for the favor - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After three weeks of doing my neighbor's chores, he returned home \u2014 and he was livid at us.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1187\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T15:05:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Miss Manners: I housesat for my neighbor and got berated for the favor\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T15:05:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187\"},\"wordCount\":579,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/2e6afec538bd55ce205e53792b61305c.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=1187\",\"name\":\"Miss Manners: I housesat for my neighbor and got berated for the favor - 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