DEAR ABBY: My husband likes to spend time in our garage working on projects, cleaning his boat, etc.
Our problem is that almost every time he's out there, a married female neighbor comes over to "hang out" with him. It used to be she'd come over only when I was at work, but lately she comes knocking on our door even when I'm home, wanting him to go outside to converse with her.
When I answer the door, she asks for him and won't tell me what she wants. Sometimes her whole family comes over, which includes her two "monster" children and her husband. They stay till all hours and have even gotten drunk in our driveway.
My husband is not interested in this woman, Abby. In fact, he's becoming more and more annoyed with her. If he's working in the garage and sees her starting across the street, he'll close the garage door and hurry into the house.
He doesn't seem to be able to discourage this woman from coming over every time he is outside. Jealousy is not the problem, although I am becoming increasingly angry about it. She does the same thing to another married man across the street. He, too, is getting fed up with her.
I would like to solve this problem by addressing our neighbor face-to-face. Have you any advice on what I could say to her without causing a rift? Since we live across the street from each other, I do not want any animosity. -- HAD ENOUGH OF THE NEIGHBOR LADY
DEAR HAD ENOUGH: Your neighbor never learned the importance of proper boundaries, and I have a hunch she won't listen if you attempt to tell her. Your husband can't hide from her -- that's no solution. He must be the one to tell her that he wants to devote his full attention to his projects, and therefore she must give him his privacy.