The almost creepy but not quite creepy neighbor.

I have thoughts on both sides of this discussion.

First of all, when I was buff in my younger days, I also had a problem with the stalker types.. paying too much attention, trying to come up with excuses to start a meaningless conversation, etc. The bad news is that my stalker types were much older women and a couple of gay men at the health club that I used to work for. I am not at all homophobic, or old-lady-that-smells-like-cigarettes-aphobic either, but you can tell when someone is trying to be more than a friend. Wont bore you with horror stories, etc. but it all worked out in the long run and now its just a funny story. That being said, it is my opinion that while men and women can both be sexually harassed, it is a MUCH bigger issue for women and it is something that I hate to hear about.. If any of the creeps are in Little Rock, I will be more than happy to go have a chat with them for you ladies.

secondly, regarding LorenaLynn's follow-up post. I think I see the core issue, and feel that I can help with a bit of insight from a man's perspective. you said the following, regarding your neighbor:
"he only thing he's doing "wrong" is not reading my too subtle (for him) "don't bother me" cues of sunglasses, books, and privacy hedge"
I read that and now I fully understand that the core issue is that he does not get your hints to leave you alone.. The fundamental flaw is that as men, we are biologically unable to understand a "hint" at all, and when you throw in "subtle".. well there is not a snowballs chance in hell that we are going to get it. It is not that we dont WANT to get hints, it would make our lives soooo much easier, but we are simply not able to process the hints. It is my theory that the portion of a woman's brain that is responsible for generation and interpretation of hints, is used in a mans brain to store intricate information about engine's, guns, and sports. Consider it to be a disability and please try to be more understanding the next time you ladies want to trow out one of those hint thingies.

P.S. the funny look on our faces when you make a hint is because your hint actually triggered the part of the brain that is used by the fairer sex for hints. We are puzzled (and delighted) about the thoughts that appeared in our head, triggered by your comments.. unfortunately for you, the thought was scrambled into "man thoughts" and instead of a hint to get new patio furniture, we started to think about the benefits of a hemispherical combustion chamber.. ahhhhh.. hemi..

HTML hint code.. I must say that I LOVE it!

just tell him " i dont mean to be rude but i need some me time so please forgive me for not being social today". Leave it at that. He will respect that.

Put some head phones on and when he talks to you, you won't be able to hear him. But, keep it out of the water. If that's possible! Well, good luck. (:

This is what I do everywhere lol.
I am a lot like you hermit rather be inside and not talk to neighbours or boyfriends friends from work when I am on my own.
If they see me out of work and say anything I am like sorry didn't hear you headphones. They are brilliant invention.

be rude. when he tries to talk to you just give him a quick expressionless glance and then go back to whatever you were doing. don't show any expression. if he keeps trying to talk to you, do something repetitive. something subtle but obvious that you are doing it. like tapping your fingers in a sequence. and continue to ignore him. doing something repetitive keeps your attention off of him and makes it easier to continue to ignore him. do this every for the next 2 to 3 times you're out there. But only do it in your backyard.

Oddly enough this will train your neighbor emotionally to avoid contact with you in the backyard. It builds an emotional wall. It demonstrates dominance. It's really the same thing he's doing with you. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but for friendly people this is how they control other people. He's not trying to do it maliciously, it's just a part of his personality. But its very easy to counter it and take back control.

*privacy

This is why I live in the Country

This. I used to live in the suburbs in a house with a tiny yard and this would happen to me all the time. Now my closest neighbor is 1/4 mile away and I could run naked around my entire house and no one would be the wiser.

The Hibiscus needs around 1" of water per week. It needs to be in soil that drains well. Mulch out to the drip line and fertilize with stakes. Prune it in late winter to encourage it to bush out. Compost is magic.

If it is not keeping up with its siblings I would suspect it is in a low area that doesnt drain as well, if so, put an inch of sand around it each season to bring it up.