DEAR MISS MANNERS: I live in an old, established neighborhood where new homes are being built on the available plots. The one behind my own home is angled so that its back porch and dining room/kitchen are basically within a foot of my property line. The owners also replaced much of the lawn with a patio and pool, which reflect sound rather than absorb it.

When they entertain, or just dine at their kitchen table, the acoustics are such that I can literally hear every single word of their conversations. This is not only distracting, but also makes me uncomfortable about being privy to their conversations.

When they moved in pre-pandemic, I went over and brought some welcome gifts, but I am now unsure of how to approach this problem. Shout “Too loud!” over the fence? Drop a note in their mailbox? Text them, if I can find their number?

And how do I avoid looking like some old neighbor who just seems too fussy and sensitive?

GENTLE READER: Paranoia will be of greater assistance to you than bluntness: Tell your neighbor that you feel they should know that — in spite of your strenuous efforts to keep windows closed and not to listen — the sound from their dining room can be clearly heard in your living room.

The more embarrassed you can look while confessing this, the more motivated Miss Manners believes they will be to do something about it.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.