What are the neighbors up to?

My husband says I think too much about stuff.  I really analyze people, places, situations more than the average human being.  I like to know why people do certain things, and yes, sometimes I get really bold and question people about whether they are happy about those certain things (the career they chose, geographic area they moved to, etc.).  I think when I get older I'm going to be that crazy old lady who writes everything her neighbors do in a notebook that is hidden among the bushy leaves of a house plant ("2/20/2070 - The Smiths just bought a patio dining set and have been using it quite often.  They must all have jaundice.  Such a shame.")

Anyway, I just noticed--OK, I'm lying, I've noticed this for sometime now--that my neighbors behind me have similar backyards.

You can see that both neighbors have gazebos, and, this is the interesting thing, they have the same exact playground (you can see the green roof of Mr. Blue House's playground on the far left of the photo).  I know, most people would say, "Oh wow, I would have never noticed that.  You're weird."  I just sit here and wonder if they really copied each other on purpose, if their kids wanted the same exact playground, if gazebos were on sale, and on and on.

This brings me to applying this to real life.  Should we go through our lives not noticing even the little things?  Is it a waste of time to even bring attention to these things?  Is it simply none of our business to question the actions of others or why others act in certain ways?  Are observant people gifted or nuisances?  Is there a fine line between being observant and just simply being nosy?

Just some stuff to think about.  I know it's easy to laugh about focusing on neighbors' backyards, but what about taking time to really focus on the people we allow in our lives (or even scarier, our children's lives), what our government does with our money, the emotional stability of a co-worker, or what we put into our bodies?  At what point do we get out of the realm of not minding our beeswax and into genuinely caring about what's going on behind the masks, veils, red tape, top secret files, picket fences, etc.(and vice versa)?

Oh, and my husband said he never noticed their backyards before.  :)