I firmly believe that most people are not inclined to gossip and will politely mind their own business if you do the same. Of course, there are the exceptions; a few folks will tend to think the worst and make sure everyone knows it.
I once had a neighbor, many years ago that was the gossip type. We had just arrived in this small town as the result of a job relocation and the neighborhood seemed nice enough. In fact, the neighborhood was above average for birding and
birdwatching, so I tended to carry a
birding binocular when out working in the garden.
I knew there was a little old lady, across the street from us and she seemed nice enough, though more than once I saw her staring at me though her kitchen window. Okay, so she was the curious type. I just shrugged it off. Indeed, everyone in our family was very careful to be polite and friendly as good neighbors should be.
About a month after we had moved to the neighborhood, one of my coworkers stopped by for and during the course of our chat, she told me there was a rumor about the small town that I was a female equivalent of a Peeping Tom! I started to laugh, but the look on my friend’s face was serious, so I asked why anyone would think such a thing. She just pointed to the
binoculars on my kitchen table and raised her eyebrows.
The next day, I made a visit to my neighbor, wearing a binocular around my neck and explained to her that I was a birder and asked if she would be interested in doing some birdwatching with me, especially since she had such a lovely garden that both the birds and I both adored. Okay, it was a bit corny, but it did work. A few weeks, later, I had a reputation, around town, of being a bird expert and was also invited to speak at our local garden club. It does pay to talk to your neighbors, especially if you have a tendency to wear a binocular around your neck and it is an absolutely must do if you have a
spotting scope setup in your backyard. (That is another story.)