hi allisa,
i have mixed feelings about what you described, neighbors showing genuine concern all good, or past snoopy waiting to inquire and hop outside in the cooler part of the winter to field theyre preconceived thoughts about your situation, took some pre-drive up planning either way....

kudos for facing the fears of the encounter and just being you, let the chips fall where they may attitude....like you say spring will be interesting, some summertime bar-b-que may be different this year also.....my fears have always been the "deviant" association the public has about folks like us, easy to get in our cars and go home and lick our wounds if something unpleasant happens out in the wild, but when the local natives know where the nest is things can be complicated,
hope that a more positive outcome is in your future....