Neighbors....you don't get to pick em

[Old Greenhorn]

Checking back, the saga continues. He did clean up all the branches and chunks the weekend before the 4th so they could have a party (wherein they shot off their fireworks horizontally through the woods and onto my shop roof, I also believe I heard someone got hurt because the show stopped for about 10 minutes and there were a lot of hushed voices telling kids to go sit down.) We did not get invited, thankfully. He still has that 1 25' by 5" diameter stem laying across his front lawn. It can't weigh 50#.
 As I type this, he is out there mowing the rocks (lawn) on a husky lawn tractor, wearing a tank top, basketball shorts, safety goggles, and a hard hat on backwards (I have no idea). It's quite the picture. He has the deck so low that he is throwing rocks everywhere and I have lost count of how many times he hit something solid and stopped the engine dead, at least 10 now. This explains how I got the rock through my shop window 2 months ago, I think.
 I gotta leave the house. Not watching is hard enough to do, but the only way I can't hear it is to leave. :D

[Nebraska]

Made my senior in high school son laugh out loud when I read this to him,  he can handle a mower...  He and his brother go in and mow greens and tee boxes as their summer jobs. Going in at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning keeps them out of trouble. So glad to have great neighbors, and they are all 1/2 mile away..

[lxskllr]

"tank top, basketball shorts, safety goggles, and a hard hat on backwards" This makes a hilarious picture  :^D

My left hand neighbor sets his mower to "scalp" also, but we don't have rocks for the most part. For some reason, he mows a good bit of my side yard. It bothers me a bit seeing the grass that low, but less for me to do, and I hate grass. You'd think that people who like grass would understand that longer grass is healthier, and holds up better to drought, therefore looks better :shrugs:

[rubberfish]

For some of us folks, the shorter grass makes for easier dog doo clean up.  ;D

[BluenoseLogger]

You've really got a mix of people like that everywhere - apartment dwellers, urban home owners, rural home owners. In relation to the latter two categories in particular, the first time someone requires a suburban home plot, or a rural acre or two with a house and shed, the suppressed urge to do projects can unleash itself. You also now have increased ability to store stuff. You start going to home supply and hardware stores and buying thousands of dollars worth of stuff, whether needed or not. In short order, even if you have a fifth of an acre and a house and shed and two trees and 250 square yards of lawn, you acquire a chainsaw, a lawn tractor, an ATV or two, a snow blower for your 30' long flat paved driveway, a rototiller for your postage stamp garden plot, a trailer, and every power tool known to man.

I'm not exaggerating here. Not so far from me in various directions are little patches of exurb, where you might have 50 or a hundred houses each on a quarter to half an acre, most all with sheds/garages, and depending on the weather the shed or garage doors are open often enough, and in the course of driving around you observe folks going about their activities. So you can see what people have got.

In keeping with all that there is also often an initial urge to do projects, just because you can. This is the phase where some unfortunate shade trees can get cut down, because once you buy that chainsaw, and since you buy your firewood cut and split, you need something to demonstrate your sawing process on. There is usually little consultation with the neighbours. The first few years, especially with folks who move for the first time onto a rural plot (not the boonies but simply out in the country), you may also see the chicken coop experiment, possibly a donkey and a horse, a giant garden, the urge to dig a pond, drainage projects, paving experiments, the need to build a new shed, and often enough all-hours small engine and automotive engine and bodywork repair activity.

Most of the time people settle down to a normal routine and way less projects after a first flush of enthusiasm. Once it sinks in how much essential work you have got in order to maintain your existing property and buildings you tend to be less keen on adding to it. Sounds like this young fellow isn't quite at that stage yet.

There is certainly no shortage of ATV owners in Nova Scotia. Some of them live pretty close to me. With few exceptions they tend not to possess any land where they can actually drive the things, which also means that they are purely recreational. Despite the protestations of the local ATV lobby that the bad apples are only a very small minority and everyone else is responsible, my frequent observations of ATVs driving on public roads (where they are not allowed to), on posted private roads, down streambeds, across farmers' fields, tearing up trails etc doesn't make me agree with them. So no, I am not fond of recreational ATVs. It doesn't help that some of the local kids like driving on fields not their own after dark, when most folks presumably would like a little bit of peace and quiet.

With respect to the young fellow and his chainsaw intentions, we were all inexperienced sawyers once. Hopefully most of us were somewhat cognizant of our lack of knowledge, and willing to accept advice. I remember that I was sufficiently in awe of the tool - and I maintain that respect to this day - that I drank up information as to how to do things properly. It takes a fair bit of confidence, however, to admit that you're not a power tool handyman and that you don't know how to shoot a firearm and that you don't have the first (EDITED BY ADMIN) clue how to fell a tree. I myself perpetrated some pretty awful first carpentry and bricklaying projects before I admitted that I should get some education. Were it not for the fact that this guy may be dropping trees off his property I'd leave him to his devices.

I am pretty lucky right now. The closest neighbours are a hundred yards away in any direction, and I get along with all of them. Mind you most of my perimeter is farm fields and the owners live a kilometre or more away, so that makes for good neighbours too.

[beav]

Bluenose:
You show a welcome amount of compassion and wisdom in your reply. I see you are Canadian.


beav-

Your post has been modified.  Comments regarding dealing with neighbors and the use of guns are inappropriate and have no place on the Forum, no matter how intended.  doctorb

[btulloh]

Bluenose:
You show a welcome amount of compassion and wisdom in your reply. I see you are Canadian.

EDIT:  My reply is no longer relevant.

[doctorb]

btulloh-

Thank you for your reply.  

The post which you quoted has been modified to reflect the values of the Forum.

[btulloh]

Excellent. I guess I should modify mine now. Thanks doctorb

[beav]

Doctorb: thank you for your quick action on my post. It was not in good spirit and was just stupid. I apologize to all that may have seen it.
The remaining part i still believe however

[Old Greenhorn]

Wow, I didn't mean to get everyone worked up. I apologize if I did. i started this post as a mild form of venting, but also some amusement. I treat all my neighbors the same, especially at first. If they are receptive to my help when offered and i can work with them, I do, when needed. If they seem to have it under control, don't need help, or can't accept helpful suggestions, I give them space to do as they wish and leave them alone. One neighbor in particular I have become quite close with and watch his house and take in his mail and packages. I have my mill on his property (in fact, he loaned me part of the cost of the mill in return for lumber), take my firewood from his land, manage his woodlot, and he thinks he is getting the best part of the deal.
 Case in point, I have 3 new neighbors this year. all of these couples I have visited and introduced myself. All of them had questions and sought advice about local connections (carpenters, tree guys, well guys, etc.). Two of them were grateful for the advice and connections I offered. I have gone a helped them with some tasks, loaned proper tools, and even taught new techniques. Both of these couples have been very thankful for my help, one offered to pay me, which I declined. I don't charge to help a neighbor. I may need his help some day if I get in trouble. But, the neighbor that inspired this thread is 'different'. He has asked my advice, and when offered he says he has a better idea or 'Knows a guy' that can figure it out for sure. He has asked to borrow tools and returned them broken claiming they never worked when he got them (anybody that knows me also knows that my tools are kept in working order), he has blown rocks through my shop window with his mower, he runs 2 off-road go carts around in circles on his .97 acres for hours on end. He doesn't know how to run or sharpen his chainsaw and when I suggest a better way, he tells me 'he's got this'. 
 I am not going to force myself on this guy, and I sure as heck am not going to do his work for him. I spent today having a very miserable day trying to change a starter in my truck. You guys have been there, can't find the right long socket, can't see, can't get the socket on the second bolt and get enough purchase to break it loose. Terminals snap off. Then you put the new one in and it doesn't work. I went nuts trying troubleshoot it, I finally had to let my son take a look at it for a second opinion (which is not easy for me to do). His new point of view and us talking it through finally got us to an answer, but the whole while I am hearing these screaming go carts fly around in circles within 30 feet of my shop. It was a bit maddening to deal with that and 3 grandsons running around.
 BTW Bluenose, this guy moved in with a semi-trailer AND a construction office trailer filled with 'stuff', then as he finished moving he had piles of other 'stuff' packed around them, all on my property line. He's got the 3 ATV's, Dirt bike, kayaks, Boat trailers, utility trailers, scaffolding, a pair of jet skis, the go-carts, and so much other stuff with no garage or shed to put them in. They sit in the weather. He just added a pop-up camper last week.
 Yes, I am a tad frustrated, and for me, that is saying something, because I am a staunch believer in letting people do what they want on their own property, but this is spilling over on a daily basis. Some days are like today and quite annoying, most are just comedic. If it gets any worse, I will try to say something polite, but I may explode. ;D :D
P.S. I get starting projects just because they can, but this guy has not finished a single simple project yet, and he has started a dozen. That should give anyone a clue.  He does the demo, then starts another idea off on something else.

[Pine Ridge]

Hang in there old greenhorn, the good thing is they usually don't stay in one spot too long.

[Old Greenhorn]

Hang in there old greenhorn, the good thing is they usually don't stay in one spot too long.

Yeah, about that. I note that they are not listed on the deed of record. Apparently a family member bought this house for them to live in or lease or something. It sold for way under what it was worth, now it is worth less than what it sold for.

[Jim_Rogers]

I don't know how the rules are in your town or state, but around here you need to put the posts and rails on the inside of the fence, not towards the neighbors.
He could be in violation but unless you complain to the "fence viewer/town officials" he could be ok.

Jim Rogers

[Southside]

I don't know how the rules are in your town or state, but around here you need to put the posts and rails on the inside of the fence, not towards the neighbors.

Wow - they regulate everything there don't they?

[sawguy21]

That is so the livestock doesn't pop the rails running into it. ;D

[K-Guy]

Hang in there old greenhorn, the good thing is they usually don't stay in one spot too long.

Yeah, about that. I note that they are not listed on the deed of record. Apparently a family member bought this house for them to live in or lease or something. It sold for way under what it was worth, now it is worth less than what it sold for.

His family probably bought it to get him away from them!! :D

[John Mc]

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on Yesterday at 04:29:06 PM I don't know how the rules are in your town or state, but around here you need to put the posts and rails on the inside of the fence, not towards the neighbors. Wow - they regulate everything there don't they?

That's been the rule every place I've lived in my life: If you are going to put up a fence, the "good side" faces out.

[charles mann]

i guess I'm kinda lucky. i have a couple of neighbors, 1 an elderly couple that are hard it nearly every day, which in turn allows my land to be watched while the wife and i are at work. the other is about as mechanically inclined as a fish out of water. luckily, he has a friend who is a welder and mech, and I'm gone for work 2wks at a time, i don't get them "can you come help me calls", but when I'm hm, i do offer to help and walk over and see if he needs a hand. i just happened to hm for 4 days and wanted a cig, so i go outside to smoke, and i see a black smoke plume coming from his utility shed. i jump in the tck race over, grab water hose at his garden wash station and take off. ya'll remember the cartoon where the dog chases after the chicken, reaches the end of his rope and get yanked back? well, that happened to me, but i also broke the pipe off for the hose. I'm used to dragging around 100+ feet of hose, and he only had 25'. ended up calling the fire dept, then him and asked where the water turn off is and explained what i did. after the fire dept shows up, he gets there, i apologies for the water pipe, and while they are messing the fire and insurance guy, i go to the house, get the stuff to fix it and get it done. he offered to pay me for my time and consumables. i was shocked, esp since it was my fault. 

i was hm another time, off for my 4 days and a tck drove up to his house, i had never seen the tck before, so i drover over, parked cross ways in the drive, put something behind my back and kept my hand on it till i found out what was going on. it happened to be the ex to my neighbor's wife. i asked the boy who the guy was, called to get confirmation, and went on my way. 
the dad told my neighbor, he felt his son was in a safe area, with a neighbor that pulls up and starts an inquisition as to who, what, when, where and why.

when I'm gone to work, they watch my property and when I'm hm, i watch theirs. 

now for the bad neighbor, which, he/family themselves aren't bad, just don't know that at 2am and the dog still barking, that they should do something to quieten the dog down. for months i let it go, and then confront the guy, and up till now, no issues, but then he tells me to get off his land and not to tell him what to do with his dog. iv got 6 dogs and 8 pigs, and I'm able to 99% of the time, quieten them down within a min or so them barking at the pigs, or yotes, or whatever. so i oblige the man, get off his property, park on public property and call the sheriff dept. they show up, dog still going crazy with the barking. the deputy instructs him to quieten the dog down. not sure how, but it stayed quiet the rest of the night. this goes back and forth for several months, call the cops, and finally, there is a for sale sign. not sure whats up, but folks move out to the country to get away from the noise, not have more of it, especially 1 of them rat dogs with the ear piercing yelps for a bark.