Making it thrugh another year, '24-'25

[Old Greenhorn]

Chep, that is a great idea and I wish I could take advantage of it. However the closest one that I have seen it about 15 miles away and I would be way off their path. Not even sure if they would have me because I am not a fabric, paint, watercolor, sculptor, or traditional 'artist'. None the less, I will look into this further, thank you. These show are usually spring summer around here.
 Howard, grits are not a good idea. I'm not serving breakfast.  I will have some individual snacks for folks and maybe some donuts, coffee, and hot cider. We can leave it at that. I also don't want food smeared on my stuff. But thanks for the idea.

[Old Greenhorn]

Man, it is always something. I have been just trying to get things squared away for this weekend's show and then the open house with all the associated cleaning up in and outside the shop.

 I set up my booth yesterday for this weekends show and pulled back in my driveway after dark. My neighbor (who is fondly known hereabouts as "the idiot") immediately comes over and asks if I have a minute. (Shoot!) He hasn't said 'hello', 'Good Morning', or anything to me for 3 months, he ignores me, which is fine. But he never really engages me in conversation unless he wants something or needs help.

 He begins (politely) complaining about the smoke from my shop chimney. Says his kids can't play in the yard, his wife is now, again pregnant, and they are 'captives' in their home. Part of me wants to throw up on his holey sneakers, but I restrain myself and sound sympathetic but explain that this is my only heat source for the shop and this is what I need to do to make a living and pay my taxes. Does he want me to shut my shop down in the heating months? No, he realizes I kind of need it but wonders if there is something I can do to reduce the amount of smoke? Well, I can't control the wind direction, but I tell him I will look into it and  do what I can and leave it at that.

 Now there are a dozen reason's I (and others) think this guy is a waste of good air. He doesn't give two thoughts to any of his neighbors with his habits, the junk yard he has and is building up each week, his running dirt bikes with no mufflers (on 1 acre), off road vehicles up and down the road screaming away, all the unregistered vehicles in his FRONT yard, the storage trailers, letting his kids (and himself) take their ATV's onto others private property without even trying to get permission, and the list goes on a long long way. BUT when one of his neighbors causes him a little grief he usually just files a complaint with law enforcement (calls the cops), or in my case he complains to me. For instance if a neighbor's dog wanders onto his little plot, he calls 911 (twice).

 We parted amicably, but it really bothered me. The guy has balls. Saying his family is held 'hostage' in the house was a bit over the top. That's just BS. So (fool that I am) today I kept an eye on my chimney and yeah, I can get a cleaner burn if I am careful, watch the pipe and stay on it all the time, but there is a limit to what I can do and how much time I am going to put into making him happy. I know his little girls were out playing in the driveway until after dark tonight so I guess the are not hostages today. But it was a cool day with light wind, mostly of of the ENE so it wasn't blowing in their direction anyway. As time goes by though, this guy gets on my nerves more and more and one day.....

 It dawned on me in the middle of the night, we have lived here about 38 years now and for roughly 25 of those years I could do nothing with my shop because I had to work constantly to provide for the kids and do their stuff and pay the bills, then take care of our parents. So it wasn't until recent years that I could clean it up inside and make use of it, now this guy wants to piddle on my life and mess with the last years I have left? That right there has got me torqued. Legally I don't really need to worry about this, he can go pound sand, BUT he could make noise and then the town comes in and wants to inspect things to find some technicality to hang me on and shut him up. Fine, we can play that game because he has a MUCH longer list of things to deal with that are clearly town violations, but the building inspector doesn't come around unless there is a compliant, also I think the building inspector is a whimp these days, he didn't follow up on his last visit to that house. I just don't want the drama all this nonsense brings. I don't need it because it sucks the life out of my days. But if he wants it, I will bring it and I won't go half way.

 Sorry, I just needed to vent and the wife doesn't understand my I am so tweaked over this.
Rant over (for now).
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[Dan_Shade]

How old is your stove? I've enjoyed high efficiency models, they don't smoke too much. 


If you're vengeful and have a dog, save up his "leavings" and burn those on a Saturday morning .  You're neighbor will wish you had pigs....

[Old Greenhorn]

My stove is 2 years old and works like a top.
 I am not vengeful at all. But we've scraped through our lifetimes to get what little we have and now my wife and I just want to live out our lives with what we have and be left alone. This guy moves in a few years ago and nothing but a mess and drama. Nothing but grief and we don't need that crap.

[Dan_Shade]

Yeah, bad neighbors add stress to our lives. 

If your stove is a high efficiency model, he's complaining to complain. He probably gets his jollies out of inconveniencing others.

[Peter Drouin]

I would find all the laws he has broking in his yard and make a list. Now when he comes over agane to complane. 
I would tell I'm to stay on his side of the fence. 
Now he's pistoff. Tell him don't come back with out the law. When he comes back with the law, give the law your list and ask what are you going to about this.

Now the law is looking at him.

[aigheadish]

Uhg. It seems like you are both captives in your own homes, him with "smoke" and you with all his junk. This is a bummer and pretty ballsy as he had to step over piles of garbage to get to you. I'd do like Peter says, make a list, then trade him your smoke issues for his junkyard issues. I understand that isn't likely to happen. Does he realize that people have been burning wood and dealing with smoke for eons and they've still been able to have babies and run around in the yard? 

I need to ship you some of my bamboo... One small patch will grow into a forest you can't see through and other than the noise he's no longer a problem, especially when the bamboo grows through all the nonsense he has laying around. 

[Nebraska]

I think the bamboo idea is pretty good. 
Stories like this make me glad my closest neighbors are half a mile away.  

[NE Woodburner]

I think the bamboo idea is pretty good.

Not sure about Ohio, but in New England when someone says bamboo I'd be willing to bet the "bamboo" is Japanese Knotweed which is a horrible invasive plant that is hard to get rid of.

[aigheadish]

I don't know if mine is Knotweed or bamboo but it certainly can be very invasive if you let it go. I was thinking, for Tom, that may be a feature, not a bug. Mine is a patch about 20'x 10' and you can't see through it for more than about 3 feet and it will absolutely take over if allowed to do so. It stays greenish to goldish and keeps it's leaves more or less. About 15-20 feet tall and the biggest stalks are an inch across maybe? 

We use it for plant stakes a lot, it makes neat noise in a bon fire, and I've given it to Jehovah's Witnesses for fishing poles. 

[NE Woodburner]

Yours may be bamboo. I did a quick google search:

[color=var(--m3c11)]The only native bamboo in North America is rivercane (Arundinaria gigantea), which is also native to Ohio:[/font][/size][/color]

• [color=var(--m3c11)]Rivercane
  [color=var(--m3c10)]Also known as giant cane or giant river cane, this bamboo is a woody grass that was once abundant in the floodplains of the southeastern United States, including Ohio. It can grow to over 30 feet tall, but is now rarely seen much taller than 20 feet. Rivercane is important for wildlife habitat and has cultural significance for many Indigenous peoples.[/size][/color][/font][/size][/color]

[SwampDonkey]

Never heard tell of rivercane bamboo, learned something new. It must be a rare sight. 

[Old Greenhorn]

I'll have to look around for this river cane and see what soil it prefe5rs, that might be a passive/aggressive solution that I can enjoy, plus it sounds like it grows fast and will provide usable material for other stuff. I have seriously considered building a fence, but first I'd have to shoot the line and  find, then make sure I follow the zoning code for set back from the line and the road. I suspect I may lose a few inches here and there, and he will also loose some inches here and there. There was a partial fence there when we moved in, but the neighbor at the time thought it was mine, and I thought it was his. Neither of us really knew where the actual line is. With that neighbor, it didn't matter, we got along more than fine and are still friends

 This guy is another story. He is not complaining to complain or break my chops, he is complaining because his wife told him to. He is not much of a man and his wife kicked him out a time or two, only to return after a time. Most days he doesn't go out to work 'somewhere' until well after 10am and often returns by 3pm. I have no idea what he is doing, if anything, but his wife seems to carry the load. His in-laws had to buy the house for them, then transfer it over. He really does nothing to improve his family's life and does everything the hard way. I don't mean this as a dig, but really, he is not very bright and not at all aware of things around him.

 Anyway, I have been more careful with the stove and getting it burning hot before I close the bypass, and the weather has been better for burning. I am not going to stress on it, but I may very well make that list Peter suggested and have it in the shop if that day ever comes.

 But yeah, I like that bamboo anyway because from my side I am staring at the junkpile he hides from his house view on my side of his construction trailer. I was thinking maybe EWP which grows great and fast here and can be pruned thick like a hedge especially when you clip the main leader. But again, I have to find that line first.

 Austin, anyway you can confirm that what you have is rivercane?

[GRANITEstateMP]

Tom,

I wrote out a long winded reply this am, guess I forgot to hit post, oops!

The jist of my am, "clear thinking" post: Your neighbor is why I tend to not like many people.

Is there any chance the Bill has a piece of equipment with a 2 stroke detroit in it?  I so, maybe pull that up next to the shop, and unbolt the muffler, or heck leave it on they don't work good anyways. Run a couple fake hoses from the machine into and out of the shop.  Call your neighbor and let him know you found an "alternative heat source" for your shop.  Then install your earplugs and earmuffs, and maybe give some to the neighbors you like too.  Then fire that thing up and let that screamin' jimmy breath!

I know that probably won't fix the problem, but it'd make me feel better, and I am a bit vengeful

[Resonator]

If you take a picture of the leaves, you could do an image search online.
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Good fences make good neighbors. (Old saying).

[Old Greenhorn]

I like that idea, in fact for about 6 months we had Bill's big Timberjack skidder/bucket truck parked at the end of the shop driveway. I think it may have annoyed the guy a bit. We told him I won it in a raffle, because he came over right away to find out what was going on.   We just let it set there. I should have played in the yard with it a bit.

But in all honesty, I really wouldn't feel good about that kind of stuff. As I said, he's not that bright and there is no satisfaction in doing mental battle with unarmed people.

[Peter Drouin]

 As I said, he's not that bright and there is no satisfaction in doing mental battle with unarmed people.

You could punch him in the head and tell him to stay on his side of the fence. He should understand that. 

[aigheadish]

I can't confirm it's Rivercane but it does look like it. I'll try to remember to get a better picture of it, close up, than the below.

I control mine, just with the lowest setting I can on the lawnmower, if I don't cut it back it will grow pretty quickly and I've seen it take over a yard in the town I work in. 

When we first moved into the house in 2016 it was a much smaller patch, maybe 8' high but has grown pretty well since. I was mostly joking when I suggested the bamboo because it will take over... If you really want some I could probably dig up a tuber, or whatever weird stuff they grow from and send it to you. I'm not sure how quickly it would turn into a hedgerow for you. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well Peter, that is definitely not my style and that guy would call the cops for sure. He calls the cops even when he is not himself in the clear. Like I said, he can't think things through very well. Now if he goes on and makes trouble for me that cost me money or I have to alter my life for, those rules change of course.
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Austin, I did some searching for local nurseries that might supply it but found none. I did find some on the internet but they want like $70 for a 6" clump. That will get pricey quick trying to plant a 60 foot long row. But I will keep this in mind and keep looing into it. In the spring I may make some phone calls. Nurseries have suppliers and maybe it can be ordered in some bulk.

[NE Woodburner]

OGH - arborvitae in offset staggered rows makes a pretty dense barrier fairly quickly. Small ones may be affordable. Just a thought... 

[SwampDonkey]

White cedar makes a good thick hedge. My cousin planted some along the edge of one of his Christmas tree fields, probably 400 yards long. Grew pretty quick and you would have to work a little to even walk through it to the other side. Completely obscures an 80 acre field. Probably 20 feet tall now. Planted 14 years ago probably. Nursery stock is pricey for cedar. But it just grows wild around here and not hard to dig because the roots are shallow and kinda like grass roots when small. One of my favorite forest trees that I go out of my way to leave alone. Along my main trail, the fricken bull moose will break them off.

[doc henderson]

Tom, check with some of your contacts.  maybe even some mushroom enthusiasts might know of well establish groves where transplant stock can be had.  

[WV Sawmiller]

Tom,

  I bet if you find anyone with bamboo/river cane growing in your area they will be glad to supply you with starter stock. It is very useful stuff but it does require regular cutting to keep it under control It is kind of like kudzu only more useful.

    If you get a line of it started I'd bet in 10-15 years you will have a nice straight line of it and your neighbor, since he will likely not cut his side, and his whole house will have disappeared in a grove of it.

    We bought the adjoining land and moved into the bigger house there in N. Fla when I was in college and we have been fighting it for 50+ years at my mom/brother's place ever since. I remember hearing the old man who previously owned the place talking about when he planted it. He said "I went down to Les and Clydes place and dug up a root one morning and came back and planted it. That afternoon I changed my mind and went out to dig it back up but it was too late. I had done taken over."

    I remember mowing the place where he got his starter stock as they were old neighbors on the other side of us. I'd come back two weeks after mowing and find 10' shoots of it growing in a wet area that I'd have mowed 2 weeks before.

[aigheadish]

That would be my fear as well Howard. Once it goes it goes. I've seen it shoot 20 feet out from the main patch before. I'm not kidding when I say it can take over. Kudzu is a decent comparison. 

The Aborvitae is a good option also. We've got some of that on the same side of the house that we planted along the driveway when my wife got tired of seeing the neighbors dogs tied up outside all the time. It grows a bit more slowly but after 5 or 6 years it's now starting to produce decent cover. Unfortunately, we weren't as specific about the types we bought so there are at least 2 different varieties, the "other" type grows real slow and is tiny comparatively.

[Magicman]

I would never ever encourage anyone to set out cane shoots for any reason.