Difficult Neighbors

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Weedygarden

Weedygarden

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I think we have had other threads about difficult neighbors. This video and a few others talk about difficult neighbors and ways to deal with them. All situations are different. There are different things that make them difficult.

I saw this video and thought it was great. It reminded me of a situation I had. I had a man dig out a big tree stump and I had the feeling he was hanging out when I wasn't home.

 
Good idea. I hope things stay peaceful for him.


In the small town were I grew up the locals would bust a new neighbors mailbox so to let them know they're not welcome. And, it takes three generations for a new neighbor to be accepted. Unfortunately, it's just the way the people are there.
 
I saw that this morning. Even though he did wander a bit I will say he has far more restraint than I would have. Especially after he started locking the dog up in the garage. I'd have had game cameras set around the place taking pictures for the sheriff.
 
I have to go with both Terri and Cascadian. He did beat around the bush way too long and I would have had real pictures and had the sheriff over for a talk. Posted NO Trespassers should have made the point. Filed charges would have let all the locals know he was not kidding around.
 
Cascadian said:
I could have watched the whole thing if he had mentioned his past once or twice. What happened after the 4th time, that is as far as I made it?
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Wow, that was the longest-winded fellow I have ever heard in my life, lol.

@Cascadian, you missed hearing him mention his military years seven times. (I do get that some get relief from PTSD by talking about it, and no harm done by hearing it, but...whew! Poor guy.)

What he did with the crayon: he wrote this on a piece of paper, "Smile, Mr. ___, you're on CCTV!"

It worked! The neighbor was lucky that the fellow was wise and easy-going, but I do believe that if that sign had not worked, he may have gone a little wild on the trespasser.
 
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So far, I get along really well with the locals here. And that's a good thing. There is... er... was a house done the road a few miles where they did not get along with their neighbors. Notice the word "was". It's not there anymore. People are serious about getting rid of neighbors that don't belong. Granted, it was significant stuff going on, at least that's the rumor. But I don't think anyone was arrested or went to prison for arson. Seems like the problem got solved, though.

I guess it depends on where you are. Some places tend more towards taking care of their own problems.
 
tiffanysgallery said:
Good idea. I hope things stay peaceful for him.


In the small town were I grew up the locals would bust a new neighbors mailbox so to let them know they're not welcome. And, it takes three generations for a new neighbor to be accepted. Unfortunately, it's just the way the people are there.
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A couple years after moving here we had ours busted up beyond repair. And the ATVs do damage to the roads and in front of our mailbox now and then.
Had one unload about 100 rounds once in front of our driveway cops just spit tobacco at our feet and said " a man hassa get his aim " . Cured us of calling for help,lol.
 
Terri9630 said:
I saw that this morning. Even though he did wander a bit I will say he has far more restraint than I would have. Especially after he started locking the dog up in the garage. I'd have had game cameras set around the place taking pictures for the sheriff.
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I totally agree with you. Trespassing on someone's property is one thing, locking the dog up in the garage? That is such an arrogant move.
I am sure that there have been many people who have done things to stop trespassers who feel they are entitled to be on their property, and, like this guy, help himself to whatever they want.
 
I live on a country road about three miles long that "T"s on both ends. Neighbors were having problems with mailboxes being damaged.

It was dusk and I was walking down the our driveway to the get the mail when I heard two ATVs coming my way at high speed. I stepped back into the woods to watch. Too dark, I couldn't recognized the ATVs or the Drivers as they went flying pass then abruptly slowed then stop. Before I could get to a clearing I heard metal being banged and then the ATVs took off again before turning south into a neighbors driveway. I watched the ATVs headlights bounce down the driveway all the wall back to the house. Headlights went off along with the ATV's engines. I watched and listen for a few more minutes before heading back to get the mail.

The next morning I was escorting my wife during her morning walk. That's when I saw a metal mailbox beat almost unrecognizable. That was the sound I had heard the night before.

A few months later I was visiting at the neighbor where I had seen the ATVs drive too. I told the neighbor what I had saw, that I had thought about calling the County Sheriff when I saw the ATVs head down his lane. Asked the neighbor if he had any damage? Neighbor looked at the open shed that had two ATVs parked inside with his two boys working on them. "No damage" the neighbor said.

No more mailbox damage along our road after that. Guess word got back to the right people? :D


Then there was the time we was building the wife's dream house. Farmer's DIL that I had bought the property from let me know in no uncertain terms she was not happy that I had "bought the property out from under them"! At grade school the DIL's sons let my youngest know the we were not welcomed!!!! Soon after obscene words were written on the inside of the foundation walls. After the house was enclosed an attempted to pry open a locked window ($200 damage) and a tent we had in the woods was slashed into ribbons. Well I had no proof of who but I did have a talk with the Farmer we had bought the property from. Didn't tell the Farmer that I suspected his grandsons but I did tell him that as soon as I had proof I was calling the County Sheriff to file charges. Farmer had a faraway look on his face as I told him what was happening. Strange, I didn't have anymore problems after that discussion. :D
 
Had them tell us ' we have hunted here all our lives ' well tough because it is our land now and keep off. I ask one if it was ok for me to come to their property anytime I wanted, deer in headlight look! In Georgia same thing I had to walk around with 30/30 while hubby was at work all day. Walk up on a couple men who looked me up and down in a not so nice way, so I told them half pointing gun at them to get the hell off my property. My mother went through that so I knew how to deal with it.
 
Meerkat said:
A couple years after moving here we had ours busted up beyond repair. And the ATVs do damage to the roads and in front of our mailbox now and then.
Had one unload about 100 rounds once in front of our driveway cops just spit tobacco at our feet and said " a man hassa get his aim " . Cured us of calling for help,lol.
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That's bad if the police won't do anything.
 
tiffanysgallery said:
That's bad if the police won't do anything.
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That was about 20 years ago so maybe they have changed some now. And who knows he may have been the only one there who acted that way, it sure was a shock though. Good ol boy mentality here still exist though for some.
Of course these country boys can survive too. So its not all bad.
 
Meerkat said:
Had them tell us ' we have hunted here all our lives ' well tough because it is our land now and keep off. I ask one if it was ok for me to come to their property anytime I wanted, deer in headlight look! In Georgia same thing I had to walk around with 30/30 while hubby was at work all day. Walk up on a couple men who looked me up and down in a not so nice way, so I told them half pointing gun at them to get the hell off my property. My mother went through that so I knew how to deal with it.
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Just like the video, some people think if they did it once, they are now entitled. One of the things I learned when I was teaching. Many people cannot take what they give. A bully doesn't like to be bullied. They forget that everything can be a two way street. I have seen children consistently do something to another one, and once it is done back to them, they are really not happy, may even burst into tears.
 
That's true about entitlement thoughts. We've had problems with our farm land...the last owner would rent out the outbuildings for other people to store stuff. We no sooner bought the place and people were insisting. We said no. A neighbor two farms down did it anyway, stored a bunch of farm equipment in one of our buildings. We saw it when we came up for a week and husband raised heck. The neighbor was mad he had to move it. Next door neighbor asked to buy some of our land to build his new barn, so he wouldn't have to move his driveway. We said no. He still is friendly, though, because he's Amish and related to one of my cousins. Last visit, a guy and his wife knocking on our door wanting to use our small gravel road easement to bring farm equipment to his land; which is landlocked and located behind us. Husband told him he could use the road. He wanted to widen it, pave it, take out our tree border....and the kicker is...he wanted to SHARE the cost with us. We said no. He's been pretty nasty about getting the no. He's been pressuring a cousin of mine that farms our land and looks after everything. Husband went to visit with this man (he's a surveyor) at his office and told him nicely to stop. We weren't interested in modifying our property in any way. It seems like everyone has a needed "use" for our land. It was for sale for a while, and nearly went to auction before we bought it. I figure these other people had their chance.
 
Weedygarden said:
This is a much shorter video, with another way to deal with difficult neighbors.
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I appreciate the other point of view but to me, that is simply rewarding bad behavior. Be a good neighbor and get treated like a good neighbor. Be a bad neighbor and the Hatfield and McCoy feud has nothing on me.
 
Meerkat said:
That was about 20 years ago so maybe they have changed some now. And who knows he may have been the only one there who acted that way, it sure was a shock though. Good ol boy mentality here still exist though for some.
Of course these country boys can survive too. So its not all bad.
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The constable gets called out if there's a problem in our community. No one calls the police.
 
TMT Tactical said:
I appreciate the other point of view but to me, that is simply rewarding bad behavior. Be a good neighbor and get treated like a good neighbor. Be a bad neighbor and the Hatfield and McCoy feud has nothing on me.
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Yep. All that will teach them is "I have to get paid to behave". Just like the kids at the store who have to have a toy every time they go to be good.
 
Terri9630 said:
Yep. All that will teach them is "I have to get paid to behave". Just like the kids at the store who have to have a toy every time they go to be good.
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I used to have an uncle who would give me a quarter every time I was good. Since he's died I been good for nothin'!
 
TMT Tactical said:
I appreciate the other point of view but to me, that is simply rewarding bad behavior. Be a good neighbor and get treated like a good neighbor. Be a bad neighbor and the Hatfield and McCoy feud has nothing on me.
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Yes, people shouldn't have to be paid to do the right thing, but sometimes if you want a certain outcome, you have to provide a little motivation. There are people who really do everything they can to bug other people. It is a game for some.
 
tiffanysgallery said:
The constable gets called out if there's a problem in our community. No one calls the police.
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The county sheriff only lives 2 minutes down the road from me. Have been hoping to meet him on a friendly basis. We already wave when passing on the highway, but that's pretty common out here in the country. He even drives by the house every so often, and we live on one of those back roads that pretty much goes nowhere. I see him doing the same in other very out-of-the-way places. I guess you'd say he patrols his territory, and that's good.

Speaking of waving while driving, it's kind of amusing. People do that out here in the country. And I find myself doing that back. When we get out on the main road to town, it's not so much. But out here closer to home, it's quite common.
 
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