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Every neighborhood has to have a "Mr. Wilson". For you younger types that is from the Dennis the Menace comic strip. You just have to find creative and legal ways to strike a Truce. I got rid of mine.
I had a OLD Pinto Station Wagon. Rusting out around the wheel well with a tow bar flipped up and wired to the radiator grill. Yes, it WAS the ugliest car in the entire neighborhood and sat there on the curb weeks at a time. Just a spare car for when the others were in the shop and when I had to relocate the motor home without a second driver. But Mr. Wilson felt it was ruining property values even though no for sale signs were posted within site of the car much less on his house. So he calls the cops and says it is a delerict vehicle. So the cops so up, want to see the title, insurance, registration, fire it up, put it in drive. Move. Put it in Reverse, Move again. Do a walk around for lights and signals. All OK. They leave. A week later they come back. Same deal. Same routine. A week later we all do it again. I ask when this become harrassment. Cops say right after I get a court order. Who's calling? We can't say without a court order. Any chance getting a court order against the police? Check with your attorney. (smiling cop humor) Well, Mr Wilson is well known by all his neighbors. Pretty easy to make a GUESS who called.
I invited the cop to come with me. To protect ME from an aggravated neighbor. I got in the Pinto and parked it in FRONT of his house. Knocked on his door and informed him he can look at that for two hours and decide if he wants it in front of his house or mine. I will remove it in two hours and if he calls the cops again, it will be a permanent fixture in front of his house. Boy was he pissed and wanted to know why the cops told him it was him that called. He said they didn't. I guessed. Whoops! He admitted it. Went back home and set up the camcorder to record my car for two hours. Just in case he was REALLY Stupid. He wasn't. Darn it. I moved the car back to my curb and a For Sale sign went up in front of his house about 2 weeks later. All his neighbors were so happy. Joked about getting together just to buy it to get him gone and then resell it.
Get rid of one, the next one pops up. Everybody has to have one in their neighborhood. God's Law. Keeps us from taking our good neighbors for granted. Keeps us humble and trying to be a good neighbor and not become THE Mr. Wilson on the block.
Lady next door called the cops about some junk that I should have thrown away that was leaning up against her side of my house. So I cleaned it up and had a chat with her. I want to be a good neighbor so if she has a concern, feel free to talk to me about it. No need to take up the cops time. They should be out catching bad guys. A month later, she called about my omission of not trimming the chain link fence between us. My fence, my property. She pays for lawn service to trim everywhere else. They should trim HER side and remove Her Vines off my fence. Some of that fescue went to seed and was over the city ordinance of 12" high. So I got the weed eater working and trimmed the fence. Added a little Round UP and it went away for a year.
But she had shown her colors so I did a little checking and sure enough....
She did not get a building permit for her 10' x10' greenhouse blocking my view right next to the fence. It was also powered and she did not get the electrical permit or inspection. In addition, the sub division covenents forbid un attached structures on the property without a waiver. The former Mr. Wilson enforced that on the neighbor across the street. Sure enough she called the city again. I was a good neighbor and fixed it, knocked on her door, and told her essentially that 'the screw can turn both ways'. Another call and she will have to remove that greenhouse, be subject to fines, etc. All she has to do is TALK to me about any concerns she has. I want to be a good neighbor. No problems since then.
It is kind of interesting to research all the rules and regulations we are suppose to follow that we have no clue about. Weird ones too. I can park anything on the curb that runs, is titled, registered, and insured. But I can't park my Motor Home or camper in my own driveway to pack it and leave tomorrow morning. A 4 hour limit. Nuts. My sis has one where she can't leave her garage door open for more than an hour. Makes it hard to have garage sales which is also prohibited without a $50 permit.
Go fall on her sidewalk..... Make it all go away and settle both.
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Carefully planned irresponsibility is the KEY to mental health.
If you haven't grown up by age 50........
You don't have to......
Last edited by Boom Master : 01-15-2013 at 01:41 PM.
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