Neighbor is Not Happy With Me

[jinman]

I 'd also name one of you donkeys after him and call it in for the night when he's out in his yard.

Rob, I see a lot of similarities between you and me. I'd be nice, but I'd also sure have me some clean fun with the whole situation. Maybe you could get a BMW blanket for that donkey too.

I have two neighbors I have some fun with. One, I call Pow! Pow! Larry and the other is Chainsaw Bob. Pow-Pow likes to shoot all the time and has a "commune" of old campers he rents out to less fortunate buddies to supplement his income. He likes to have farm animals and thinks if I don't want his animals on my property, I should build a fence. Chainsaw Bob did not have electricity, so he used a chainsaw to cut all the lumber to build his house. It's been "built" for six years now and still has tar paper and tyvek "siding" on the outside; nothing else. He came over to complain to me that Pow Pow was shooting over his property and he wanted me to go with him to have a talk with Pow Pow. I told him, "Sure!" I said I would do it as soon as he got rid of the two junk cars he has sitting out by the road and installs a legal septic system. He was cussin' me as he drove up my driveway. He hasn't been back, but I make sure I smile and wave every time I see him out by the road.

You just gotta make the best of the situation and not lose your sense of humor.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

A little over 2 years ago, after selling the farm, we moved to the place where we live now. A couple acres and the house are in "city limits" and the balance is in unincorperated "county". There are some restrictions that go along with the city address, but they quite simply just don't apply to the other 43 acres.

And then there's the "rules" laid down by the townies.

2 days after we moved in, I was out behind the barn starting to clean up and mow weeds that had be neglected for a couple years. I looked up across the pasture and saw 3 gentlemen approaching. They looked as if they were peaceful, so I laid down the weedeater and greeted them. They were a self-appointed group "representing the mainstream of the community" as they put it. They came to deliver a "what is allowable in this town and what isn't" declaration. I listened patiently. When they were done I delivered MY declaration of what was permissable on MY property and what wasn't. First and foremost was I didn't appreciate their assumption that I was about to do anything detrimental to the community, and their "rules" were a little over the top by 2007 standards anyway. Please feel free to leave my property and don't return until you have a little different attitude.

(Their "rules" were pertaining to "allowable" race and religion or any guests I should be bringing into THEIR town)

Turns out they were far from representative of the community. Also turns out they were all bark and no bite.

These guys didn't even live on property that adjoined mine. Had that been the case, I might have been a little less likely to "tell 'em how it is", and just shrugged it off. In the name of future peace and domestic tranquility, often times it's just best to take some comments from neighbors with a grain of salt.

Sometimes people have this sense of entitlement that gives them the idea they have control of everything they come in contact with. You don't have that. I don't have that. Your neighbor doesn't have that. You pay the mortgage. You pay the taxes. You call the shots on your property.

 

[shaley]

I have two neighbors I have some fun with. One, I call Pow! Pow! Larry and the other is Chainsaw Bob. Pow-Pow likes to shoot all the time and has a "commune" of old campers he rents out to less fortunate buddies to supplement his income. He likes to have farm animals and thinks if I don't want his animals on my property, I should build a fence. Chainsaw Bob did not have electricity, so he used a chainsaw to cut all the lumber to build his house. It's been "built" for six years now and still has tar paper and tyvek "siding" on the outside; nothing else. He came over to complain to me that Pow Pow was shooting over his property and he wanted me to go with him to have a talk with Pow Pow. I told him, "Sure!" I said I would do it as soon as he got rid of the two junk cars he has sitting out by the road and installs a legal septic system. He was cussin' me as he drove up my driveway. He hasn't been back, but I make sure I smile and wave every time I see him out by the road.

You just gotta make the best of the situation and not lose your sense of humor.

OMG Jim, That's priceless. I'm laughing so hard I spit coffee all over the computer. "Pow Pow Larry" I think this will be my 07 xmas party story.

 

[MDM]

"BMW" and "country"? Is that a joke? Sorry, but no. Maybe you could spare a few sheets of plywood from your building project so he could board up his windows to block out his view?

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Mike, you did the right thing by going over and introducing yourself being the good man that you are. He showed the idiot he is by saying what he did. Count your blessings that at least you know where you stand.

Now, I don't know of any country boy that owns a beemer, and I there are a lot of us around here. You go to our county seat and the only beemer you see has N.Y. plates.

So, basically, the guy is an idiot and now you know it. Consider yourself blessed. And whenever you are having a bad day, just be glad that you are not him.

 

[the_sandman_454]

I would not go out of my way to be nice to that idiot. Idiot had equal chance to buy the property you bought and should have if he wanted it kept as it was.

Possibly my biggest problem with people is when they try to tell you what to do with your own property. I'm not sure how my neighbors are going to like me planting a food plot along both road frontages, and a few acres of my 20A plot. I don't particularly care how well it'll be received though. If they want to determine what happens here, they can fork over a bit more than I paid for it, and then they can do whatever they want with it. If not, they can shut up.

My other biggest problem is when people move in and start trying to change what happens around them. Example idiots moving next to an airport, shooting range, ORV area, farm, etc, and then whining/wanting restrictions because it's noisy, or smelly or something.

 

[EddieWalker]

I hope I'm not the only one reading these post and hoping the comments are not mostly said in humor.

The neighbor with the BMW never did anything towards the original poster. He stayed on his land and did his own thing. There's no incication that he's tried to have the house stoped from being built, or that he's trying to stop him from having donkeys.

He does sound arragant and displeased, but who wouldn't be if they had a beautiful view before and now there is a house there? I would prefer the view of the field myself. The part of expressing his feelings sure sounds like he lacks social skills, but it's a far cry from starting a war or comdeming him.

If he had been the one to approach the original poster and tell him he couldn't build his house there or make his feeling know, then I might agree with some of the comments posted. From what I read, the so called "idiot" neighbor stayed home and minded his own business. What's wrong with that?

Ignore the neighbor if you don't like hearing his opinions, and don't go over then anymore. Seems like a simple enough way to live and enjoy your new home. If you don't like the veiw of his house, or want the trees there anyway, then plant them and enjoy watching them grow.

Can anybody really judge a person by the car they drive? Why is a BMW such a bad thing? and why does it make him such a bad person?

Eddie

 

[WTA]

I'm so glad we have good neighbors here for a change.
It hasn't always been that way on other farms that we rented before buying this one.
I used to have a neighbor who's kid looked like pinhead in hellraiser. I don't know how many of you have seen those movies but if you have imagine that character coming up to your porch late at night and asking if you'd help remove his car from one of your trees. The first time I saw him I was so scared I grabbed my gun. He was that bad. That night he ran his car into my tree he was running from the cops. I heard the sirens coming closer. It was something like 2Am too, so I wasn't happy he woke me up. I told him I couldn't help with the car but if he runs real fast he might be able to outrun the cops before I tell them where he lives.
I never saw someone run so fast. I did tell them where he lives too.

In Pa, we had the unsociable neighbors real bad. One lady was real nice but the rest were the most unsociable people I had ever met in my life. Being in the military I never could get used to that.
Here in Texas, we all get along. One is a little weird but he's cleaning up his act. I caught him taking down some fence that he thought was his in an unused part of my property on day. It almost escalated to ugly but he saw the light. I was riding back there on my horse when I caught him and I always carry my 45 here. He saw the glimmer of light off the stainless steel magazine in it and stopped taking down my fence.
He's actually a pretty nice neighbor now.

I wonder if maybe yours is a nudist or something. If you want to mess with him set up a wireless web cam hidden somewhere and see what he does. Maybe they are having some weird partys or something.

 

[tony123]

Well, I had intentions of coming back and typing out a long essay on my story, but WOW, you've got enough feedback!

Take the high road. Enjoy the humor in it (Rob, too funny). Most of all, enjoy your new home and property.

 

[Redbug]

Hi Mike and the Gang...

You should just ignore your selfish neighbor and get on with your own wonderful life. Life is too short to be burdened by another person's dark cloud. It sounds like the guy has a mental problem, anyway! That guy would have been better off making a friend than creating an enemy.

Also, I would not grovel, nor "act nice" trying to be a friend...(taking the high ground). You have a right to be where you are and build where you want. Just ignore and tune that fellow out and enjoy your new place and friends. He had his chance at earning your friendship and lost it. I would stand my ground and stay independant.