Rant Ver. 2.0

[TheTerrorist_75]

What is it with new people buying a home near you calling in complaints to the alderman about the appearance of someone's yard that has lived in the neighborhood forever. Man am I PO'd. My alderman knocked on my door to tell me that my new neighbor didn't like my tractor's snowblower attachment sitting outside on a concrete pad next to my garage. I am awaiting the response to my giving the neighbor a one finger salute this morning. I guess now is a good time to request that the new neighbor fills in the low laying area in his side yard that turns into a small pond. I am tired of his mosquito breeding ground.

[JSKY]

I hear ya. Yes, new people on the block are a big pain in the you know where.

My neighbor and myself have agreed to a music war when new prospects are looking at houses. It gets quite loud but they know what their in for if they buy.

[JDoors]

If you're not violating any ordinances, let it go (easily said, huh?). You may be stuck with them for a long time. (What, they didn't see the neighborhood before them moved in? NOW they want to change it?) If it remains an issue you could compromise by covering it with a tarp (if not already done).

Guess I've been lucky, the only complaints I remember getting have been legitimate (loud music at an inappropriate time, sump discharge turning their yard into a swamp, a roommate's dog not being leashed).

[TheTerrorist_75]

I have no use for new ordinances created by non-native residents that move here. My place has been the way it is forever. If they don't like it they can erect a fence on their property line so they can't see my back yard. I didn't tell the morons to build an addition on the back of their house with the windows looking out in my yard. They should have placed the windows facing the slum tenements on the other side. They're lucky I still don't have my old 8N Ford tractor with attachments parked in the spot where I keep my snowblower attachment.

I called my alderman and told him to tell the neighbor to come see me if he has a problem with my property. I guarantee he will keep his mouth shut now.

Edited May 9, 2006 by TheTerrorist_75

[blim]

World's stupidist neighbor. Now if I were your neighbor, I'd certainly be as nice as possible. Next snowstorm you just might plow my driveway

heh, I like the tarp idea--a tarp is much uglier than a plow!

Liz

[bearskin]

I wouldn't be so nice...I would go knock on the neighbor's door and ask him if he has a problem with my cows in his yard.

[TheTerrorist_75]

Tarps look worse than the equiment neatly lined up along the garage. My family has owned this house since the early '60s. The only other neighbors that lived here longer are the lady out back who's grandfather build my house in the 1800s and another lady to the north side of me who's husband was one of my high school teachers. They're both cool. In fact I am friends with their kids. The neighbor on the south side is a computer programmer that won't complain because part of his house is on my property. That leaves my nieces friend who's husband is a sheriff or the people who just built the new house on the swampy land at the southwest corner of me. The lady across the street who just moved in is my doctor's receptionist.

[robroy]

I get to deal with this type of complaint all the time as a building inspector. New neighbors and people behind on their rent are the worst ones. In this area we have had a lot on new construction in the last few years. People moving here from DC. They moved here and now want to stop any more growth so they complain about anything and everything they can find. So we just go out and look at the complaints and take no action in most cases. It is usually a waste of our time, so hopefully we will soon be charging a fee for filing complaints. It may help stop the worst pains who come in every week or two about some nonsense.

[Bubba Bob]

Whats the point of putting it up untill your through for the season? Is their yard so perfect that they can judge everyone else? Besides, tell them the worse everyone elses yard looks, the better it makes their yard look.

[xxkbxx]

People complain about everything, everywhere! I won't even get started (yet...)

[TheTerrorist_75]

Must be my remark to the alderman about the new home owners side yard that turns into a small pond got passed on. The owner has a landscaping crew out there cutting down the tall grass and weeds this morning. Naturally the homeowner wouldn't do that menial task himself. I detest people with money who bitch about the appearance of everyone else's property but they themselves can't do their own maintainence and hire it out. I also discovered that the old lady behind me who's granfather built my place as their old homestead had been snooping in my yard. I will have to tell her son that she needs to stay in her yard. She is a dotty old bag who scalps her lawn down to the sod. In the middle of summer she ends up with a dust bowl for a lawn. I prefer to keep my lawn about 3 1/2" high. My lawn is the only one to stay green all year. I am thinking about getting my paint supplies out and painting eyes on the back of my garage. If only I could figure out how to make them appear to move. heheheee

[JDoors]

Actually, a fake video camera would probably do the job. They have 'em with an LED (battery powered) so it looks like it's definitely turned on. And watching. And recording.

"I was looking at my security tapes and they showed you must have wandered into my yard by mistake ... again."

Should be enough to discourage her.

And I still think tarps have potential as a compromise (plus, as long as you leave room underneath for air circulation, they'll protect your equipment).

[tenmm]

Must be my remark to the alderman about the new home owners side yard that turns into a small pond got passed on. The owner has a landscaping crew out there cutting down the tall grass and weeds this morning. Naturally the homeowner wouldn't do that menial task himself. I detest people with money who bitch about the appearance of everyone else's property but they themselves can't do their own maintainence and hire it out. I also discovered that the old lady behind me who's granfather built my place as their old homestead had been snooping in my yard. I will have to tell her son that she needs to stay in her yard. She is a dotty old bag who scalps her lawn down to the sod. In the middle of summer she ends up with a dust bowl for a lawn. I prefer to keep my lawn about 3 1/2" high. My lawn is the only one to stay green all year. I am thinking about getting my paint supplies out and painting eyes on the back of my garage. If only I could figure out how to make them appear to move. heheheee

[Chappy]

who scalps her lawn down to the sod. In the middle of summer she ends up with a dust bowl for a lawn. I prefer to keep my lawn about 3 1/2" high. My lawn is the only one to stay green all year

To get the grass roots to grow deeper into the soil, you have to allow it to grow a bit at times. If you keep your grass trimmed too short all the time, it can't weather the tough times as well as because the root system is too shallow. If you trim your grass too much and too short, most of it's energy is put into regrowing the blades and not enough is put into growing a strong root system.

That's why she has a dustbowl and yours is still nice an green.

**Horticulture Made Easy**

By Chappy

[Dragon]

These are the reasons I refuse to live in a sub-division.

My wife and I argue about this all the time, she wants a nice neighborhood where you can't paint your house unless it's a certain color, if you re-roof your house, the shingles have to be a certain color etc...

I grew up in neighborhood where you owned the house, you did what you wanted with it as long as it wasn't an eyesore, and there were a couple of those too. My feelings are simple, I paid 140,000 to 200,000 for the house I should be able to do what I want with it. If they want to tell me how my house and yard should look, they can pay the mortgage!!!

and i told neigborhood association that point blank when they denied me the right to buy a house because I didn't meet their "income requirements" to live there. As I walked out of the aldermans house I told him to shove his rules up his $%&$ a$$

[blim]

Oh my gosh, Dragon--what a bunch of snobs. I wouldn't want to live in such a place! A big thing in our local "associations" is that they outlawed clotheslines. Now, most of these homes are near Lake Michigan and have pools....so where do the families hang their wet towels and bathingsuits? On the deck railings and fences....What is tackier, hanging towels on a fence or on a clotheline? Crazy, just crazy....

My rant. Our Dollar Store is going out of business Need to find a new place to buy my tylenol and vacuum bags.

Liz

[bozodog]

We have an area called the "Student Ghetto" that also happens to be in a "Historic District" Now, most homes were low-end on streets adjacent to the mansions. And are mostly divided into apartments for WMU students. The landlords aren't allowed to make changes like siding them because of the mitered corners on the old wood siding. Yeah, like peeling paint and rotten wood looks better? Bottom line, the rents are high because of the maintenance on them. And the streets look like a ghetto.

[JDoors]

I grew up in the big city, we always rented. I "dreamed" of owning a home, a place of my own, MY property, to do with as I saw fit.

Then I moved to the suburbs and learned about the real world.

Can't "see" the trash cans from the street, can't let the grass grow too long, can't NOT shovel snow, have to paint when someone else says so, no clotheslines (grr, I don't think we have that one but that would tick me off), no working on your car (unless you hide out in your garage, assuming you can actually fit a car in there), no outside storage of, well, most anything.

What else? What other restrictions do you have or have you heard about? (Aside from zoning or right-of-way issues like how many feet from the property line for things like sheds.)

[JSKY]

I guess I'm lucky.

I live in a mining town....well ex-mining town. People do as they please. With the exception of going overboard. Here, if the city tries to tell someone they have to paint their house only certain colors. The homeowner goes and finds the most outlandish colors they can get and then paint it how they want. My neighbor's place looks like a junkyard. (that's why I have 6' privacy fence between us). The only thing we really have to keep up on is the snow shoveling. And that's getting real old.

[Honda_Boy]

Well I was just watchin The Showbiz Show with David Spade and he was doing the segment called Why They Hate Us. He gave this episodes reason for why other countries hate the US and he pointed out the show sweet 16. My ex-girlfriend was watching that show at my house and man that show burns me. David showed one girl that got 2 brand freakin' new cars for her 16th birthday. I got 1 car about a week after my birthday. It was 1985 Pontiac Sunbird Hatchback with only 3 extra features. Aluminum wheels, A/C, and an automatic trans. (The A/C didn't work and the trans didn't work right PLUS I hate auto trans now anyway.) I was overjoyed to have that old thing. I loved it. Then I show up to school to see Mercedes Benzes and BMW's along with maxed out cars and trucks of other brands. Me in my old bird and then upgraded to a weathered 95 Civic EX Coupe (current car), it just burns me these spoiled ass brats. My parents gave my bro their old 4-Door 86 Pontiac SUnbird in 1998 and my Grand dad gave me that old 85 Sunbird he'd been fixin up in 2004. My parents had a deal with me and my bro that they'd buy each of us 1 car for a reasonable price. My bro in 1999 got a $2000 Pontiac Fiero (ended up suckin down more cash in repairs) and 5 months after my bird (it broke down but was easily repaired by my grand dad a few months later) my dad bough the Civic from my bro for $3500 and it has had barely any repairs. It drives me nuts to know that so many parents either have the cash and just spoil their kids or put themselves in debt to do it.

My manager told me of a friend of his. Her parents RICH but she started with an ancient ratty Volvo to prove herself. A girl that used to work with us, not the most glamorous car but newer higher end late model cavalier, less than a week TOTALS it..........................a FREAKIN' CAMARO. Her mom immediatley bought her a Camaro. She totaled the Cavalier trying to change a CD.

Holy crap some parents are frickin stupid.

Pheww. Had to vent. Ok got to go back upstairs and check on my install of Fedora Core 5 Linux.

Edited May 19, 2006 by Honda_Boy

[blim]

Well, I'm a really mean Mom, Hondaboy! My kids bought "Mom's cars"--reason being, we knew the history and the glitches, they got the cars "family discount cheap" and because the kids actually paid their hard earned money for them, they took care of them! Both cars got over 200,000 miles before they died. AND of course, they bought their replacements!

One of Son's friends is daughter of a multimillionare--yes, her Dad gave her his "old Lexus" (which has an awful interior smell of unknown origin.....), but for college, he arranged for her to live in the smallest, crappiest, cheapest Dorm Room the college had! And she is one of the most "down to Earth" young ladies I know. You would never guess she was loaded. Mean parents, but Good parents!

Liz

[tenmm]

Well, I'm a really mean Mom, Hondaboy! My kids bought "Mom's cars"--reason being, we knew the history and the glitches, they got the cars "family discount cheap" and because the kids actually paid their hard earned money for them, they took care of them! Both cars got over 200,000 miles before they died. AND of course, they bought their replacements!

One of Son's friends is daughter of a multimillionare--yes, her Dad gave her his "old Lexus" (which has an awful interior smell of unknown origin.....), but for college, he arranged for her to live in the smallest, crappiest, cheapest Dorm Room the college had! And she is one of the most "down to Earth" young ladies I know. You would never guess she was loaded. Mean parents, but Good parents!

Liz

As a parent and grandfather in order to be good for your kids(grandkids) once in a while you need too be mean.

Handing a kid anything they want is not going to build a good human.

[TheTerrorist_75]

When I was twelve my old man told me that before I bought my first car I would need to know how to fix it. It was up to my uncles to teach me how to repair motor vehicles. When I turned sixteen and obtained my license the old man brought me around to different used car dealers and pointed out which cars he thought would be the best option. I worked part time for my old man (steeple jack), the high school I attended (custodian) and for the city (lifeguard). With the money saved from those jobs I bought a '66 Chevy Caprice with a 283 and automatic. I had to pay for the registration, insurance and inspection besides the cost of the car.

The old man thought it was best for me to be responsible for myself and pay for anything I needed from my own pocket. I discovered that it wasn't due to concern for my well being, but that he was cheap when it came to his family. He didn't want to waste his drinking money on us plus it would take away the needed cash to wine and dine his bar girls (that's being polite about what the girls were).

[bearskin]

well let me see what I want to rant about. we live 1/2 mile from town but we have no sewer so we have to use septic. everyone still uses propane. no building codes..man down the street just built a new, maybe $50,000 house and I'm not sure he even got a building permit. we just got cable internet about a month ago. no 911..we have a small clinic but when we have emergencies we have special insurance for a helicopter take us to the main hospital 200 miles away. no street adresses so we have po boxes or general delivery. when we order something delivered by ups we have to give a fake address, the ups guy just knows where everyone lives. the mayor also serves as the school crossing guard. we fire our guns in the front yard and the cop just asks if we shooting at a armadillo. let's see...what was I ranting about? oh yea, we have to drive 50 miles to get to lowes or wally world.

[JDoors]

... It drives me nuts to know that so many parents either have the cash and just spoil their kids ...

There's a flip side to that: My Sister and Brother-in-law told my Nephew they'd co-sign for a reasonable loan for his first car. He has to hold a job, he pays for the car, but they give him a leg-up with a little assistance obtaining a loan. Nice parents, huh?

So he moves out of state, never calls, and they're stuck paying off the loan.