Random co-incidence, cranky neighbor and thorn bushes

[ronin]

Got a fair size of back yard in which I have been carving out a mountain bike trail. Neighbor to the north has always seemed like a cranky old geez, must be 95-100 yrs old, bitching and moaning about the condition of my back yard. Unlike me, mr. congeniality.

Meanwhile, he's let this seriously obnoxious weedy thorn creature grow along our shared fence until it is about 15-20' tall, 20-30' long and 10' into my yard from the ground up. So I need to do something to keep from getting shredded every time I lap around this section.

This AM had a tree trimmer give me an estimate to cut it back to the fence and do some other stuff around to clean things up. Scheduled to start tomorrow. Then, a couple of hours later, a totally different tree guy, local fellow usually does our work but different from the one we hired this time, calls to ask if he can get into our yard as the neighbor has hired him to cut down the thorn bush.

31 yrs this nasty thing has been trying to engulf my yard. And the same day, he finally decides to cut it? Well, knock yourself out. Save me a few $$. Weird timing, maybe one of us is psychic, or who knows.

Anyway, once the coast is clearer, need to get a tractor to scrap a smoother path as the gophers have created a 18 million hole golf course and the dirt mounds from that have petrified into the bumpiest bike path around.

 

[Koolau]

Ahhhh! The joys of land ownership! Lived on a small farm (cash rented to a real farmer) but had over an acre I had to "defend" against weeds, tornadoes (really!!) thorns/thistles, ground hogs, raccoons, ground squirrels, and the occasional bovine who made it through the farmer's electric fence. Add "country property" to the long list of things that fit the "best and worst days of your life adage." Traded all that for a nice 1/5 acre lot in the city which was only better because it was smaller (and there were no cows - everything else was still an issue!) Since retiring, we have either rented or lived "condo life". Still, every once in a while I get the lust for land. It must be a part of the human condition YMMV

 

[Andre1969]

Since retiring, we have either rented or lived "condo life". Still, every once in a while I get the lust for land. It must be a part of the human condition YMMV

I go back and forth on it sometimes. Right now, I have 4 1/4 acres. It's mostly woods though, so I only have to mow maybe 1 1/4 at best. Sometimes I'd like to just give it up and move to something more low-maintenance, but then I think I'd hate having neighbors right on top of me.

I've cut a few trails in the woods, and they seem to be fairly self-sustaining. Couple foot-bridges across the creek. The only down-side is that I have to drive the tractor up the neighbor's driveway to get the tractor to the back part of the property and cut the small field back there. But, the neighbors are cool, and we actually have deeded access to use that driveway. It wanders a bit, and the bridge where it crosses the creek is partly on our land.

I'd love to just let that back field grow up, but it doesn't take that long to cut. Maybe a half hour. It's about 300 feet long, and width varies from maybe 50-80 feet. And, the neighbors appreciate the fact that I keep it cut.

I have let parts of the front of the yard grow up though, along one side and down along the road, to help give some privacy. But, I know that one day, I'll be too old to tend to it all.

 

[braumeister]

So your neighbor saw the guy you had do the estimate, and figured you'd screw the job up and make a mess of it.

He thought "If you're going to do something, do it right (meaning MY WAY)" and decided to take the job out of your hands to frustrate you.

Sometimes cranky isn't really so bad, if you can interpret it to mean perfectionist.

 

[MichaelB]

I think your neighbor really works for one of those security agencies, your house is bugged, and this is his way of letting you know.

 

[ronin]

Ahhhh! The joys of land ownership! Lived on a small farm (cash rented to a real farmer)

Had the back leased out to a landscape nursery for several years. A little cash flow and no maintenance. Ahhh! The good old days.

So your neighbor saw the guy you had do the estimate, and figured you'd screw the job up and make a mess of it.

I think one of us got messed up. Saw a worker headed back with a gigantic pipe wrench. Don't know yet which side of the fence he ended up on.

I think your neighbor really works for one of those security agencies, your house is bugged, and this is his way of letting you know.

I'd have served my sentence and be out on parole a long time ago if that was the case.

On the bright side, dragging out all that thicket smoothed out a 300' straightway on my new bike path. All those thorns are better than a tractor scraper.

 

[FreeAtLast]

He is doing something nice. I would just say thank you, it might improve the relationship.