People have nothing better to do than complain about my lawn.

[BinahYeteirah]

This is just a little vent. Humor me.

 

Our lawnmower broke two weeks ago. My husband spent his last day off trying to fix it, to no avail. He ordered a new one on Amazon and even paid for one-day shipping. It was delivered yesterday afternoon.

 

This morning, my kids informed me that a man was parked in front of our house and doing something in our yard. I looked out my front door to see a man coming out of my back yard with a camera, taking pictures of the lawn.

 

I know the lawn is a bit overgrown. The front yard has two weeks' worth of growth and the back has about three weeks' worth, since the lawnmower broke after my husband mowed the front two weeks ago. The front yard's grass is, as I say a little overgrown, but nothing I consider too crazy. The grass itself is about four or five inches long; the weeds in the yard grow much faster than most of the grass, so there are some weeds about double that height. I think the yard looks basically normal, if in need of a mow, in front. The backyard is starting to look out-of-hand after three weeks, but it isn't visible from the road.

 

I spoke to the man from my front door and told him that our lawnmower had broken a couple weeks ago and the new one was just delivered yesterday. I asked him if someone had complained about the yard. He said there had been complaints "from all over." Really? All over? Do people (multiple people!?!) really have so little to do that they have time to complain about my lawn after only two weeks without mowing?

 

I knew about the regulations when I moved to this neighborhood. We are generally pretty conscientious about the appearance of the outside areas of our home . My husband usually mows weekly. It's just annoying that all it takes is a broken lawnmower to bring "the law" to my front door (the regulations are local government regulations, not HOA regulations or the like). Now I'm wondering which of my neighbors have way too much time on their hands.

 

Sorry, I just had to vent.

[mom2myboys]

If one of our neighbors noticed our lawn was getting too tall, they would have just come over and mowed it for us. And we have done the same for others. Life happens, things break. Instead of kicking you when you were down, a little neighborly help and assistance would have been nice. I hope none of the complainers find themselves in a similar spot because karma might hurt coming back around on them. Sorry for the lack of help and compassion. :grouphug:

[JennifersLost]

Seriously. Anyone who gives a second's time of concern over someone else's lawn needs to be marched down to the volunteer services office and put to work.

[Bluegoat]

People are lame sometimes. I had complaints that my dogs bark, even though I am careful not to leave them out when they start to bark. But we are on a corner and for some reason several people insist on letting their dogs walk right up next to the fence, which makes my dogs crazy. It is then hard to get them in, not to mention I worry one will somehow get out and maul some poor lapdog.

 

I sometimes think people don't really consider that people have lives where their dogs actually bark and their lawns grow and their mowers break or the lawn guy fails to show up.

[LillyMama]

This happened to me- not a broken lawnmower, but a traveling husband, a 16 month old toddler and me nine months pregnant and on bed rest. First this man got mad and yelled at my neighbor that my recycling bins hadn't been put away. It didn't matter that is was 5pm, he knew I was home, I had had plenty of time in the last two hours to put them away. She defended me while I hid inside.

 

When he came back hollering about the lawn two days later, I waddled myself out there and scared the bejeebers out of him. I informed him that he was welcome to be offended by long grass but that I thought he'd be more offended if I went into labor while trying to mow. I told him if I did, I would go over and deliver my baby on his lawn, and the placenta would ruin the nice patterns he'd made with the lawnmower.

 

We had a bit of an audience for that encounter, and I had three teenage boys, from three different families, show up with lawnmowers offering to help. One boy actually scolded this old man that he should have offered to help.

 

Needless to say, I can be a bit punchy while pregnant. :D

 

TL, DR: Try stuffing a pillow in your shirt, pretend to be pregnant and play the sympathy card. Or the crazy overrun by hormones card.

[mommaduck]

Regardless of the HOA issues, that man was trespassing! Honestly, I would have gotten his name and called the cops on him! He has NO business going into your backyard, let alone to go back there and take pictures. If it's an issue from a neighbour, then that neighbour can let him into their own house to take pictures from.

 

Just another reason to hate HOA's. Sheesh. You have to have money to drop and buy an expensive item at the drop of a hat to keep from getting nailed. Nice neighbours. I would have at least asked you if you had a broken mower and did you need to borrow mine (or need me to send over a teenager to mow).

[mommaduck]

 

We had a bit of an audience for that encounter, and I had three teenage boys, from three different families, show up with lawnmowers offering to help. One boy actually scolded this old man that he should have offered to help.

 

Someone is raising some awesome kids!

[Julie Smith]

If one of our neighbors noticed our lawn was getting too tall, they would have just come over and mowed it for us. And we have done the same for others. Life happens, things break. Instead of kicking you when you were down, a little neighborly help and assistance would have been nice. I hope none of the complainers find themselves in a similar spot because karma might hurt coming back around on them. Sorry for the lack of help and compassion. :grouphug:

 

We offer to mow for our neighbor, but don't do it unless asked since some people are very picky about lawn mowing.

[justLisa]

We live in a pretend rich area. That's what we call them. Pretend rich people, becuase REAL working rich people don't have the time for this sort of crap. My husband and a new neighbor schemed together to over throw the "head of the HOA government" and got everyone's votes. This guy wanted to file leans on people's houses or something stupid like that for mowing/yard issues LOL. HOA's are just so people don't plant a cover crop of dandelions or moss, and leave old rusty cars jacked up on the front lawn. Some people just don't have anything better to do!

[BinahYeteirah]

Regardless of the HOA issues, that man was trespassing! Honestly, I would have gotten his name and called the cops on him! He has NO business going into your backyard, let alone to go back there and take pictures. If it's an issue from a neighbour, then that neighbour can let him into their own house to take pictures from.

 

Just another reason to hate HOA's. Sheesh. You have to have money to drop and buy an expensive item at the drop of a hat to keep from getting nailed. Nice neighbours. I would have at least asked you if you had a broken mower and did you need to borrow mine (or need me to send over a teenager to mow).

 

We aren't part of an HOA. The man was a local government employee of some kind. I believe he does have a legal right to be on the property. The "regulations" have the force of law, if I understand it correctly. I'm not sure what the usual procedure is, but we might get ticketed/fined for this. Maybe we'll get some kind of official warning first. I don't know.

 

You are right about the cost of new lawnmower! Luckily, we had the money for a new one, but considering how much they cost, I'm glad dh took the four or five days he did to research which would be best for our needs before plonking down hundreds of dollars.

[BinahYeteirah]

TL, DR: Try stuffing a pillow in your shirt, pretend to be pregnant and play the sympathy card. Or the crazy overrun by hormones card.

 

:lol: I don't even need to resort to using a pillow, since I'm seven months pregnant. Maybe I should try it. :lol:

 

In any case, I don't think they care around here. Apparently, if we can't do it on time, we ought to hire a lawn service like the better of our neighbors.

[Belacqua]

If one of our neighbors noticed our lawn was getting too tall, they would have just come over and mowed it for us. And we have done the same for others. Life happens, things break. Instead of kicking you when you were down, a little neighborly help and assistance would have been nice. I hope none of the complainers find themselves in a similar spot because karma might hurt coming back around on them. Sorry for the lack of help and compassion. :grouphug:

 

Well said.

 

Unless somebody's grass is three feet high and attracting vermin, it's hardly an urgent matter. My old neighborhood had an HOA, but they used their time to organize help for people who needed it. When a new resident grumbled about the next-door yard being overgrown (largely because the woman who lived there had two little kids, was expecting a third, and her husband was deployed), the HOA president herself showed up with a mower and took care of things. Grouchy VonTattlepants at least had the grace to look sheepish, and I later saw him mowing his neighbor's lawn himself. I'm no fan of HOAs, but this one seemed to have the right attitude.

[mommaduck]

We aren't part of an HOA. The man was a local government employee of some kind. I believe he does have a legal right to be on the property. The "regulations" have the force of law, if I understand it correctly. I'm not sure what the usual procedure is, but we might get ticketed/fined for this. Maybe we'll get some kind of official warning first. I don't know.

 

You are right about the cost of new lawnmower! Luckily, we had the money for a new one, but considering how much they cost, I'm glad dh took the four or five days he did to research which would be best for our needs before plonking down hundreds of dollars.

Oy! I discovered a couple of years ago that we have someone like this here in the city. He takes advantage of the leeways to inspect yards. $400 fines here. It's really a pain when you have teenagers, kids, and vagrant adults that use these leeways or simply go through your yard and do what they like. We had teens that would sneak onto our back patio to smoke (cigs and weed...till we'd scare them off), teens that would eat their chicken and leave bones and trash in our leeway alley, etc. I've found condom wrappers and cigar wrappers (even a condom once) in our yard, tossed over from teens messing around in the back city parking lot. And WE have to clean up the mess and our landlord is the one that would get fined :glare:

[homeschoolally]

Am I the only one who thinks it would be a hoot to go out and take pictures of the guy taking the pictures until he stopped?

 

We live in a similar neighborhood and hubby and I have a great time joking around about putting an alpaca in the front yard, a creepy large scarecrow at the curb, and all variety of personalized signs at the driveway depending on whatever the homeowner's association has their panties in a wad about that week.

 

It made us irritated the first year or two, but it has blossomed into great comic relief. Learned too late that we aren't the type to live in a restricted neighborhood, but we're making the best of it.:D

[ma23peas]

I do not know whether to smh at these people or seriously get on my knees and pray for them! If this makes you feel any better...we had a "Connie" (our now name for all neighbors like yours)

 

We had JUST moved in 3 days prior...I had a 3 year old a just turned one year old and YES I was pregnant (37 weeks) with my third! I had just been promoted from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest...unheard of, but you get promoted you go...In 2 weeks, I had been given the offer, the company packed my house up and my husband had to get our two children and dog to Washington...we found a house and closed in 10 days...needless to say, it was a whirlwind.

I was so homesick and desperate to meet 'neighbors'..I walk out to my mailbox VERY pregnant and Connie comes up..almost as if she had been waiting to catch me..I was so excited to see someone..a friendly face surely...NOPE...she does not even introduce herself...here is the conversation..

 

Me: "Hi! We just moved here from Georgia."

Connie: Pointing to the cable wires laying on the ground, "When are you going to get these cables buried?"

Me: "Cables?"

Connie: "Those, they have been above the ground for two days."

Me: "Oh, my husband called the cable company, they must have left before reburying them, I'm sure they'll be on it this week. My name is (Not Connie), Nice to meet you."

Connie: "Just make sure they come back before Friday. We have an image to upkeep."

She walks away...NO mention of my impending birth, no welcome to Washington...just a quick turn back to her impeccable garage that held a Jaguar and not a speck of dust anywhere. We spent 2 years across from Connie, the only pollyanna tidbit I could takeaway was the fact I could never make up a character like her...so she will one day make it into my indulgent novel...probably be the star of it! :)

[Ibbygirl]

Well obviously if the lawnmower breaks you just go to your neighbor and borrow one!! How could you let your lawn get out of hand like this? Really now! Have you no shame??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

just kidding! :D :p lol Seriously, your neighbors need to get a life. It's grass for crying out tears! No need to bring out the Crimewatch police! It makes me wonder what they would do if you had a crisis on your hands that took precedence over the lawn. Would they call out lynch mobs? Sheesh!!

[Harriet Vane]

Seriously. Anyone who gives a second's time of concern over someone else's lawn needs to be marched down to the volunteer services office and put to work.

 

:iagree:

[Ibbygirl]

Seriously. Anyone who gives a second's time of concern over someone else's lawn needs to be marched down to the volunteer services office and put to work.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

Me too! :iagree::iagree: Hear! Hear!

[emzhengjiu]

You should get an official letter about the infraction. Be sure to follow up before their deadline. If not, the city could send a crew to cut the grass for you and charge you much more than you would pay otherwise. If you don't pay that charge, the city can put a lean on the house. Ask me how I know!!! This happened to a friend of mine while she was in the hospital.

[Denisemomof4]

Seriously. Anyone who gives a second's time of concern over someone else's lawn needs to be marched down to the volunteer services office and put to work.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::lol::lol::lol:

 

Your neibors sound like idiots.

[DaffodilDreams]

Awww! I'm sorry! : ( I totally get your frustration. Yes, some people are just too bitter and too idle for their own good. Sometimes I really understand why our local colorful character goes all out to tick off his neighbors.

[FaithManor]

:iagree::iagree::iagree::lol::lol::lol:

 

Your neibors sound like idiots.

 

 

I concur!

 

Our worst HOA story was a crazy lady in our neighborhood in Oregon whom we caught climbing over the fence into our backyard so she could "see if the landscaping conforms to regulations." I scared the absolute pants off her by A. sneaking up on her and then B. letting her know I was from the midwest where tresspassers climbing over fences into the private play yards of young children generally find themselves greeted by a legally armed homeowner! I am just about certain she wet herself from the ghost white pallor that came over her face and the degree of speed she used in exiting our property.

 

She did however file a formal complaint because we planted red roses and she thought red was "trite". The HOA told her to go fly a kite and we told her if she stepped an inch off the sidewalk onto our private property we'd have a restraining order slapped on her.

 

Faith

[Ibbygirl]

I concur!

 

Our worst HOA story was a crazy lady in our neighborhood in Oregon whom we caught climbing over the fence into our backyard so she could "see if the landscaping conforms to regulations." I scared the absolute pants off her by A. sneaking up on her and then B. letting her know I was from the midwest where tresspassers climbing over fences into the private play yards of young children generally find themselves greeted by a legally armed homeowner! I am just about certain she wet herself from the ghost white pallor that came over her face and the degree of speed she used in exiting our property.

 

She did however file a formal complaint because we planted red roses and she thought red was "trite". The HOA told her to go fly a kite and we told her if she stepped an inch off the sidewalk onto our private property we'd have a restraining order slapped on her.

 

Faith

 

ROFL :lol::lol::lol: Man how I wish I could have seen that go down! hehehehehehe That's too funny!

[mommaduck]

 

She did however file a formal complaint because we planted red roses and she thought red was "trite". T

:001_huh: what does she mean by that? I've never heard that used in regards to a plant before.

[Pamela H in Texas]

My next door neighbor is really a sweet old lady. We like her. However, one Tuesday evening, when my son was putting out our trash and so was the neighbor, she told my son how the bins were supposed to have one foot between them and how the people in a certain house never do so. Now, I have an issue with this. Our only curb is the same ours (and the neighbor's) mailbox is on. And we KEEP getting citations by the postal service for not having 30 ft pull in space. I can't do BOTH. Someone is going to have to give! LOL Then add that we have three vehicles and regularly have caseworkers, therapists, agency workers, etc over. There really is only so much I can do.

 

Anyway, but this was about the neighbor....she really is nice.

[jewellsmommy]

We aren't part of an HOA. The man was a local government employee of some kind. I believe he does have a legal right to be on the property. The "regulations" have the force of law, if I understand it correctly. I'm not sure what the usual procedure is, but we might get ticketed/fined for this. Maybe we'll get some kind of official warning first. I don't know.

 

You are right about the cost of new lawnmower! Luckily, we had the money for a new one, but considering how much they cost, I'm glad dh took the four or five days he did to research which would be best for our needs before plonking down hundreds of dollars.

 

 

In our city, a city worker will bring workers (low security risk inmates/work release people) to mow the grass and then bill you the cost of their services.

 

ETA: You do get several warnings first (in our city), though. If you have only heard from them once, you should have a little time before the next course of action. Government is not known for moving that terribly fast.

Edited May 17, 2012 by jewellsmommy

[higginszoo]

I have teens, who I can generally bribe to keep the lawn mowed (dh pays cash for this) ... but our next door neighbor (who also has teens, but they're complete couch potatoes, and that's another story) who mows the front maybe every other month and the back twice or three times a year. We're in TX -- growing season is almost year round. But yes, I DO have better things to do than to call the covenant police out ... besides which, when mine gets a little long, at least it doesn't look as bad as theirs. :tongue_smilie:

[melissel]

I am just about certain she wet herself from the ghost white pallor that came over her face and the degree of speed she used in exiting our property.

 

OK, I must know. Did you make her go back over the fence to leave? :bigear:

[elegantlion]

We just gave a little thank you to our neighbor who mowed for us a lot last year. Our mower was in the shop most of the summer, everyone in town knows you shouldn't take your mower there. Well we were new in town and didn't realize that. :lol:

 

I looked out one day and realized he was mowing. In exchange we shovel his driveway in the winter. Yet we only had to do that once. I am so glad we live where we do after reading about this. Idiots.

[Sherriag]

Some towns will come and mow it and charge you a TON OF MONEY!!!

[Word Nerd]

I concur!

 

Our worst HOA story was a crazy lady in our neighborhood in Oregon whom we caught climbing over the fence into our backyard so she could "see if the landscaping conforms to regulations." I scared the absolute pants off her by A. sneaking up on her and then B. letting her know I was from the midwest where tresspassers climbing over fences into the private play yards of young children generally find themselves greeted by a legally armed homeowner! I am just about certain she wet herself from the ghost white pallor that came over her face and the degree of speed she used in exiting our property.

 

She did however file a formal complaint because we planted red roses and she thought red was "trite". The HOA told her to go fly a kite and we told her if she stepped an inch off the sidewalk onto our private property we'd have a restraining order slapped on her.

 

Faith

 

And I suppose your grass was green, too? How trite! :lol: