UPDATE on page 4 - I want this to be JAWM, but I'll take opinions.... parking issue.

[Laura Corin]

I'm thinking about my lovely country view that periodically has a massive orange piece of farm machinery parked in front of it (about four yards from my bedroom window).  Now I think I should get all bent out of shape about that.  

 

But actually I knew when I bought my house that there was a field there and that the farmer might park his mega machine outside my window in the course of cultivating the field.  Just as I assume that the OP knew that there was a road and no law against parking on it when she moved into her house.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Honestly, if anyone called the police or tried to have a vehicle impounded for parking in the street because it "ruins the view," I'd consider that person the crazy, unreasonable neighbor in this scenario.

 

I can agree with you there! It's something I'd go to my neighbor over, but not to the police, ever. Unless the mail part of it started to be an actual problem, I guess, but then that's more than the view. 

[TechWife]

I'd have your son start parking in front of their house when their car makes yours unavailable.

Well, he's off to college, so it's really a moot point anyway. There is a spot closer to our house than in front of their house, anyway.

[8circles]

Tree sap/bird droppings/pollen fall into the "that's your problem, not mine" category, IMO. Don't like it? Park in your own driveway or remove your trees. I'm reasonably sure that Clementine would be aware of a slant, blind curve, handicap pickup, or awkward driveway, but those are good thoughts for her to consider. None of this addresses the proximity to the mailbox. 

 

For many of us, our home is our refuge. We don't want to listen to other people's music, hear other people's barking dogs (don't even get me started), stare at other people's garbage, or look at other people's cars in front of our houses for no apparent reason on a daily basis. It's simply discourteous and not neighborly. Judging by the response on this thread, a pretty good majority of people feel this way. Lots of towns have ordinances about street parking, and most HOAs have rules about it. That must mean that it matters to people. It's absolutely a first-world problem, but so are lots of things that annoy us on a daily basis. We post about a lot of them here. 

 

You could certainly choose to have this perspective.  You do realize, however, that your list of irritations are also "that's your problem, not your neighbor's".  Unless, of course, they are actually breaking laws or rules that cause these issues.  Remember that in the OP's situation, there actually aren't any broken rules or laws and there has been no disruption to mail delivery.

 

Your attitudes about your neighbors and their garbage (reminds me of the book Everybody Poops), their dogs, & their cars are certainly far from courteous and neighborly.  If you don't want to be made aware of other people actually living around you, you probably should have moved to a home where you wouldn't have people living around you.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'm thinking about my lovely country view that periodically has a massive orange piece of farm machinery parked in front of it (about four yards from my bedroom window).  Now I think I should get all bent out of shape about that.  

 

But actually I knew when I bought my house that there was a field there and that the farmer might park his mega machine outside my window in the course of cultivating the field.  Just as I assume that the OP knew that there was a road and no law against parking on it when she moved into her house.

 

Once again, I think we're comparing apples and oranges here. Periodic and necessary farm machinery is not the same as unnecessary daily parking. My across-the-street neighbors' visiting nurses park in front of our house a few times a week, and I think nothing of it. But that's not what we're talking about it here.

 

I suspect we're into dead horse territory now. I mainly want to hear the outcome of this if Clementine keeps parking in the spot in question  :D

[shage]

I'm thinking about my lovely country view that periodically has a massive orange piece of farm machinery parked in front of it (about four yards from my bedroom window).  Now I think I should get all bent out of shape about that.  

 

But actually I knew when I bought my house that there was a field there and that the farmer might park his mega machine outside my window in the course of cultivating the field.  Just as I assume that the OP knew that there was a road and no law against parking on it when she moved into her house.

 

Of course.

 

You own your home, not the street or property surrounding it.

 

But I would humor a cranky neighbor if it didn't impact me one way or the other.

[Laura Corin]

Once again, I think we're comparing apples and oranges here. Periodic and necessary farm machinery is not the same as unnecessary daily parking. 

 

Actually, we are not.  The farmer could park anywhere in his field - much of which is down the hill and out of sight - but the place nearest to the gate is in my view, so that's where he parks.  But that's okay.  I don't own the view.

[tm919]

Yes, they have the full yard in front of their own house.   I'm not sure why either.

I'm just trying to understand this, do you mean that they should park on their front lawn? Or just in front of it?

 

I'm actually sympathetic... we had something similar. It seems like a small thing, but there were exacerbating factors, including the fact that they were parking on the SIDEWALK in front of our house making pedestrians go into the road in a busy street; some of their visitors were throwing trash on the plants in front of our porch (like, please don't throw pepsi bottles and mcdonald's bags in our shrubs, that's just rude); it totally blocked our view to get out of the driveway -- on such a busy street, I felt like I was taking my life into my hands every time I tried to pull out); they had a 6 car driveway and 3 cars, but didn't want to block any of the 3 in so they only used 2 spaces; and then when we asked them not to park there, they parked a car there and left it "for sale" for months. We didn't have a problem with them parking there occasionally, but we had a problem when all of the above was considered. I would say the trash was actually the biggest thing because it seemed like such a total lack of respect (it wasn't occasional, someone threw trash down there at least 4-5 times a week). 

 

I guess I understand why the OP is irked, if there are a lot of exacerbating factors involved in this situation. The parking by itself is no big deal though.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

You could certainly choose to have this perspective.  You do realize, however, that your list of irritations are also "that's your problem, not your neighbor's".  Unless, of course, they are actually breaking laws or rules that cause these issues.  Remember that in the OP's situation, there actually aren't any broken rules or laws and there has been no disruption to mail delivery.

 

Your attitudes about your neighbors and their garbage (reminds me of the book Everybody Poops), their dogs, & their cars are certainly far from courteous and neighborly.  If you don't want to be made aware of other people actually living around you, you probably should have moved to a home where you wouldn't have people living around you.

 

You are absolutely right, they are my problem to deal with. And there are no laws being broken. But we're not talking about laws here, we're talking about neighborliness, which generally relies on a "majority rules" perspective. If you're taking advantage of your neighbors' overall goodwill, you can expect to tick people off and in the end, probably to hear about it from someone. If I let my grass grow to a foot high, I'm not breaking any laws, but I'd expect to hear about it from my neighbors. If I left my trash on the street for a week, I'd expect that people would complain to me. If I played loud music with my windows open every day, I'd definitely be bothering people. You may disagree, and where you live in may not be like that, but there are some general rules of common courtesy when you live in a neighborhood. Break them, and you wind up with unhappy neighbors. You may or may not actually care about that, but that's what we're talking about here.

 

Are you actually arguing against being courteous to your neighbors? Are you in favor of letting your dog bark all day long, playing your music so loud that the windows on the house three doors down vibrate, leaving trash out front for a week, etc.? That puzzles me, to be honest.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Actually, we are not.  The farmer could park anywhere in his field - much of which is down the hill and out of sight - but the place nearest to the gate is in my view, so that's where he parks.  But that's okay.  I don't own the view.

 

Parking where the gate actually exists makes complete sense to me. Parking in front of a neighbor's house when there's no one parked in front of your own does not. I don't know what to tell you. 

[8circles]

You are absolutely right, they are my problem to deal with. And there are no laws being broken. But we're not talking about laws here, we're talking about neighborliness, which generally relies on a "majority rules" perspective. If you're taking advantage of your neighbors' overall goodwill, you can expect to tick people off and in the end, probably to hear about it from someone. If I let my grass grow to a foot high, I'm not breaking any laws, but I'd expect to hear about it from my neighbors. If I left my trash on the street for a week, I'd expect that people would complain to me. If I played loud music with my windows open every day, I'd definitely be bothering people. You may disagree, and where you live in may not be like that, but there are some general rules of common courtesy when you live in a neighborhood. Break them, and you wind up with unhappy neighbors. You may or may not actually care about that, but that's what we're talking about here.

 

Are you actually arguing against being courteous to your neighbors? Are you in favor of letting your dog bark all day long, playing your music so loud that the windows on the house three doors down vibrate, leaving trash out front for a week, etc.? That puzzles me, to be honest.

 

No, I'm not suggesting being discourteous.  I'm saying your "your problem, not mine" attitude to your neighbors is discourteous to them.  The OP doesn't own the road, or her view.  Just like you don't own the road or your view.  Trying to take ownership of something that doesn't actually belong to you but to the community is the height of disrespect & discourtesy.  You may not actually care about that, but it is what I'm talking about here.

 

We don't actually know if in the OP's area the majority agrees with her.  

I don't consider it taking advantage of someone to park in front of their house.

The OP hasn't actually said anything to her neighbors, so we don't know if they are at all aware of her irritation.

I don't own a dog & my fish don't bother anyone to my knowledge.  However, there is a dog barking somewhere in my neighborhood ATM.  I didn't actually even notice it until now.

We normally don't listen to loud music but the people behind us play elevator music in the summer when they swim.  It bugs me but whatever, it's their yard.  I'm sure they aren't trying to bother me and I'm free to play my own music if I want.

We actually have covenants about garbage so problems with that don't seem to happen.  People seem to follow the rules.

[Paige]

Actually, we are not.  The farmer could park anywhere in his field - much of which is down the hill and out of sight - but the place nearest to the gate is in my view, so that's where he parks.  But that's okay.  I don't own the view.

 

But would it annoy you if he parked there every day and left it there all the time when it wasn't in use? Even if his own yard was close by and not in any way obviously an uncomfortable parking area? 

 

I really don't care if my neighbor occasionally parks in front of my house, but I get annoyed because he parks there all the time and only moves it once or twice a week at most. It makes it look like my house always has a guest (or it's my car) and it forces my guests to park farther away than necessary, and impedes our access to the mailbox (although not actually blocking) and walking trail. And it's against the rules where I live...

 

It's an annoyance; a minor one, but still. I could call the HOA and have them fined but I choose not to because it would be more annoying to be involved in a petty fight. 

[Laura Corin]

But would it annoy you if he parked there every day and left it there all the time when it wasn't in use? Even if his own yard was close by and not in any way obviously an uncomfortable parking area? 

 

I really don't care if my neighbor occasionally parks in front of my house, but I get annoyed because he parks there all the time and only moves it once or twice a week at most. It makes it look like my house always has a guest (or it's my car) and it forces my guests to park farther away than necessary, and impedes our access to the mailbox (although not actually blocking) and walking trail. And it's against the rules where I live...

 

It's an annoyance; a minor one, but still. I could call the HOA and have them fined but I choose not to because it would be more annoying to be involved in a petty fight. 

 

I think that I have a different idea of public vs private space.  I don't feel as if I have a right to a space on the road or a view from my window.  For that matter, anyone has the right to walk across two-thirds of my garden/yard.  People turn in my drive all the time.  It's fine.

[clementine]

 

I suspect we're into dead horse territory now. I mainly want to hear the outcome of this if Clementine keeps parking in the spot in question  :D

 

Well, we parked our car in that spot 2 days ago after they had moved it.  Their car has now been parked either in their driveway or in front of their house each time it returns.   :)

 

I never meant for this post to seem like a catastrophic event.  I can't believe that someone said "This is the most nonsensical and petty thread I've ever seen here."  Are you serious?  That is so hostile and will make some posters rethink posting something out of fear of being called ridiculous.  

 

My very tiny problem has been solved.  Thank you to everyone who replied kindly, whether you agreed with me or not.  I sincerely appreciate it.  

[Word Nerd]

I could call the HOA and have them fined but I choose not to because it would be more annoying to be involved in a petty fight. 

 

Or you could speak to your neighbor and tell him it bothers you.

[Paige]

Or you could speak to your neighbor and tell him it bothers you.

 

I could, but I don't want to out myself as petty and ridiculous to people I will see in person! I only do that somewhat anonymously on the internet!

 

I have to walk my puppy around the car instead of continuing on the path... I have to swing my car out wide and go back in to the curb to get the mail....I'm annoyed because he isn't following stupid HOA rules...all of my excuses for being annoyed are weak. 

[sassenach]

Well, we parked our car in that spot 2 days ago after they had moved it.  Their car has now been parked either in their driveway or in front of their house each time it returns.   :)

 

I never meant for this post to seem like a catastrophic event.  I can't believe that someone said "This is the most nonsensical and petty thread I've ever seen here."  Are you serious?  That is so hostile and will make some posters rethink posting something out of fear of being called ridiculous.  

 

My very tiny problem has been solved.  Thank you to everyone who replied kindly, whether you agreed with me or not.  I sincerely appreciate it.  

 

Thanks for the update! I'm glad you took the time to post it, because I was curious about where this would go next. 

 

I totally agree with you about the bold. People take themselves WAY TOO SERIOUSLY around here. It's ridiculous. I tried to stop my eyes from rolling, but the universe wasn't going to be balanced until I let them fly.

[Tsuga]

But the OP is talking about a blocked mailbox, and UPS and Fedex are not putting stuff in there.

USPS still comes twice a day, morning and evening. I am sorry to have caused confusion by bringing the question of six times per day mail overall including private carriers, into it.

[Okra]

Aww….I'm glad it's resolved.  Keep posting.  Just keep "that poster" on ignore.  BTW, I don't think it was petty at all.  :)

[kristi26]

Glad to hear it resolved itself!

 

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[katilac]

This is the most nonsensical and petty thread I've ever seen here.  Oh my goodness. It's the road

I'm really surprised. I could see this being a person's quirk, but to have it be a big deal to a lot of people is .... I don't get it.

 

 This is very rude. 

[Harriet Vane]

 

and i think the OP is in a neighborhood like mine where the street is really just access for the people who live there.  It is a public street but yet only those who live here are on it.  So no random people using the street for parking like in the city.   Park in front of a house here and people will step outside and ask you what are you doing.  Yea you have the right to park in front of my house but it is such an oddball thing that I have the right to find out why you would do that and have the police buzz by and ask you if need any help. They can't make you move as it isn't illegal to park but they can inform you you have no business here.      

 

I find this both puzzling and saddening. 

 

You don't own the neighborhood or the street. 

 

I take a walk almost every day. I get bored walking the same route. Often I park the car in another neighborhood and walk there just for the variety. Often I just add the walk to errands while I am out and about anyway. I am not harming anyone by taking a 30-40 minutes walk, and my car is parked legally. You would really send a police officer to harass me for that?

 

Is that really the best use of our tax dollars or the time/effort of law enforcement officers?

 

And I shudder to think of how this response would feel to any person who is not white. 

[vickjul]

Our mail carrier will not deliver mail if the mailbox is blocked (but he will get out of his vehicle to leave a nasty note stating WHY mail was not delivered), so the neighbor's behavior would be an issue in our neighborhood. I have to say that I love the sprinkler idea. I would have been tempted to "spill" some roofing tacks.

[alisoncooks]

Glad to hear it was happily resolved, and with little effort/no confrontation required on your part, LOL.

:hurray:

[Laura Corin]

 I have to say that I love the sprinkler idea. I would have been tempted to "spill" some roofing tacks.

 

Good grief.

[poppy]

 This is very rude. 

 

My mom always said it's very rude to call someone rude!

 

My post wasn't meant as a slam against the OP. Like I said- one person having a quirk about this, I could see. I was just really, really surprised to see three pages of agreement that it's horrible for someone to park in proximity of someone else's home.  Right above someone suggested a neighbor should remove TREES in front of their house if birds / pollen  are a problem..... rather than block her view of the road in front of her house. That is so crazy to me.  Talking about damaging other people's cars to avoid this terrible thing of being .... parked near you? What?

 

Maybe there is something wrong with me to not see the horror of having a car parked near your house, I don't know.

[shage]

This is how HOA's start.