Some people

[Fairbanks Stump]

my initial reaction was to tell her to go f' herself but I decided to try and reason with her instead, Not one of my better decisions. I tried to explain that I heated with wood and cutting was necessary to keep my house warm. She suggested I get a better job so I could afford electric heat, like the rest of the civilized world. She also suggested that I build a new access to my house because the dust from me driving on my road was creating dust problems for her. At that point I realized that trying to reason with this woman was a lost cause.
I packed up my saws and headed home.


Have your lawyer send her a letter with the NEW inflated value for your property and SOLITUDE with a pay up or shut up Clause. or you will be happy to change your hours and hire a crew to get 100 % of your work done during the time when they are at the house and enjoy the solitude when they are not and further tell them to take their hippy dippy tree hugging dumb ass back to California or where ever they spawned their ignorance!

BIG JON

 

[Fred Wright]

Yeah... there's no reasoning with people who have their minds set that they're right and everyone else is wrong. Similar to a catalyst, they believe they can change everyone around them while they themselves do not change.

Agreed with the suggestion of "No Trespassing" signs. These actually have a legal effect. If she comes on your property again, you have grounds to tell her to leave now or she's in trouble with the lawman.

They have a choice: Adapt to the aspects of rural living or pull up stakes and move on.

 

[greendohn]

"Get off my land and "I have a potty mouth" while you're at it" would've been my response, with an immediate call to the police with a complaint of trespass against her.
As I was giving her my instructions to git, I would've attempted a picture with my cell phone, documenting her on my property and the look on her face while receiving my instructions.
There aint no playing nice with these kind of people. Who would want to get along with someone who would insult you with the comments of " get a better job,,etc.." ?
What kind of compromise could one reasonably expect to come to with someone like this?
Even if she approached me with an apology, her comments alone has revealed what kind of person she is and what she really thinks,,to hell with her.

 

[srb08]

Yeah... there's no reasoning with people who have their minds set that they're right and everyone else is wrong. Similar to a catalyst, they believe they can change everyone around them while they themselves do not change.

Agreed with the suggestion of "No Trespassing" signs. These actually have a legal effect. If she comes on your property again, you have grounds to tell her to leave now or she's in trouble with the lawman.

They have a choice: Adapt to the aspects of rural living or pull up stakes and move on.

There is a no trespassing sign on my gate. It's 3' x 5' and states my name, no trespassing and that violators will be prosecuted. I had it made a few years ago. I guess because the gate was open, she thought it didn't apply.

 

[srb08]

my initial reaction was to tell her to go f' herself but I decided to try and reason with her instead, Not one of my better decisions. I tried to explain that I heated with wood and cutting was necessary to keep my house warm. She suggested I get a better job so I could afford electric heat, like the rest of the civilized world. She also suggested that I build a new access to my house because the dust from me driving on my road was creating dust problems for her. At that point I realized that trying to reason with this woman was a lost cause.
I packed up my saws and headed home.


Have your lawyer send her a letter with the NEW inflated value for your property and SOLITUDE with a pay up or shut up Clause. or you will be happy to change your hours and hire a crew to get 100 % of your work done during the time when they are at the house and enjoy the solitude when they are not and further tell them to take their hippy dippy tree hugging dumb ass back to California or where ever they spawned their ignorance!

BIG JON

My son is an attorney and since I paid for all of his school, I own him.
I really hate to get lawyers involved, it's always a pain in the butt.

 

[brewmonster]

Speaking as one who has a short fuse and has been at war with neighbors in the past, I urge you to reconsider. Perhaps she approached you in a fit of pique and has been regretting her words ever since. Give her a chance to repent. I think the idea of a beer or coffee summit including your pal the sheriff has a lot of merit. At least it contains the possibility of a peaceful coexistence in the future. Belligerent escalation does not.

 

[stihl sawing]

My son is an attorney and since I paid for all of his school, I own him.
I really hate to get lawyers involved, it's always a pain in the butt.

You ain't gonna need a lawyer, their is nothing she can do, just carry on as you always have.

 

[svk]

What a great thread!

Wish i knew how to make the emoticon of the smiley guy eating popcorn.

 

[TeeMan]

Make sure you have ‘No Trespassing’ signs that are not hand-made; go buy some and post in multiple areas of your road and drive access.

Contact your local authorities to make sure there are no restrictions on noise levels (I doubt there are if you are on 150 acres outside of the city limits).

Set up game cameras in the areas you would expect these people to snoop around when you are not there.

Fire the saw up at 8am instead of 9am. If she comes out again, don’t get carried away or lose your cool or try to reason with her or let her get her opinion in what-so-ever, calmly say she is not allowed on your property, you have hidden video surveillance around all areas of your property (even though you won’t and she does not have to know this), calmly ask her to leave or you will be contacting the law to have them tell her to remove herself from your property. Turn around and dig into the wood with your saw.

Be careful with using firearms just to prove a point that you can shoot on your own land.

Go to bed at night with a big old grin because there’s nothing she can do about it.

 

[Whitespider]

You ain't gonna need a lawyer, their is nothing she can do, just carry on as you always have.

That's likely the best solution... "just carry on as you always have" and you likely won't need a lawyer. I don't know how it works where you live, and there ain't any noise ordinance in the county I live, but the Iowa code does have a section on "Nuisances". It ain't in the criminal code, it's in the civil code... meaning, if she called and complained, the sheriff may elect to drive by for a look and ask a couple questions, but really, all he can do is tell her to file a petition in civil court (while he giggled, at least our local sheriff would be giggling). If you start doing things you wouldn't normally do (like smashing liquor bottles around)... well, it is possible the civil court would see you as an antagonist.

In any event, you may want to check your county/state ordinances/codes for wording before doing anything "abnormal".
This is how the Iowa code is worded...

TITLE XV JUDICIAL BRANCH AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURES
SUBTITLE 5 SPECIAL ACTIONS
CHAPTER 657 NUISANCES
657.2 What deemed nuisances.
6.Houses of ill fame, kept for the purpose of prostitution and lewdness, gambling houses, places resorted to by persons participating in criminal gang activity prohibited by chapter 723A, or places resorted to by persons using controlled substances, as defined in section 124.101, subsection 5, in violation of law, or houses where drunkenness, quarreling, fighting, or breaches of the peace are carried on or permitted to the disturbance of others.

I don't see how a chainsaw (just like a lawn mower) can be considered a "breach of piece", unless every single time you use it close to their retreat it's at 2:00 AM... but a drunken night shoot may be seen a bit differently. Don't get me wrong, go ahead and have your night shoots (they are a blast) as you always have... just don't add anything, or any times, that would be abnormal (for you).

 

[avalancher]

I gotta agreee with SS on this one, carry on as you normally do, and keep the fussing to a minimum. the minute you start ramping up the activities that agravate the old biddy you are stooping to her level and in the end will just cause yourself more grief and stress.

We had a neighbor move here from Ohio where he enjoyed a million city and county ordinances to back up his gripes with his neighbors, and for one reason or another ended up here where there are no laws what so ever restricting what a guy can do on your own property. Within two years, we went to war that started with him calling the local sherriffs office on me for my log splitter running after dark in the winter, somewhere around the six pm range. And like a lot of you, I first met his hostility with my own. Since there were no noise ordinances, I had the whole crew over for a cook out and we busted wood till 11pm. He was livid. I have a full scale civil war cannon that I built in high school, and it thundered its way through 40lbs of black powder on New years eve. A solid six hours of firing. He retaliated by glueing my mailbox shut with Gorrilla glue. I handed him one right back by dropping a few roofing nails on his driveway. Like a couple of children, we kept that war on for a solid three years till late one night I came home and him and his wife had slid off the road into the ditch pinning one door against the bank, and he was unable to push his door up on the other side, effectively caging him in.

I considered driving right on by, but I reckon I just didnt have it in me to do that to even my worst enemy, so I dropped a chain over the frame and yarded em out. I expected a prompt "I have a potty mouth" attitude, but was met instead of a lot of grattitude. And you know what? for the first time in several years now, I aint got to worry about the fuzz showing up when yard work goes after dark, and I dont have to be concerned if the latest copy of readers digest is locked behind a glob of Gorrilla glue.

My point is, I wouldnt make any effort to antagonize the gal by doing things that you normally wouldnt do, all that will create is a war and you can forget about any peace and quiet in your own home once that gets started. If you saw wood during the day, then go right ahead and saw your wood. Let her complain to the local PD, I am sure they will set her straight on the first call that you have every right to do that. Time to think with your head here and not your emotions.

 

[srb08]

Speaking as one who has a short fuse and has been at war with neighbors in the past, I urge you to reconsider. Perhaps she approached you in a fit of pique and has been regretting her words ever since. Give her a chance to repent. I think the idea of a beer or coffee summit including your pal the sheriff has a lot of merit. At least it contains the possibility of a peaceful coexistence in the future. Belligerent escalation does not.

While I embrace the idea of a meeting in the spirit of compromise, I'm not willing to change anything I'm doing. I'm not going to stop driving on my road and I'm not going to move it.
I'm not going to stop cutting wood. I need it for heat and I enjoy the activity.
I was cutting at 9am that particular day, I normally start earlier. I work during the week and the weekends are my time in the woods.
The way I see it, any compromise would only involve a sacrifice on my part.
I would be willing to limit the shooting at night but I won't agree to avoid it completely and I won't consult her before doing it. We only do this a few times a year anyway.
I'm not going to go out of my way to be antagonistic but I'm not going to alter my life to accommodate her wishes.
All of the families around her heat with wood to some extent and in the next month the cutting and splitting will be all around her, not just me. The fall and winter is when all of us process our wood for next year.
All of the folks around her shoot as well. The ammo shortage has curtailed a lot of it but I'm sure it will resume before long.

Her abusive demeanor pretty much precludes any cooperation from me and I'm sure the rest of the neighbors will feel the same way.
I honestly don't see a mutually agreeable outcome as possible.

 

[brenndatomu]

What a great thread!

Wish i knew how to make the emoticon of the smiley guy eating popcorn.

opcorn:

Fixed it for ya!

FYI, just click "more" under the list of smilies when you are writing a reply, that brings up a whole bunch of choices for you...

More on point, you were there first, not doing anything wrong or even unreasonable, I say carry on!

BTW, about the idea of having a little powwow with you, her, and the sheriff, I'd make sure he was there in street clothes and just introduced as your buddy, that way if she goes ballistic, he will have a front row seat of what y'all are dealing with.

 

[KenJax Tree]

What a great thread!

Wish i knew how to make the emoticon of the smiley guy eating popcorn.

: popcorn :
Without spaces

 

[KenJax Tree]

I gotta agreee with SS on this one, carry on as you normally do, and keep the fussing to a minimum. the minute you start ramping up the activities that agravate the old biddy you are stooping to her level and in the end will just cause yourself more grief and stress.

We had a neighbor move here from Ohio where he enjoyed a million city and county ordinances to back up his gripes with his neighbors, and for one reason or another ended up here where there are no laws what so ever restricting what a guy can do on your own property. Within two years, we went to war that started with him calling the local sherriffs office on me for my log splitter running after dark in the winter, somewhere around the six pm range. And like a lot of you, I first met his hostility with my own. Since there were no noise ordinances, I had the whole crew over for a cook out and we busted wood till 11pm. He was livid. I have a full scale civil war cannon that I built in high school, and it thundered its way through 40lbs of black powder on New years eve. A solid six hours of firing. He retaliated by glueing my mailbox shut with Gorrilla glue. I handed him one right back by dropping a few roofing nails on his driveway. Like a couple of children, we kept that war on for a solid three years till late one night I came home and him and his wife had slid off the road into the ditch pinning one door against the bank, and he was unable to push his door up on the other side, effectively caging him in.

I considered driving right on by, but I reckon I just didnt have it in me to do that to even my worst enemy, so I dropped a chain over the frame and yarded em out. I expected a prompt "I have a potty mouth" attitude, but was met instead of a lot of grattitude. And you know what? for the first time in several years now, I aint got to worry about the fuzz showing up when yard work goes after dark, and I dont have to be concerned if the latest copy of readers digest is locked behind a glob of Gorrilla glue.

My point is, I wouldnt make any effort to antagonize the gal by doing things that you normally wouldnt do, all that will create is a war and you can forget about any peace and quiet in your own home once that gets started. If you saw wood during the day, then go right ahead and saw your wood. Let her complain to the local PD, I am sure they will set her straight on the first call that you have every right to do that. Time to think with your head here and not your emotions.

Messing with someones mailbox is a Fedreal offense i would've nailed his a$$ on that one.

 

[Whitespider]

While I embrace the idea of a meeting in the spirit of compromise...

I wouldn't embrace compromise at all... I live out-in-the-county because I don't want to compromise on my lifestyle! Period!
Your new from-the-city neighbor isn't willing to compromise anyway... she's used to living where "rules" are the way of life, where lawyers exploit those rules for whomever is will to pay the most, and believes what she is accustom to applies everywhere. She seriously believes she has a "right" to utter piece and solitude because that's what she thinks she paid for... she's about to have a serious eye-opening experience.

You've lived there how long?? And she's had her retreat for a few weeks/months?? It ain't your place to compromise... she's the one who's intruded into your domain, not the other way around. Your damn right you shouldn't change your lifestyle (but ya' may want to turn your back in her direction when ya' stop to take a pee). She's the newcomer, the one out of her element, the one that's gonna haft'ta adapt or go back where she came from... it really is as simple as that.

Real close to me (walking distance, actually) is sort'a a little rural subdivision-like cluster of 5 homes on the river (Dad has one) the locals refer to as "Midway"... some even consider my place as #6, but i have several acres separating my house and them. Anyway, a few years ago a from-the-city family bought one of those homes with it's suburban size yard by Dad's place... and immediately the "new" guy had the idea he was gonna' be the "boss" of the neighborhood and started laying down "the rules". It was fall, a Saturday morning around 7-7:30, dad had just gotten back from the lake home the day before and I was helping him clean up leaves when this guy comes storming into the yard all red-faced. He lit into us about all the noise our leaf blowers were making, and how it had woke his whole family up, and then preceded to tell us we would be waiting until after breakfast to make such noise from now-on. Dad waited until the guy was all done with his sputtering, and then looked at him and asked, "Well, what time is breakfast Jeffery?" The answer we got was, "We finish breakfast around 9:30 or 10:00." Dad got this big grin on his face, looked back at the guy and said, "You'd best get with the program Jeff, out here breakfast is at 5:00... we're drinkin' beer by 10:00." Then he started the blower back up and continued like he always had.

 

[brewmonster]

Hey there, srb08, I get why you're upset and I'm sure I would be too, in your situation. But I never said you should sacrifice or even compromise. What I said was "give her a chance to repent."

After hearing what you said about your neighbors running OPE and shooting in the fall, I'll amend my proposal and suggest you schedule your summit after she's had a good taste of all that. Once she's learned the customs of the country she may be more understanding and willing to live and let live.

As for Mr. Whitespider, he is always true to form, what with his underlined and italicized refusal to even consider compromise. Don't ever change, Spidey! I know you won't.

 

[srb08]

Well.......the plot thickens.
My wife just got a call from one of the neighbors who had talked to the woman, Katherine, not Kathy, Katherine in town earlier today. Katherine had explained to the neighbor that last Monday she had to go down and set me straight regarding the loathsome noise I was creating with my saw. She went on to say that as long as she was out here, noise would not be a problem.
She also told the neighbor that the dust from the roads was very bothersome and would need to be addressed, starting with mine.

I'm headed into town now to pick up fresh fuel for the saws. Maybe I'll pick up a carbide chain, in case I need to cut a Lexus in half.

My BIL is cutting with me tomorrow. I don't want to be alone when the confrontation occurs. If more than one shows up, I don't want it to be my word against three or four, that never ends well.
I'll also be carrying a sidearm.

 

[stihl sawing]

Well.......the plot thickens.
My wife just got a call from one of the neighbors who had talked to the woman, Katherine, not Kathy, Katherine in town earlier today. Katherine had explained to the neighbor that last Monday she had to go down and set me straight regarding the loathsome noise I was creating with my saw. She went on to say that as long as she was out here, noise would not be a problem.
She also told the neighbor that the dust from the roads was very bothersome and would need to be addressed, starting with mine.

I'm headed into town now to pick up fresh fuel for the saws. Maybe I'll pick up a carbide chain, in case I need to cut a Lexus in half.

My BIL is cutting with me tomorrow. I don't want to be alone when the confrontation occurs. If more than one shows up, I don't want it to be my word against three or four, that never ends well.
I'll also be carrying a sidearm.

Probably be better if you had your police officer friend with you. What ever you do don't pull the gun on her. Sounds like it could get nasty.

 

[Whitespider]

Do you normally carry a sidearm when cutting wood on your own property??
Or would this be one of those "abnormal" things I was warning you not to do??

At least keep it totally out'a sight man... I seriously doubt you'll be needing it.