Tuesday, November 15, 2005

PLEASE WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

Let me preface this by saying.. I am a calm person. I don't let stupid little things bother me. Okay, that being out of the way... here is a picture of my yard. Taken last summer. I love my yard, and the trees, when I sit out there it is almost like not being in a city. I always called my tree line, my "Natural Privacy Fence"

We have lived in this house for almost 25 years. We moved in here as newlyweds. We live in a kind of old neighbor hood. We have elderly residents on both sides of us. My husbands grandparents lived here before we did. The same old people live on both sides of us. One of them is an EVIL old HAG. My husband says that even his grandparents had trouble with her and planted bushes beween the yards just to seperate themselves from her a little. We put up a fence about 22 years ago when our first child was little so he and future children would have a safe place to play because we live on a busy street. We put the fence over 3 feet in from the boundry line between our yards because we knew the old hag was a pain in the butt. We don't bother anyone. We wouldn't allow our kids to make a lot of noise so that it wouldn't disturb our neighbors. Back when the kids were big enough to push a lawnmower, the hag would come out of her house to yell at them if they got "grass on her grass". Of course we never said anything, because we didn't want a war with the neighbor. She has never in the 25 years we have lived here said anything nice to us. She is fastidious about her yard to the point of being obnoxious. I swear she had the Chemlawn guy stalking us for a couple of years.. Anyway, as you can see, I have some beautiful trees just to the left of my fence well within my property line. This old witch.. has been after us for years to cut them. But we like them. She asked us last year if she could pay someone to cut them.. we again told her no. .. Sunday evening we walk out back and hear a chain saw. She is over in her yard with some guy cutting things.. Bill said, I think she is cutting stuff in her yard. He went out the next day with the dogs and came in to tell me that she had cut some of our trees down. I walked out today with my trusty camera.. and counted EIGHTEEN TREES AND BUSHES GONE! There would have been more, because I can see cuts in some of the few remaining trees, but the guy couldn't get his saw started. I should have taken pics of the two of them out there.. now I wish I had. Now I have absolutely no privacy in my back yard on that side.


This is a picture standing on my property line. To the left is my fence.. here is one of my trees taken down to the ground. I can't even express how many tears that I have shed over this. I used to sit in my yard in the summer and listen to the wind in the trees, and I couldn't see my stupid neighbor messing in her yard. But.. the days of Miss nice are over. The gloves are off. I am not going to bother telling her off, I will let the legal system do the talking. I have never been like that.. I have let lots of things slide that I have had to suffer for because of someone else's mistake. But what she did was deliberate.. and that makes all the difference as far as I am concerned. She is going to pay for her actions. I hope she enjoys the money she will have to put out to replant big trees where she destroyed mine. And she will have to WATCH them be re-planted. It will never be the same, It took 20 years to grow my trees, and I will be lucky if I live another 20 to be able to enjoy them again. I feel such a feeling of loss. I am just so ANGRY.. and that is a new feeling for me.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, Teri, I am almost in tears over your post. How AWFUL! I have a very strong sense of justice and right and wrong, so I hope you will take her to task over this! I am rooting for you. Get a lawyer! Your home is your sanctuary. Aloha!

Anonymous said...

Boy, talk about biting the big one! I love my yard the same way and I would be furious beyond comprehension if someone else took it upon theirself to cut even a flower without asking first. My dad's neighbor poured rock salt on his hedgerow. I think he and your neighbor might have been related...(he's gone to his great reward)..Grieving with you - Lindy

Debra Dixon said...

Let me get this straight--she cut down trees in YOUR yard?

Isn't that trespassing and vandalism? That is unconscionable.

I am lending you my support. That is wrong. A judge should be able to see that clearly.

I know how you feel about losing the trees too. I had some old scraggly trees that the road service came by and cut and I was livid (& it was on public property and they were right but I felt they were my trees!)

Jules said...

I was sad when my neighbor took down some of her trees and opened up my view. I cannot imagine how I would feel if she took down mine. Good luck with your law suit.

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

That's so completely horrible! I hope you win really big in the legal system. I can't even imagine how I would feel if someone cut my trees down. Here's hoping to swift and speedy justice

Anonymous said...

How horrible.... Someone as fastidious about her own yard should respect plants.....

Karoda said...

Teri, you are showing wonderful restraint in the face of your anger over this...if I was in that situation, I only imagine, but there would be 2 lawsuits...one for the damage done to your property and the other from smacking the bitch. Will be rooting for you that justice comes your way!

Jen said...

Teri, this is just AWFUL, you have my every sympathy. Years ago we had a neighbor cut down trees we loved by our fence, but at least they were in HER yard. This is unbelievable. I hope justice is served. Jen

Rian said...

Oh Teri, how terrible. I am shocked. What a despicable person--who would do such a thing! I hope she has to pay big-time. And they should make her replace the trees, too. I am surprised that the guy with the chain saw would even do it. I'm very sorry for your loss.