My Worst Garden Pest Ever--A Retired Neighbor

I

Irish Exit

Verified User
I have a childless retired couple living across the street at an angle from me. He used to mow the lot next door to me which he doesn't any more. In fact, he has lost several of his side job mowing gigs in the last year or so for various reasons. I have progressively landscaped my previously much neglected property since moving in, acquired some adjoining property, battled down some wooded lots into wooded yard, etc etc. I have also progressively added more and more vegetable/permaculture, so basically I am always doing something new. I have periodically given the old guy and his wife mini-tours of what I have been done, discussed what I plan to do and so forth. I told them if they wanted anything from the garden just to come get it. I didn't really care.

Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type) is now just randomly all over my property like it is his. I go out in the morning and he is walking around with his cup of coffee like he owns the place. Came home yesterday and he had tools out fooling with my mower (nothing is wrong with my mower really). He was just "checking things". He sprayed all the bee nests around my house. He weeds my vegetable beds at time. In short, he is actually being constructive BUT he is freaking me the hell out just randomly doing all this stuff. I feel almost as if there is another shoe about to drop, or he is just trying to find something he could run his mouth about, or whatever, and I am not sure what to do about it. I mean he has his own property that could use quite a bit of maintenance so not sure why he is always at mine. Guy pruned my freaking hedges for God's sake while I was at work.

So, should I just ignore this guy knowing he will probably be dead or in a home in 5 years or what? How do you politely tell someone being helpful to stay the hell away from your property?
 
Aw, poor guy. He sounds like someone who was used to keeping busy and now has too much time on his hands. What if you invited him and his missus over for a BBQ or just some iced tea on the veranda/deck, and discussed your plans for your property? Nothing wrong with saying that finding him doing stuff w/o being asked makes you uncomfortable even though you appreciate that he's trying to help. Maybe you could figure out some tasks he could do to help out -- but only those specific tasks -- for a share in the harvest? Having his wife there might help so that she could remind him later if he's overstepping again.

Good luck. Please let us know how it turns out.
 
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Just a suggestion :smile:
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Aw, poor guy. He sounds like someone who was used to keeping busy and now has too much time on his hands. What if you invited him and his missus over for a BBQ or just some iced tea on the veranda/deck, and discussed your plans for your property? Nothing wrong with saying that finding him doing stuff w/o being asked makes you uncomfortable even though you appreciate that he's trying to help. Maybe you could figure out some tasks he could do to help out -- but only those specific tasks -- for a share in the harvest? Having his wife there might help so that she could remind him later if he's overstepping again.

Good luck. Please let us know how it turns out.
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See this is sort of the waiting for the other shoe to drop thing. It feels almost like he is trying to con me into hiring him to be a handy man by showing how useful he could be. It is just very very odd. I certainly wouldn't ask him to do anything without offering to pay him for it. His property is about 90% shaded so I even offered to let him use part of my field and my tiller to do his own vegetable garden if he wanted, but nope he had no interest in that, which makes him working in mine even more perplexing.
 
Kacper said:
See this is sort of the waiting for the other shoe to drop thing. It feels almost like he is trying to con me into hiring him to be a handy man by showing how useful he could be. It is just very very odd. I certainly wouldn't ask him to do anything without offering to pay him for it. His property is about 90% shaded so I even offered to let him use part of my field and my tiller to do his own vegetable garden if he wanted, but nope he had no interest in that, which makes him working in mine even more perplexing.
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That is pretty weird all right. However, if that's the worst thing you ever get from a neighbor, you are fortunate.
 
domer76 said:
That is pretty weird all right. However, if that's the worst thing you ever get from a neighbor, you are fortunate.
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Part of the perplexity as to what to do. It isn't like I necessarily hate having free labor. I just wish he did it more secretive so I never saw him :innocent:
 
Kacper said:
Part of the perplexity as to what to do. It isn't like I necessarily hate having free labor. I just wish he did it more secretive so I never saw him :innocent:
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Yeah, that's a tough one. I think he probably wants to feel useful. I saw that in my dad when he was in his very advanced years. Couldn't do the things he wanted to, but kinda got in the way of the things we wanted to take care of for him. We were remodeling his bathroom and he was right in the middle of things. We asked him to do a little touch up painting of the little floor heat vent, just to keep him busy. It came back Yield Sign yellow. That was probably 17 years ago. I now have that heat vent in all its colorful glory in my bathroom.

N1020876bIG.jpg
 
Kacper said:
I have a childless retired couple living across the street at an angle from me. He used to mow the lot next door to me which he doesn't any more. In fact, he has lost several of his side job mowing gigs in the last year or so for various reasons. I have progressively landscaped my previously much neglected property since moving in, acquired some adjoining property, battled down some wooded lots into wooded yard, etc etc. I have also progressively added more and more vegetable/permaculture, so basically I am always doing something new. I have periodically given the old guy and his wife mini-tours of what I have been done, discussed what I plan to do and so forth. I told them if they wanted anything from the garden just to come get it. I didn't really care.

Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type) is now just randomly all over my property like it is his. I go out in the morning and he is walking around with his cup of coffee like he owns the place. Came home yesterday and he had tools out fooling with my mower (nothing is wrong with my mower really). He was just "checking things". He sprayed all the bee nests around my house. He weeds my vegetable beds at time. In short, he is actually being constructive BUT he is freaking me the hell out just randomly doing all this stuff. I feel almost as if there is another shoe about to drop, or he is just trying to find something he could run his mouth about, or whatever, and I am not sure what to do about it. I mean he has his own property that could use quite a bit of maintenance so not sure why he is always at mine. Guy pruned my freaking hedges for God's sake while I was at work.

So, should I just ignore this guy knowing he will probably be dead or in a home in 5 years or what? How do you politely tell someone being helpful to stay the hell away from your property?
Click to expand...

if he does good work I would thank him......however if he ever trims your bushes too short I would cut him off saying "if you don't know what you are doing, please ask first".....I got a client who has a cottage up north on the lake and he'll go up for the weekend and find the neighbor has planted a tree in front of his garage. My client has done a survey and showed the guy where the property stakes are.......he pulls them up.......client called cops and they said "please don't press charges, this guy is in the courthouse every week already complaining about everyone".......
 
domer76 said:
Yeah, that's a tough one. I think he probably wants to feel useful. I saw that in my dad when he was in his very advanced years. Couldn't do the things he wanted to, but kinda got in the way of the things we wanted to take care of for him. We were remodeling his bathroom and he was right in the middle of things. We asked him to do a little touch up painting of the little floor heat vent, just to keep him busy. It came back Yield Sign yellow. That was probably 17 years ago. I now have that heat vent in all its colorful glory in my bathroom.

N1020876bIG.jpg
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Yep I have a Barbie Dreamcar pink/purple-y table that was supposed to be burgundy in my sunroom because I decided to send an older relative to the store to get them out of my hair and they chose, well, very very wrong. :whoa:
 
Kacper said:
I have a childless retired couple living across the street at an angle from me. He used to mow the lot next door to me which he doesn't any more. In fact, he has lost several of his side job mowing gigs in the last year or so for various reasons. I have progressively landscaped my previously much neglected property since moving in, acquired some adjoining property, battled down some wooded lots into wooded yard, etc etc. I have also progressively added more and more vegetable/permaculture, so basically I am always doing something new. I have periodically given the old guy and his wife mini-tours of what I have been done, discussed what I plan to do and so forth. I told them if they wanted anything from the garden just to come get it. I didn't really care.

Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type) is now just randomly all over my property like it is his. I go out in the morning and he is walking around with his cup of coffee like he owns the place. Came home yesterday and he had tools out fooling with my mower (nothing is wrong with my mower really). He was just "checking things". He sprayed all the bee nests around my house. He weeds my vegetable beds at time. In short, he is actually being constructive BUT he is freaking me the hell out just randomly doing all this stuff. I feel almost as if there is another shoe about to drop, or he is just trying to find something he could run his mouth about, or whatever, and I am not sure what to do about it. I mean he has his own property that could use quite a bit of maintenance so not sure why he is always at mine. Guy pruned my freaking hedges for God's sake while I was at work.

So, should I just ignore this guy knowing he will probably be dead or in a home in 5 years or what? How do you politely tell someone being helpful to stay the hell away from your property?
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"Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type)"

Then there is a high probability he posts on jpp.com....likely as a conservative.

Nothing wrong with being forthright and direct. I would tell him that I will take care of stuff on my property, and he does not need to bother with it.

If that doesn't work, my last suggestion is....anti-personnel landmines.
 
Cypress said:
"Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type)"

Then there is a high probability he posts on jpp.com....likely as a conservative.

Nothing wrong with being forthright and direct. I would tell him that I will take care of stuff on my property, and he does not need to bother with it.

If that doesn't work, my last suggestion is....anti-personnel landmines.
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I am not certain but I suspect that M18's would violate the no nuisance provision of my neighborhood covenants and restrictions. The declaration doesn't specifically state that property owners may not claymore cats but surely they would be my first victims.
 
Kacper said:
I have a childless retired couple living across the street at an angle from me. He used to mow the lot next door to me which he doesn't any more. In fact, he has lost several of his side job mowing gigs in the last year or so for various reasons. I have progressively landscaped my previously much neglected property since moving in, acquired some adjoining property, battled down some wooded lots into wooded yard, etc etc. I have also progressively added more and more vegetable/permaculture, so basically I am always doing something new. I have periodically given the old guy and his wife mini-tours of what I have been done, discussed what I plan to do and so forth. I told them if they wanted anything from the garden just to come get it. I didn't really care.

Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type) is now just randomly all over my property like it is his. I go out in the morning and he is walking around with his cup of coffee like he owns the place. Came home yesterday and he had tools out fooling with my mower (nothing is wrong with my mower really). He was just "checking things". He sprayed all the bee nests around my house. He weeds my vegetable beds at time. In short, he is actually being constructive BUT he is freaking me the hell out just randomly doing all this stuff. I feel almost as if there is another shoe about to drop, or he is just trying to find something he could run his mouth about, or whatever, and I am not sure what to do about it. I mean he has his own property that could use quite a bit of maintenance so not sure why he is always at mine. Guy pruned my freaking hedges for God's sake while I was at work.

So, should I just ignore this guy knowing he will probably be dead or in a home in 5 years or what? How do you politely tell someone being helpful to stay the hell away from your property?
Click to expand...

Put up some ​"NO TRESPASSING" signs. If you live in florida shoot him and use the stand your ground law for defense. Put electrified barb wire around you property. Build a beautiful wall around your property. Punji pits work well too.
 
Kacper said:
I am not certain but I suspect that M18's would violate the no nuisance provision of my neighborhood covenants and restrictions. The declaration doesn't specifically state that property owners may not claymore cats but surely they would be my first victims.
Click to expand...

It's easier to get away with killing humans than cats. I suggest you stick with killing humans.
 
PostmodernProphet said:
if he does good work I would thank him......however if he ever trims your bushes too short I would cut him off saying "if you don't know what you are doing, please ask first".....I got a client who has a cottage up north on the lake and he'll go up for the weekend and find the neighbor has planted a tree in front of his garage. My client has done a survey and showed the guy where the property stakes are.......he pulls them up.......client called cops and they said "please don't press charges, this guy is in the courthouse every week already complaining about everyone".......
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He seems like a good law abiding good christian to me:rolleyes:
 
Kacper said:
I have a childless retired couple living across the street at an angle from me. He used to mow the lot next door to me which he doesn't any more. In fact, he has lost several of his side job mowing gigs in the last year or so for various reasons. I have progressively landscaped my previously much neglected property since moving in, acquired some adjoining property, battled down some wooded lots into wooded yard, etc etc. I have also progressively added more and more vegetable/permaculture, so basically I am always doing something new. I have periodically given the old guy and his wife mini-tours of what I have been done, discussed what I plan to do and so forth. I told them if they wanted anything from the garden just to come get it. I didn't really care.

Old guy (who is also a busy-body gossip type) is now just randomly all over my property like it is his. I go out in the morning and he is walking around with his cup of coffee like he owns the place. Came home yesterday and he had tools out fooling with my mower (nothing is wrong with my mower really). He was just "checking things". He sprayed all the bee nests around my house. He weeds my vegetable beds at time. In short, he is actually being constructive BUT he is freaking me the hell out just randomly doing all this stuff. I feel almost as if there is another shoe about to drop, or he is just trying to find something he could run his mouth about, or whatever, and I am not sure what to do about it. I mean he has his own property that could use quite a bit of maintenance so not sure why he is always at mine. Guy pruned my freaking hedges for God's sake while I was at work.

So, should I just ignore this guy knowing he will probably be dead or in a home in 5 years or what? How do you politely tell someone being helpful to stay the hell away from your property?
Click to expand...

High voltage electric fence would work........
 
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