Last November I
blogged about three of my neighbors. This blog will be devoted to just one of
those neighbors, the one that called the police while my granddaughter was
behind my fence raking weeds back from the fence. This neighbor’s “war” with me
has now escalated.
As I’ve been
diligently weeding the back flowerbed that is adjacent the back fence, I’ve
been having to pull morning glories and blackberries that are coming through
the fence. If I’m not vigilant, the morning glories wind themselves around my
plants, and it’s a bitch to get them off. They are also growing up through my
flowerbed now. Since they grow so fast, I’m sure that just a few months of
being ignored, would allow them to completely claim that back flowerbed and
strangle all the good plants there.
So, thinking
that if I texted a very polite request to have my granddaughter come and pull
the weeds back from the fence, I would get a positive response, I did so. The
neighbor’s response was, “NO”. So, I texted again, saying I didn’t understand
why this couldn’t be allowed and asked why this person couldn’t be a good
neighbor. No response for a couple of days.
Then,
yesterday, there was a knock on my front door. There stood another Lake Forest
Park policeman…perhaps the very one who warned me last fall. According to what
he had to say, I had once again trespassed on this neighbor’s property. I told
him I had not and offered to show him my back gate and the texts I’d sent. He
responded she had shown him the texts. He went on to say he was there to
provide me with an, “NOTICE – CRIMINAL TRESPASS WARNING.”
I was SHOCKED!!!
Seriously SHOCKED!!!
The officer went
on to review the contents of the warning document, asked for proof of who I was
(I recited my driver’s license number which I know by heart.) and had me sign
the warning. It is good for three years and he gave me a copy.
When I read the
document later, it says, “Entering or remaining on said premises after this
warning has been duly issued, shall be considered a knowing violation of…and as
such, you shall be subject to legal action including ARREST and/or the filing
of criminal charges.”
I am shocked
and angered by this neighbor’s actions, and all over the weeds that grow
unchecked behind the fence. It also leaves me in a quandary about replacing the
fence which will soon be needed. Is it possible to replace the fence without
going on her property…I guess the contractor will have to answer that question.
And, if it’s even possible, I guess I’ll assume the entire replacement cost.
Seriously, what
has happened to the sense of community, the willingness to be helpful, one
neighbor to another, the possibility of discussion about something that
negatively affects one neighbor and not another??? I don’t have an answer and
guess I’ll just have to view this as another indication of the poisonous venom
that’s permeating our society…additional proof of the “trickle down” theory.
In writing
this, I’ve gone from being hugely angry to being simply very sad. Perhaps it’s
a good thing I’m as old as I am because it means I won’t have to endure many
more of these “trickle down” societal elements. Seems like life and people used
to be so much kinder, or am I just wearing rose-colored glasses?