Neighbors

[1acrefarm]

Sometimes I wish I could move way out in the woods. Neighbors decide to get cats because they feel they can throw them outside and not have to worry about them. I can go outside at any point and see five cats in my yard. Does not sound like a big deal but I don't prefer to grow my families food in cat poop plus its hard to keep fleas out of my yard.

I have a couple neighbors that want to bum cigarettes all the time. I can barely afford my own. When they are not trying to bum cigarettes they are knocking on my door over something stupid. I really don't care to stop what I am doing to see flower that was force bloomed in the winter or the chipmunk that drowned in the tub they catch rain water in and breed millions of mosquitoes in. If I try to relax or get something done my door gets knocked on atleast ten times a day.

Then I have these neighbors who are otherwise wonderful whose grandkids want to feed my animals. Should be no big deal but it is a five gallon bucket at a time containing alot of things I would never give my animals. Raw potato peelings, molded bread, fastfood fries. Mostly junk. I always have to clean up the pen after they come. Sorry for my rant. I just had to get this out so I don't get to the point of running all my neighbors out of the neighborhood. I am sort of a loner and all this neighbor activity is kind of getting me edgy. I keep to myself and never bother anyone, even keep my animals as quite as possible even though I hear neighbors barking dogs constantly day and night.

 

[arlee453]

You should move to our neighborhood - we're all friendly and on good terms, but we don't go knocking on each others doors, ever unless it's to tell someone their dog is out, or to trick or treat....

It's hard to walk the line between being friendly and a good neighbor, and yet maintaining boundaries with these folks.

Good luck...

 

[DuckLady]

Wow.

Well with the people who are feeding your chickens...they mean well. I am sure a polite talk with them will stop it. Just tell them you appreciate the thought, but you are very careful about what you feed your hens. If they persist, tell them WHY you don't want them to feed your hens moldy bread etc and that vet bills will be expensive if your hens get sick from what THEIR grandkids are feeding them. If you can stand to, invite the kidlets over to help you feed the chickens and tell them the why's do's and don't's.

The cats? Paintball guns... and I never let people mooch off me when I smoked. If they are rude enough to mooch, they don't need polite words when I say no. Putting a Day Sleeper sign on your door might work, too.

 

[1acrefarm]

I know the ones feeding the animals mean well. They are about the best neighbors a person could have. Other than the junkfood for the animals they are the neighbors you do want. They will let you know when your critters get out. They will also run intruders out of your yard. They even let me know to keep a closer eye on my goats when they are tied out. Apparently my billy goat got in a fight with a buck deer while I was in town a few days ago. I think I will have a talk with them soon. I think I can put a can of scratch feed by the pen and just let the kids throw them a few handfuls each.

 

[Redfeathers]

I used to have neighbors like that until I moved to this town a few months ago. I finally had to post a sign on the front door saying "please don't knock, we are taking a nap" It helped a little, plus caller I.D helped so I didn't always answer the phone when they decided to call instead. A good fence is an option, sometimes you can find cheap fencing on Craigslist.

It's hard to be popular.

lol

 

[buc]

i have to close neighbors, one is a 1/4 mile away and the other is about a 1/2 mile, one to my east is a full mile away and I have no one across the road from me.

I get along fine with them and them with me, when we need help we ask each other for it, when we have a party we invite each other and when we want to be left the H*ll alone we give each other room, which really is the reason we moved out to the sticks to begin with, well that and raising our own food.

 

[Southern28Chick]

I would be so mad if someone just walked onto my property. I have neighbors but where I come from you don't go into other people's property unannounced, you would get a shot gun pointed at you.

I have 6 cats and 3 ferals. The 3 ferals and my 4 males are outside during the day. My cats never leave my property. Cats are very territorial animals. It seems that if the neighbors' cats are coming into your land then the neighbor must be doing something wrong like not feeding them.

I don't know. I have neighbors but we don't bother each other. I've lived here 2 years and I only know 1 neighbor and that's because she boarded my dad's horse before we even moved here.

 

[chickenfeathers]

Good fences aren't always enough...

 

[1acrefarm]

Quote:
That is so true. I have pretty well got used to the cars that go by thumping bass. As long as I stay in the house all day for a couple of Wednesdays and Sundays after the third of the month I don't have to hear the drunk woman preaching at the top of her lungs on her back porch all day.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
How funny you should say that. I'm from a small town outside of Asheville and that's the way I've always seen things. Now living here in Arkansas, the SO tells me I should go exploring to get to know the area better. He just doesn't understand when I tell hiim I would, but I don't want to take the chance of accidently ending up on the wrong side of a shotgun, should I wander onto someone else's property.
I don't have to deal with neighbors now, thank goodness! When I still lived in town I made good use of my caller i.d. and hung a day sleeper sign on my door. I really didn't care if people saw me moving around inside and out and couldn't understand why I didn't answer their knock or ring. If they asked I just told them that I value my alone time and left it at that. As for neighbor's kids/grandkids I'd shoo them on home and I'd make sure my voice sounded like I meant business. I didn't tolerate other's pets wandering in my yard either. I take care to keep mine at home and I don't want to deal with someone elses. However, when I did have a problem (actually the whole neighborhood had a problem) with someone's pit bulls running loose, I called animal control and bugged the tar outta them till they did something about it. Being a small town, I also made sure the mayor knew about it. I didn't call the cops about it though. Believe me, cops have more important things to do than teach people proper animal etiquette.