~ Retired and Starting My Future In The Foothills ~

[HHandbasket]

I spent a few hours with her yesterday & she's doing good. I admonished her to get on and post, and she assures that she will post an update. To be honest, she's just been relaxing and taking it easy and trying to focus on enjoying her retirement this week, and I think she is just staying away from the computer all together just because she can.

She assures me she will get on and post today. If she doesn't, I'll beat her with a wet noodle.

 

[speckledhen]

Ah, she deserves to rest! We'll get the scoop from her when she feels like it, no problem! Poor Linda has been through the wringer with this situation. Any peace she can find in the midst of it is wonderful.

 

[Casey3043]

I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't contain myself any longer. Those of us who are vicariously living in the California foothills in a little piece of heaven are hungry for news!

Linda writes so well and her adventures finding her house and moving her flock, and yes, dealing with the neighbors are so interesting that, well, we all sort of wish we lived there too! And we love to hear about it!

Didn't mean to press her or disrupt her peace and quiet on the holiday weekend. Please forgive me.

Take your time, Linda. All you need.

 

[HHandbasket]

She is presently relaxing in her enchanted recliner (we call it that because it has magical powers... everytime she sits in it, she falls asleep). Talked to her on the phone a couple of hours ago & she's all snuggly in the enchanted recliner with her two dogs and Lisbeth (the kitty).

I am, however, going to spank her if she doesn't get online and post today.

 

[gryeyes]

If it was me, it would take quite awhile before I could get my whirling thoughts to settle enough to type them out!

Yah, what speckledhen said. This is exactly the situation. Every time I got close to the computer, all I could think was "Crap. Crap! Crappity crap crap". Or, as debiraymond would say, "Craptastic!"

When I haven't been comatose in the Enchanted Recliner, I have been enjoying quality Chicken Time. Well, ducks and geese, too... and now two little turkey poults. Quality Poultry Time. All the little feathered folk have been making me smile, lowering my blood pressure, happily pooping on my shoes, my lap, occasionally one of my shoulders, and telling me what's been going on in their lives.

This is what I retired to do: sit on the porch or deck, or steps to the porch, or out under the pergola, sipping something and taking drags on my e-cig whilst watching the flock. Oh, and eventually working on planting some things.

The first couple of days after the Board of Supervisors meeting I entertained very dark thoughts. Mean, nasty, hateful ideas for retribution. Or divine intervention, that would have been nice to observe, too. Ms. Rooster-Hater is trying to ready her house/property to rent it, as she is actually living in the Original Complainant's house with his son. She said she 'can't possibly rent it with all those roosters crowing all the time, and acknowledged it will be difficult anyway with the lack of any sound barrier between her house and the rural highway access to our short, dead-end road.' How awful it would be if a speeding gas tanker over-corrected on the highway right at the entrance to our road (directly below her house), rolled, and burst into flames, catching the underbrush and trees on fire. Whoopsies! It could destroy that empty, prospective rental house. Problem solved - nothing to try to rent. Voila!

Oh, okay, that's not good Karma to entertain. <*sigh*>

As I work on this post, I am also watching a Delaware chick and my two turkey poults investigate the office. I took the lid off their brooder and those 3 were the first to go wandering. The Salmon Favs (looks like a cockerel and a pullet) jump to the top of the waterer and feeder to get to the edge so they can balance for observations, but the poults and the Dellies are the intrepid wanderers. They have also mastered jumping back into the brooder bin.

So, to catch up to the Neighborhood Situation here: The Retired couple next door who have been "mediating" between The Complainants and I have also been assisting the woman who wants to rent her house. Mrs. Retiree is not happy with the amount of crowing coming from my yard and didn't believe I had made any changes to the number of roosters, despite Mr. Retiree-slash-Turncoat's assertion I have reduced the number of roosters here. She isn't hard of hearing, as is her husband, so the middle of the night crowing REALLY ticks her off. He sleeps through it.

Anyway, Ms. I Wanna Rent My Vacant P.O.S. Property knew her request to overturn the Admin Hearing decision was only suspended until May 22nd all the time, although I was led to believe it was tabled "indefinitely" while I worked to reduce the number of roosters. (I made plans to have all the young cockerels sent to Freezer Camp as they began to crow, deciding to keep my "core" group of beloved roosters: Carl, Charlie, Nugget, Frick, Hitchcock and Bernard. When both Retirees visited one day, she told me it was still pretty bad for her, so I began to develop a plan to re-home Nugget and Frick.)

Then I got the call from the County of El Dorado, informing me of the agenda item scheduled for the May 22 Board of Supervisor's meeting.

.....heck... I'm getting annoyed again... I'll post this and come back later when I can type more than strings of very bad words.

 

[speckledhen]

Whenever you can manage, we're ready to hear it, Linda.

 

[debilorrah]

Ah Linda!!! I finally find a minute to check in here and there you are quoting me. Craptastic is a fabulous word that fits life so well these days. I am just stunned at what they are putting you through over chickens.

Which reminds me of The Roswell Chicken Man. Please google that and promise us all that if it ever gets to that point you will just come and camp on my couch.

 

[Jferlisi]

Ah Linda!!! I finally find a minute to check in here and there you are quoting me. Craptastic is a fabulous word that fits life so well these days. I am just stunned at what they are putting you through over chickens.

Which reminds me of The Roswell Chicken Man. Please google that and promise us all that if it ever gets to that point you will just come and camp on my couch.

I agree. On of us chicken people would be happy to have you, im sure.

 

[wolftracks]

Linda while I'm house hunting, maybe I should just look for land and you take one ens and I'll tke the other and the roosters can crow their little throats dry in between. Too bad this is a family forum. I'd say to let go of those words, but every time I come onto this thread I do it for you. There are only a coupleof words, not in my vocabulary.

 

[momofpets]

Linda,

I think you need to take pictures of her rental house to document it being empty. Lots of people are not aware that MANY homeowners insurance companies frown upon homes being empty for more than 60 days. It makes the insurance policy void. Many agents who sell you the policy turn a blind eye to it but the home office and claims department will have a conniption fit when they find out. I would try and find out which insurance company she has and inform them she has had the house empty to be rented for XXXX time period. They can and will cancel her policy. Even if the insurance company doesn't cancel her, I am sure they will raise her premium due to increased liability.

I would also really research the history of her property. You can go to the building permit department and pull records from her property. Most people do not pull all necessary permits for home renovations. You can also find out lots of information from the county accessors office from the comfort of your computer.

I think you need to let them know loud and clear that you are willing to work with them on resolving neighborly issues but you will not be bullied and you have no problem stooping to their level. I would also spend a couple of hundred bucks speaking to an attorney to see what your options are. You might be in a more powerful position than you think. I would also try and get your story on the news, local paper, and youtube. Have you tried googling your neighbors name? You can go online into county court records. All civil and criminal cases can be researched. Civil cases are usually a matter of public record and sometimes, so are criminal cases. Right now, you are perceived as the inconsiderate neighbor with the loud roosters but you might find out your neighbor has a few skeletons in her closet that will help you out. She might be the neighborhood pain in the a** and there is always someone willing to tell you the neighborhood gossip.

But make sure you have your behind covered. I know you have reduced your rooster population and I know that helps. But can you get a cock box to prevent the remaining roosters from crowing at night or at the break of dawn? Have you asked your other neighbors if they can hear your roosters at night?

Hope this helps!