What a pleasure...
 

...to have nice friendly neighbors. Previous neighbors were in the house when we moved in fall 2001. Talked to them some but soon decided I didn't want much to do with them. Might cut the grass when it got to about 6" high, maybe, but then only part of it. Abought the best I can say is they were lazy pigs. Two adults, two teenage boys and grandparents, yet no one had time to cut the grass, trim the bushes or rake the leaves. The house was foreclosed on and they moved out December 2009. Hate to see someone lose their house but I'm so glad they're gone.

Fall 2010 a younger couple moved in, around 40 with a 3 year old little boy, Owen. They did more outside work on that house last fall than the previous owners did in 9 years and they're still fixing things up.

Best part is they're very friendly. Owen comes over to visit all the time, cute little guy. Yesterday he asked his mom, Ann, if they were going to move again. She said I certainly hope not, why? Owen said if we move then Hank and Lynda won't be our neighbors. Today he came over to show me the stuffed reindeer his dad brought home from a business trip. Ann and I were standing outside talking and realized he wasn't around. Walked around the back of our house and found him sitting in our family room with Lynda.

Long and boring, I know, but it's such a nice change. Neighbors that want to be friendly. Neighbors that take care of their house and property. Neighbors that are willing to help you when they can. That and Owen is a riot. He's always dragging me around outside showing me something or wanting me to do something with him. My kids are all grown up, I forgot how much fun they can be at that age. Okay, story over.

Good to hear,getting the wrong neighbors can make your life miserable.Just ask mine :p

When we were living in another part of town we had a eldery lady next door to us that our kids would visit when our children were 3 and 5. She was like a grandma to our kids and had a huge positive influence for our children. You will be a positve part of this young boys life. Have fun and enjoy the time with Owen. He will make you feel younger all over again.

After having a herd of crack heads living next to us for a year Im really thankful for the good neighbors around me most of which are my in laws .The crackheads destroyed a very nice 6 bedroom house ,it would take $50-60,000 to fix it to where it can be lived in again. The owner depended on the rent to make the payment which he never got so he lost the house to forclosure .There were 17 people in that one house and it shows .Im glad you finally have good neighbors and the little one is just a bonus.We have wonderful neighbors now that the crackhouse is empty.

He keeps me laughing. If our garage door is open he knows we're home and will come over to see if we're outside doing something.

We have some questionable neighbors across the street, but the one's right next door on either side are great. The druggies across the street know about the crazy ex-military guy with a bad attitude and too many guns and leave us alone for the most part. The rest of the block is crazy red necks with even more guns. We've all said on more than one occasion, if anyone wanted to commit suicide, being a criminal on our street would be a great place to do it.

Peace through superior fire power.

Fences make great neighbors!

Some of my neighbors understand my car affliction as I understand their desire to live their lives in ways other than manicuring their yards .... people have different priorities in life and I am ok with that.

Its the mean people that suck!

I don't manicure my lawn but this is a subdivision and I try to maintain my house and property like the other homes. No one has a manicured lawn here but how hard is it to cut the grass once a week? You couldn't even see the front of the house next store because of the overgrown bushes and trees planted 3' from the house. If it was an elderly couple next store I would have been more than willing to help them do the work they weren't capable of. I used my truck to help the new neighbors pull out the overgrown mess that was there. Two adults, younger than us and two teenagers and no one has time to cut the grass?

Sorry, everybody has their priorities but when you move into a sub you should be willing to try and maintain your property in a fashion similar to the surrounding homes. One dump can ruin the looks and resale value of the other homes. If yard work is not your thing, fine, live some where where it's not expected. The people across the street sit on the front lawn pulling weeds by hand. I'm not that fanatical, if the fertilizer/weed killer doesn't take care of it, oh well, at least the weeds we have aren't 6" tall.

I'm sure my neighbors were talking last night as I was running a leaf blower and lawnmower until 11pm.

... I find the rumble from my 60 gallon compressor much more comforting than the electric guitar down the street .... but I dont lose any sleep over either .... but the barking chiahuahua of the minister next door .... welp I'll just say God works in strange ways! LOL

Hank ... I have only lived in different subdivisions since 1954 but I am sure there is something about the yellow body with white trim that I have painted all my homes that pisses someone, somewhere off .... I am just saying it is not healthy to lose sleep over insignifcant matters.

Now if your neighbor was mean, violent, or dangerous then it would be a different issue, would it not?

David and I moved into our home 14 years ago when I was almost 8 months pregnant. We pulled up with the big moving truck and our 3 teenagers, and proceeded to start unloading the truck. All of a sudden a young man walked up and introduced himself as Warren and said he was our neighbor and asked if we needed any help. Before we could say anything, Warren started carrying stuff into the house. For the next 3 hours he helped us unload the truck and put together bunk beds and whatever we needed. It was a sad day, 8 years ago, when Warren and his wife Karyn told us they were moving. To this day we are still friends.

The young couple that moved into Warrens house are nice, but not the same relationship we had with Warren and his wife.

The house next door to us is our nightmare. About 10 years ago it became a rental house. We have called the police many times on the tenants that have lived there. One of the past tenants almost got into a physical confrontation with David, and the police were called numerous times. We have had crazy people in the house, people that don't take care of the house. The last lady was a little older and we had the kids shovel her driveway and sidewalk, then when she left she told the landlord that our kids were mean to her. Currently we have a family that we don't see a lot, but we hear their little "yapping" dog all the time, they tie him to the rail on the front porch late at night. Then one of them likes to pull up in the driveway and play his "thumping" music at 11:30pm at night, right near my sons bedroom. I am sure that they love me starting my car early in the morning. Especially when I rev the engine to warm it up.

Never said I lost any sleep over it. It also wasn't the reason I had little to do with them. There were other things going on that made me decide I didn't want to associate with them, that's a whole different story. I just said it's nice to have neighbors that are friendly and do maintain their house. Some people might think my house is a dump, it's not the nicest place in the neighborhood but I don't think it's the worst either.

Say what you want about Home Owners Associations, I have lived in sub divisions controlled by HOA's for the last 20 years and why some of the rules suck at least the houses are under the same rules. I have only had few violations (written notices) in the last 20 years, and they were for having my boat sitting in the driveway for over 48 hours. I've been lucky for the last 20 years as I have pretty good neighbors....thank god no Crack heads that I know of.

My first house when I was 25, the guy next door had a motor and lawn mower sitting in his front yard for over 3 years that were no good and he would just mow around them and when I went to sell my house one of the deals fell through because of that house. I went over and talked to him and told him what happened and asked if he had any problem with me helping him move the stuff and he said take it to junk yard if you want....so I did and no problems. He just said he had no way to get it out of there and was thankful that I did. My dog would always go into his yard and due it business so I can't complain to much.

Hank, glad you have a good neighbor now, I thought that house had a lot of potential and I guess the new people did as well. I bet Owen will like taking a ride in the Chevelle when you are able...you may make him a car guy of the 2020's and he'll want a Chevelle because Hank took him for a ride in his when he was a kid. My first rides in a Musule car was a 70 Trans Am...some day I will have one, as long as the clock works..lol

Sold my house, and looking for a place out in the country.

I don't want any neighbors, and that seemed like a better plan than shooting the ones I had. :D

now that takes "planting daisys" to a whole new level!

Derek ,I live on 40 acres and love it but we are not in the middle of it which would make it better .We live on the front of the acreage so we still have neighbors but most of us have several acres between us .Good luck on your search for peace and quiet .We have about 200 acres behind us that we hope stays undeveloped as it creates a wonderful buffer .

No you never actually said you lost sleep over the lifestyles of your neighbors Hank but, lets face it, it consumes you to a degree ... not that that is wrong, but as far as your concern if your house NOT the worst and your acceptance (sadly) that its not the best ... I would think those are both conditions that would be subjective to one's individual tastes and poersonal values as to what is important in life.

.... now if YOUR house was yellow with white trim then this discussion would be a mute issue.LOL

I would have preferred a yellow house with white trim. In fact there is one up around the corner. We all have our priorities. One of mine is not living next to what looks like an abandoned house. In fact things didn't look much different next door while the house sat vacant for 11 months. If that stuff is okay with you great, because I don't want to accept it doesn't mean I have a problem or something is wrong with me. If it does than I guess there are a lot of other people out there with the same 'issues'.

Why would I (or you) consider it a direct attack upon me if the neighbor's house is abandoned or the weeds are nearing 6" tall? Why should I even care, its not my property .... the guy that owns the property has the right to let it degrade ..... thats called property rights. If it was a health issue then the tables change, but poor taste is not a health issue.

I would think I would be considered an "elitist" if I assumed my values need to be shared by all my neighbors and those that do not conform would be the receipents of my scorn ....... I was kidding about yellow houses with white trim being the way to go! And those neighbors that DONT have a Chevelle in the garage, welp I still like 'em! LOL

I don't think I said my neighbors actions were a direct attack on me and I certainly never felt they were. That doesn't mean that their actions don't affect me. Our yard, their yard and the yard behind us all come together in an open are over 1 & 1/2 acres with no fences. If one of us chooses to raise dandelions for a living then it does affect the others. It destroys the look of the nice area we can all enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong but then so are the neighbors behind us and the 2 across the street that called the township regarding the condition of that property. Maybe not in your mind, but the look of one house can detract from the others and affect their property values.

So maybe the 4 of us are wrong. I guess then so are the thousands of people that are willing to live with HOAs and all their restrictions. Why do so many local governments have zoning laws/regulations regarding property maintenance and will maintain it for you and slap the bill on your taxes if you choose not to do it?

Clearly you don't care what you live next to and think it's none of your business. I think you'd be surprised at how many people prefer not to live next to a dump and I happen to be one of them. So we've both expressed our opinion on the subject. Let's just say we agree to disagree on this. You think I'm wrong, I don't and I don't see that changing. It's time to move on.

Of course you're free to add your 'closing arguments' then let's put it to rest.

Hank, I think it's our mid western up bringing because while I think people have the right to do what they want with their property they need to consider others and the property values. Your old neighbors did not care and it showed as they let a nice house go to hell and they lost their asses because of it. With all the traveling I've done in the past I have been surprised on some of the lack of zoning laws in some counties.

In our neighbor hood in the last 9 years I have only known of two incidents where the HOA had to step in and they ended up be renters who did not care and it got pretty bad before they jumped in. I was Treasure of the HOA for 4 years and the board did not get involved unless their was complaints.

To each his own

There are 2 houses on our street that are empty right now. Kathy and I take the rider to both of them and cut the grass. I have kept the bushs trimmed, we pick up alll the branchs and sticks in the yard that the wind knocks down. We are like you Hank. One house that is turning to shit does have an affect on the whole street. I have even gone across the street to the wierd-os place and said "hey, you don't mind if I mow your lawn, do you". The owners are both able-bodied humans, but they could give a rats ass if their place looks like a dump. I care what my neighboorhood looks like.

And Ric...NO CLOCK FOR YOU!!!!!!! The "clock nazi" has spoken.

I have never seen my next door neighbor so much in the 9 years we've been here than since I got the Chevelle. He's like the little kid you mention, if he sees the garage door open, he comes over!!

I wish I had the space that you guys speak of. I live in a town where the houses are separated by the driveway between them. Luckily I live on a corner, with my driveway being off the side street so I only have the one renter right beside me.

We have gone and cut grass, or shoveled snow for the elderly or at the empty houses. With winter coming the one thing that I don't look forward to is the fact that I live 3 blocks from the Elementary School and no one shovels or salts their sidewalks. When it snows a lot we take the snowblower and snowblow the snow all the way to the school. I understand our neighbor Arnie not doing it, he is in his 70's. But the others who are maybe in their mid 30's tick me off.

The neighbors across the street are in their 70's, at least he is. He is also crippled from polio as a child. I've helped him on a number of occasions and never expected anything in return. Now their 40 year old son is living with them and he has helped us several times since I fractured my pelvis. I don't think they're trying to repay the favors, they're just good people and good neighbors.

I also helped the previous neighbors on several occasions, let's just say mechanical ability was not his strong suit. No problem, I didn't expect or want anything in turn. There is a drain pipe under the road out front that divides our properties. Also a utility pole at the back that divides our properties and the yard behind us. For the first 3 years I pushed the hand mower up and down the hill around the drain pipe. Then used the weed wacker there and around the utility pole. It takes well over an hour with the weed wacker and hand mower in our yard. Then you get to sit on the lawn mower to cut the rest. No problem, I'm there, I'll take care of it. Maybe next time you'll do it. Nope, 3 years and they never came within 3 feet of the pole or drain pipe. So I quit and took care of my property and my property only. We're pushing 60 years old and they had 4 capable people all younger than us.

Now the new neighbors moved in and I helped them pull a punch of overgrown bushes out with my 4x4 pickup. Don't want or expect anything but again he has helped us with some things I can't do right now. Anyway, we now have nice neighbors all the way around us. We'll help them if and when we can and I'm sure they'll do the same. They don't have to but it's nice to know they're willing to. As I said when I started the post it's a pleasure. It's a pleasure to have neighbors that are friendly. A pleasure to know that if you do need help at times there are people that are more than willing to lend a hand. A pleasure to walk outside and see a friendly face and someone that you want to talk to and be friends with.

Lived in the city with 55' wide lots for over 20 years. Had some great neighbors and some, so so. I use to snow blow about 5 houses on our side, one on the other side. Clean the gutters for the woman across the street, fix her garage door opener, etc. It was a nice neighborhood. We just always wanted a little more space, a little more openness. We left some good people behind but have made some really good friends here.

[QUOTE=Hank70SS;29129]I don't think I said my neighbors actions were a direct attack on me and I certainly never felt they were. That doesn't mean that their actions don't affect me. Our yard, their yard and the yard behind us all come together in an open are over 1 & 1/2 acres with no fences. If one of us chooses to raise dandelions for a living then it does affect the others. It destroys the look of the nice area we can all enjoy. Maybe I'm wrong but then so are the neighbors behind us and the 2 across the street that called the township regarding the condition of that property. Maybe not in your mind, but the look of one house can detract from the others and affect their property values.

So maybe the 4 of us are wrong. I guess then so are the thousands of people that are willing to live with HOAs and all their restrictions. Why do so many local governments have zoning laws/regulations regarding property maintenance and will maintain it for you and slap the bill on your taxes if you choose not to do it?

Clearly you don't care what you live next to and think it's none of your business. I think you'd be surprised at how many people prefer not to live next to a dump and I happen to be one of them. So we've both expressed our opinion on the subject. Let's just say we agree to disagree on this. You think I'm wrong, I don't and I don't see that changing. It's time to move on.Of course you're free to add your 'closing arguments' then let's put it to rest.[/QUOTE

QUOTELived in the city with 55' wide lots for over 20 years. Had some great neighbors and some, so so. I use to snow blow about 5 houses on our side, one on the other side. Clean the gutters for the woman across the street, fix her garage door opener, etc. It was a nice neighborhood. We just always wanted a little more space, a little more openness. We left some good people behind but have made some really good friends hereQUOTE

QUOTEThe neighbors across the street are in their 70's, at least he is. He is also crippled from polio as a child. I've helped him on a number of occasions and never expected anything in return. Now their 40 year old son is living with them and he has helped us several times since I fractured my pelvis. I don't think they're trying to repay the favors, they're just good people and good neighbors.

I also helped the previous neighbors on several occasions, let's just say mechanical ability was not his strong suit. No problem, I didn't expect or want anything in turn. There is a drain pipe under the road out front that divides our properties. Also a utility pole at the back that divides our properties and the yard behind us. For the first 3 years I pushed the hand mower up and down the hill around the drain pipe. Then used the weed wacker there and around the utility pole. It takes well over an hour with the weed wacker and hand mower in our yard. Then you get to sit on the lawn mower to cut the rest. No problem, I'm there, I'll take care of it. Maybe next time you'll do it. Nope, 3 years and they never came within 3 feet of the pole or drain pipe. So I quit and took care of my property and my property only. We're pushing 60 years old and they had 4 capable people all younger than us.

Now the new neighbors moved in and I helped them pull a punch of overgrown bushes out with my 4x4 pickup. Don't want or expect anything but again he has helped us with some things I can't do right now. Anyway, we now have nice neighbors all the way around us. We'll help them if and when we can and I'm sure they'll do the same. They don't have to but it's nice to know they're willing to. As I said when I started the post it's a pleasure. It's a pleasure to have neighbors that are friendly. A pleasure to know that if you do need help at times there are people that are more than willing to lend a hand. A pleasure to walk outside and see a friendly face and someone that you want to talk to and be friends with. QUOTE


Hank...... so much for " moving on" and "putting it to rest" LOL

True, but I wasn't debating you regarding our different opinions on the subject. I was replying to several other members and their comments.

Yes, I know what you were doing!

So I guess some people would not have a issue with these house's next to you as it is thier property and they can do what ever they want to. Sometimes you have to have rules as some people will push the limits just because they can. Got to love the stuffed animals attached to the tree on the first picture, I bet that is a nice smell when they get wet.

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...adot-house.jpg
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...it_MI_2850.jpg

No comment.

Would you like to be my neighbor,Hank? Really all I do is an occasional burnout and a:p ton of leaf blowing and vacuuming my landscape rocks.The fridge in the garage is always full of the Silver Bullet too!

I can't see the pics. Says removed form pb.

Sounds good Gary, I'd like to have you as a neighbor. I could sit and drink your cold beer while you do burnouts or work in the yard.

I did a big burnout in my neighbors concrete driveway earlier this summer. He came over later laughing his ass off. Said anytime, you can paint the whole thing black, he loved it. He just got back from PA, Tony's Muscle Cars, put a down payment on a 70 vert 454 SS clone. They have the car but it needs to be completely redone. Shooting for April, May next year. He wants a turnkey car he can jump in and start driving. He has a lot more money than me.

They are back, I did not realize that if you delete the pic its not in the message anymore. I learned something today.

Maybe you should let this individual finish his remodeling BEFORE you pass judgement!! LOL

I have heard that certain car salesmen (I am not mentioning names) have been known to wear hawaiian shirts AFTER labor day .... are you sure you know what your getting into?? LOL