[Cody Dawg]

We just moved away from a neighborhood where we had annoying neighbors. I won't get into it that much, but the wife of one of our neighbors is just plain crazy. She spreads lies and gossip about everyone in the neighborhood, comes and borrows money (after confessing that her husband took her off of the checking account because of her extravagant spending - then begs us not to let her husband know that she is borrowing money), threatens a new neighbor that moves in on the other side for no good reason, and I could go on and on. The truth is that one of the reasons I wanted to move was to get away from her. The sad thing is that her husband is a nice guy. He once asked my husband for a job but because of the way his wife acts, he couldn't give him one. She's just a nasty human being and it's sad because the husband is a nice guy.

On the other side of us used to live a car dealership owner who, one New Year's Eve, got mad at his wife and decided to shoot up his house - the SWAT team had to come and take him out of there. They moved and the new people are great. Unfortunately they now deal with the nonsense of the people I'm mentioning above and they're talking about moving also - and they just moved in.

This is not some ghetto 'hood, either. I honestly think a ghetto 'hood probably behaves better in many respects. This is a very nice neighborhood.

Now we've moved away and hopefully we won't have this kind of thing going on, but you never know...

Have any neighbor horror stories?

[besson3c]

My old neighbor was a Christian fanatic, many stories there (not good ones).

I also had a neighbor with an eating disorder break in to this house to eat some of our food while we were out of town. The cops came and captured her.

[Doofy]

I detest *all* neighbours. Not anyone in particular, but just the whole concept of it - the fact that you're forced to live near someone who you might not like and have little choice in the matter (in most cases, a Brazilian supermodel never moves into the house next door).

Which is why I could never live in an urban area. Land makes a nice buffer between yourself and the next idiot. Sea would make an even better buffer.

[IonCable]

Yup got that too. Doesn't effect me directly, but a good neighbor down from me is building a Coi Pond, following all the association, township and county regs. His neighbor doesn't like it and keeps trying to get the association to make him remove it, they called the township (who laugh at them.) ect. When asked about the Coi Pond and why they don't want it the answer is "Some people don't like Coi Ponds." They have a frigg'in ugly fake grass putting green in their yard.

My advice to my Good Neighbor was offer to get rid of the Coi Pond if they rip up the Putting Green.

The Wife is from Sweden and all she talks about is how great it is there. She yelled at me for using Fertilizer on my lawn. Apparently Sweds don't use fertilizer.

My response was "I bet there's a plane leaving for Sweden."

[Dakar]

I have a feeling this thread is going to make we want to leave earth.

[ort888]

The people on either side of me are about 80 years old. I live in a neighborhood that is about half people in their 70s and half people in their early 30s. As the old folks die, young people move in.

Our neighbors are strangely anti-social.I talk to them every once in a while, but for the most part, we completely ignore each other other. It's probably better that way. When I lived in an apartment, a girl I went to high school with moved in right next to me, and while she was nice, she would talk your ear off. Sometimes you really just don't want to talk to people. At least, I don't. I actually detest small talk. It drives me nuts.

[ghporter]

My neighbors are all well-behaved and polite. Except for the high school across the back fence. Not only are students and parents less than considerate, but people think they can go onto the campus and cause a ruckus whenver they like-like at 3 in the morning. I've never had to call the police for a residential neighbor, but I've called them more than once because of idiots on the high school campus.

[memory-minus]

I live in the ghetto, literally. I bought into my local downtown "revitalization" project, which is really just a pleasant word for ghetto. It includes both middle-class and Habitat for Humanity homes. To be honest, everyone here is close knit, watches out for each other (you have to with the crime rate in my area of town, even though I have never had a problem with crime) and generally knows everyone else's face if not names. One of my neighbors is a stylist and cuts my hair, we have neighborhood cookouts, etc. There's no HOA which I like, and to date no one has taken advantage of the fact there isn't any to do anything garish to their house/yard.

If I had to complain, sometimes my next door neighbor's teenage kid has his friends over and they talk loudly and listen to music on their front porch. I can hear it from my home office but not my bedroom, and they always turn it off/shut up at exactly 11 PM, the local noise ordinance time. Also, I get asked for work, food and/or money by homeless people from time to time.

I'll take all that any day compared to the crazy bitch Cody described! I think living where I do helps people to, pardon me, "keep it real."

[Mastrap]

I'm in the same position as Ort888. On our right there's an ancient Portuguese couple, complete with even more ancient Portuguese grandmother who doesn't speak a word of English. But she sits on the porch a lot and smiles whenever we come and go. The entire family is lovely. Not a single complaint when we were tearing the walls in our house down.

On the other side we have renters, our age. Again, very nice. They allowed our contractors to park in their yard while they were working on our house and our garage was filled with garbage.

A house further down is an ancient immigrant from Latvia, his neighbours are a lesbian couple. Next, again an old Portuguese family. Opposite is a school and a park. I like living in my neighbourhood.

[TurboMac]

My neighbors seem very nice, but there are still things that bother me.

It's an old man in his 90's that a year before I moved in ran his last wife over with the car and kept revving and spinning the tires because he thought he was stuck in a snow pile! The person who owned the house before me had held the lady till she passed and the whole neighborhood was very upset I guess. I think that was one of the reasons she moved. The thing that is really striking is he is still driving!!!!!!! Scares the crap out of my wife. I am just pissed because he is always running over my lawn trying to pull out of his driveway. (I just re-did the lawn) I guess in Ohio people can request that someone be checked for driving skills, but the catch is that person has to know who requested so that puts me in a tuff situation.

He has since re-married and they are always out in there driveway sitting in there chairs getting sun because they do not have a porch. Or he is watching her work her fingers to the bone (She is Romanian) I do have a concrete covered porch and my enterance to my house is on their side of it. Everytime I go somewhere they ask "Where are you going" or "What are you doing". Same if I get home "Where have you been" or "What have you been doing". Drives me nuts, so I try to fight fire with fire and that doesn't work cause I know what they have been doing, and I know where they have been. Waiting for me!

Anyone else have similar situations? I have even tried to be weird and that doesn't seem to work either. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

[ort888]

My parents on the other hand, have some kooky neighbors. Their 15 year old daughter is in a punk rock band that likes to practice at full volume in the garage. Their music mostly consists of wailing on the instruments and shouting "bloody tampon" into the mic.

[Landos Mustache]

My neighbors are all nice and keep to themselves. There is one annoying chatty chick but everyone in the area just ignores her.

[Timo]

I've got new neighbors, having just moved -- terrific people on one side, and decent folks on the other. But what I really like is that our block has a neighbor's association, which in my experience encourages people to look out for each other. My favorite member is the Italian lady whose been in her house 56 years, most of it it seems parked on a lawn chair next to her stoop. She and her possé see everything.

[JoshuaZ]

Well, I live in a two story, 4 apartment little building thing. There are two of these side by side. I have apartments and home really close together. Across the street is a row of homes and behind them is a train track. Trains go by every 20 minutes between 5 in the morning and 12 at night. The upside is that there is a train stop right up the road. Being an old Japanese neighborhood everything is close together. In the 8 apartments in my little complex there is only my next door neighbor/ coworker, and one guy living in the next building. So mostly empty.

Most of my neighbors are super old. So they just smile and find me to be another tall and weird foreigner. No one gives me any bother.

Annoying: Buildings around here have super thin walls. I can hear old ladies outside at 5 am chatting, and really really noisy cats getting it on all night long. I've managed to tone out the trains though.

Super Annoying: Having a party here with my friends on a friday night (a double birthday party for two coworkers). Neighbors called the cops at like 10 (probably before 10 because the Japanese police are kind of slow). And again at 1:30, after most everyone was gone and there was no noise.

Overall, can no complain. I mean, who would I complain to? Plus my rent is like $50, so blah.

[Railroader]

I have excellent neighbors. On each side of my house is a family with either college age children or high school age chldren. I talk about once a week with them or so. The neighbors to the West of me are from South Carolina and are a little bit hick, but in a good way. If I even look like I need help with anything he's over in a flash doing more work than I am. The neighbor to my East walks to the store and buys a newspaper every day just for the sports section. He doesn't read anything else and drops the rest on my doorstop better than any new delivery person ever would. I just read the sports news online.

Across the street from me is currently a vacant building. The police regularly patrol it and whenever someone is loitering there my self or a neighbor will call it in and the police are there in less than five minutes. It is slated to be developed into a senior apt. complex next Summer. I'll let you know what kind of neighbors I have then.

Here's an ariel view of my 'hood. My oddly plotted property is outlined in white.

[Gossamer]

Pop up camper!

[IceEnclosure]

I just typed out a huge post and it's gone now. ****.

edit:nevermind!

[blackstar]

haha talking about neighbours...
i live in an appartment and the girl next door, usually has a lot of guests...so last night one of them knocks at my door at 2.30am and runs away giggling...
I was about to just run outside and knock the hell out of them...but decided to let go

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Gossamer

Pop up camper!

That picture is a few years old. I no long own the camper or the Grand Am. I really enjoyed both, but the Grand Am got traded in for a Minivan when my daughter was born, and the camper is impossible to use with newborns. So, instead of keeping the camper in storage and paying that and the depreciation we sold it and plan on buying another one in a few years when the kids are older. Until them we are tent camping. I do miss the ease of having a camper.

Back to my neighborhood: There used to be a Catholic Church between my house and the house on the far right in that picture. I still have bodies in my backyard from the Church cemetery. No grave markers though, so I don't know exactly where they are. I am NOT putting in a pool ala poltergeist.

[andi*pandi]

we like our neighbors, but don't know them very well. Neighbors that we know best, nice older couple with no kids, we are watching their cat for them while they are on vacation. Unfortunately, they are fixing a house in maine and will move there in the next year or two. On the other side is a nice family, kids are older than ours, the husband has a lawn fixation, it has to be perfect. They are decent but their teenage kids sometimes have parties. Us one recent evening, watching a movie:

what's that? <turn down sound>

<laughter and screaming from next door>

oh it's the kids. <turn movie back on>

<BOOOM!!!> OW MY EYES! <more laughter and screaming>

us: <rolleyes> damn kids.

We don't mind the noise once in a while, but the trash sometimes makes it over the fence into our yard, we've found beer bottles, aerosol cans, lighters, etc.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally Posted by Railroader

I still have bodies in my backyard from the Church cemetery. No grave markers though, so I don't know exactly where they are. I am NOT putting in a pool ala poltergeist.

WTF MAN!

[Cody Dawg]

Michigan is a nice state, Railroader, and your home is nice too.

I'm laughing at some of the stories because it seems that I'm not alone.

So, this is the scoop with the neighbor that I despise (the former neighbor). The WHOLE story.

This lady comes down when we moved in several years ago and she's chatty Cathy and starts telling me alll about this person and that person in the neighborhood, always defining them in a negative way, but I'm always polite. We were always pleasant to them, but we're the type of people that keep to ourselves, keep our house neat and tidy, and don't let our kids get out of control. Also, my husband is the guy that all of the other guys in the neighborhood come down to see when they need help with their house, car, or legal matters.

But, this neighbor and her husband turned into the kind of people that when you see them coming you KNOW that they want something. Have neighbors like that? They're the worst. She wants help getting her computer on the internet. Her husband needs help with his motor on his car (my husband's great with motors). Nevertheless, we invited them to our barbeques and even some of the parties we had. We were trying to be nice.

Then she starts coming over and asking for money - and explains that her husband removed her from the joint checking account because she "shops too much." Being sly, I decide to do a civil case check up on her through public records and I find out that their home has gone into foreclosure, like, six times in the last 10 years.

Not only does she come down "borrowing" money herself, but then she starts sending down her kid! Yes, she sends down her 12-year old daughter to ask for money.

Anyway, my husband runs this company right? Handles company affairs and legal issues. So part of the company is retail and auto repair - chain stores. So, she goes down with her car to the local store and as soon as she pulls in she starts telling the manager of the store that my husband is "her good friend" and that they had "better take extra good care of her car." Then, because they were busy and she's waiting her turn, she starts yelling about how they are "lazy and slow" and "does your boss know that you work this slow?" (Meaning, my husband.) After all is said and done, she actually has the gall to tell them that my husband said "to give them 50% off on their services" or the work done - which he did NOT say.

I'm out doing something and I get a phone call from the manager of that store. He wants to feel me out about the situation and see if he should tell my husband how this lady really acted and how she threatened them and treated them. He tells me the whole story. He's very upset. I drove by that location and I'm in the office and all the employees crowd in to tell me what a bitch she was and how horrible and that she used foul language - and after all of that told them to give her 50% off.

I was really upset. I called my husband and he's pissed. I went home and I pulled up and who comes walking over? This lady! I said, "Listen, I know you apparently have your issues but you should know that my husband is really angry over your antics today and by the way, we never told you, ever, that you would get 50% at one of his stores." She stammers and stutters and SWEARS up and down that the employees are all liars. I said, "Well, whatever." Things were frosty between us after that.

About a month later we get up one morning and we're having coffee. Haven't even been outside. It's about 7 in the morning. There's a knock on the door. I open it and it's a cop. The cop asks if my husband is home and I say, "Sure." He's sitting there in his boxers checking emails, not even dressed yet. The cop knows my husband and they say "Hi" pleasantly. The cop proceeds to tell us that this crazy bitch called the police to tell them that my husband went out to this lady's mailbox - which is on a row with two other mailboxes one of which belongs to an attorney who is also a friend - and knocked it over and beat it up with a stick!





Unbelievable!

My husband said, "No offense, but am I being punk'd or something? I haven't even been outside and I wouldn't do something like that." The cop says, "No, she's completely serious. She says she saw you." So, we proceeded to tell the cop that she's crazy and he says, "So, she's basically trying to retaliate." He leaves.

Now, this weekend we're moving the rest of our crap out of that house. I actually wanted to give her back something that she'd left at my house for our kid (a little collectible football player doll thingamajig) a long time ago and she wasn't home. I put it in her mailbox with a note: "Thank you for this gift, but I know it's a collectible and my children will ruin it so wanted to give it back to you to keep for your collection. It was appreciated though. Good luck and thank you!" That was Saturday morning.

On Monday afternoon she calls my husband up at his office screeching about how on Monday she saw him rip up her mail and in the ripped up mail is this little doll - all shredded to pieces. My husband said, "Listen, I haven't been in that neighborhood for two days and my wife put that in your mailbox in plain view of the [neighbors next door] two days ago who were talking to us, so it wasn't me or my wife that did that and honestly, I don't think you're telling the truth. Good bye." And he hung up on her.

Now, the rest of the neighborhood avoids her at all costs. They all told us that she was crazy. Obviously, she is. Obviously she has a problem - more than one.

The thing is, today I heard how she went to the other neighbor and told them that if "they don't keep the fence erected properly that if their pitbull jumps out and bites or kills their 8-year old son that she won't be responsible." The fence is fine, but she had to make that inflammatory comment just to be an ass. She knows that we're friendly with these people (we are). She upsets the wife terribly - and she's having a bad pregnancy so the stress is unnecessary.

I'm so glad that we moved, but I'm just pointing out what ASSES some people can be.

By the way? She's the only African American person in our neighborhood and she was always the first one to say, "People don't like us because we're black and live in this neighborhood."



I fired off an email to her husband that told him that we liked him, but not her and that the reasons included borrowing money from us, threatening us, threatening the neighbors, the mailbox incident the first time, and now her calling up and threatening my husband the second time over her "torn up mail" even though we weren't in the neighborhood. I also told him that she's just out of control. I was very nice and said that we liked him, but that our disassociation from them wasn't because of him, but was because of her and her behavior.

So, that's the whole story and I'm glad I got it off of my chest, but I'm still amazed by the audacity of some people that happen to be "neighbors."

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Michigan is a nice state, Railroader, and your home is nice too.

I'm laughing at some of the stories because it seems that I'm not alone.

So, this is the scoop with the neighbor that I despise (the former neighbor). The WHOLE story.

CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME THE READERS DIGEST VERSION?!?!:

You had me at "Michigan".

Thanks.

Sorry, I didn't read the rest of your post. I got scared. I have a Philosophy class right now that involves a ton of reading and I don't want to use my word quota up on anything else.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

telling me alll about this person and that person in the neighborhood, always defining them in a negative way,

Sounds like this thread.

[Cody Dawg]

Yes, you're right.

Except I'm not naming names and it's a LEEETLE different.

[BlueSky]

We live next door to a church which leases part of the building and enclosed parking lot to a pre-school/day care center. They're mostly outside in the lot, especially in the summer.

One day week before last was Achey Breaky Heart Day, complete with open mic for sing alongs. The entire day. The next day was Achey Breaky Heart Morning, which segued into 4th of July Afternoon, complete with patriotic recordings and open mic for sing alongs and a show for the parents and a heavily accented Asian woman screeching into the mic all afternoon.

Then there's a guy across the street who feels compelled to test his car alarm everytime he approaches his car for a solid 3 seconds, about 3-6 times per day. We're hoping that eventually the novelty of his new toy will wear off.

On the other side of us is a tall apartment building which houses senior citizens. They mostly just sit around and rot, don't see too much of them but we sure appreciate their non-participation in the neighborhood clamor.

[turtle777]

-t

[Cody Dawg]

^^^THAT...is great^^^

[Camali]

I like this thread!

[Jawbone54]

My neighbors are great, for the most part.

On one side we have a 60-ish couple who moved into the city to be closer to their children/grandchildren. They're excellent and (of course) make very little noise. On the other side is a 70-ish woman who NEVER GETS HER FREAKING HOUSE WEEDEATED. Most of our neighbors keep the area looking very clean, but she has fertilizer bags stacked up in front of her garage, shrubs that are in terrible shape, and the weedeating problem, among other things. The irritating part is that I know this woman has more than enough money to hire someone to come over every week and a half or so to cut her grass and weedeat. Last time my wife just got sick of it and weedeated our side of her house while I was at work. The only other eye sore is the LSU Tigers flags that some of our neighbors feel they're obligated to display.

[Yose]

My girl-friend's neighbours suck. One is a nazi (not verified), the other is a drug dealer, and on the side of the drug dealer used to live a crazy person who would scream throughout the night and drag his appliances into the middle of the road (he has since been removed).

Funny thing is, the property value keeps going up!

Gotta love Scarborough.

[funkboy]

Are people here most happy with neighbors who mostly keep to themselves? That's what I'm kind of getting... but not entirely.
I like my neighbors so far, we get along anyway.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by ort888

My parents on the other hand, have some kooky neighbors. Their 15 year old daughter is in a punk rock band that likes to practice at full volume in the garage. Their music mostly consists of wailing on the instruments and shouting "bloody tampon" into the mic.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Yose

used to live a crazy person who would scream throughout the night and drag his appliances into the middle of the road (he has since been removed).

Uh, WTF?

"Hmm, I think tonight I'll drag my stove out into the middle of the street. And then tomorrow I'll bring out my refrigerator."

[Albert Pujols]

There's this one German guy up the street who does his yard work in a Speedo. He's freakin fat too so it's pretty nasty. But he's cool.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by funkboy

Are people here most happy with neighbors who mostly keep to themselves? That's what I'm kind of getting... but not entirely.
I like my neighbors so far, we get along anyway.

No. I like interacting with my neighbors. Keeps the neighborhood safer. My wife knows of this one "troubled" child and recently he has made a friend close to our house. I informed my neighbor to keep a close eye on the boy and it was a good thing I did. The kid decided to walk around town with a hammer one day and was busting taillights of car that he could reach from the sidewalk. My neighbor took pictures and called the police. The child is now in juvenile detention. He has a criminal record larger than most gangbangers. He's only 12.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

There's this one German guy up the street who does his yard work in a Speedo. He's freakin fat too so it's pretty nasty. But he's cool.

On my old commute I used to pass this house just south of Saginaw, Michigan where a older obese man would mow his lawn in a tiny speedo.

But there's more.

He would only be out there if it was 85F+.

His lawn was a couple acres and he mowed it with a small push mower. TONS of little trees and trim to mow around.

He wore brown cotton gloves and carried a wooden dining room chair and took regular breaks in it.

He had a "crazy smile" on his face every time I saw him.

And his house looked like something out of a Hansel and Grettle nursery rhyme.

Creepy.

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by Railroader

And his house looked like something out of a Hansel and Grettle nursery rhyme.

Creepy.

Woah, the guy up my street lives in a log cabin basically in the woods. I remember when I went trick-or-treating to his house, he told us he would eat us in his thick German accent. He's pretty similar to the guy you described.

[Yose]

Originally Posted by Person Man

Uh, WTF?

"Hmm, I think tonight I'll drag my stove out into the middle of the street. And then tomorrow I'll bring out my refrigerator."

Yeah, his appliances were the big things. Most of the time he would decorate the local signs, make weird barrades along the edge of his property, or hang pieces of wood/dolls from his tree.

Typically some city worker would come and put everything back on his property once it got too bad.

[vexborg]

Well, our neighborhood is quite ok, not a rich one, but we have reallynice and helpfull neighbors - Protestant on one side, and Catholic on the other... Great people!

The only thing which we really hate is all the loose running dogs - the local council doesn't care about the problem, and of course we have quite a lot of anti-social youth roaming as well, they are know as neds. Doing nothing but drinking, fighting, driving the sad cars playing high music and annoying everybody else...

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by funkboy

Are people here most happy with neighbors who mostly keep to themselves? That's what I'm kind of getting... but not entirely.
I like my neighbors so far, we get along anyway.

No, I like talking to my neighbors. We all look out for each other, it keeps the area safe.

[Cody Dawg]

Yes, but Mastrap, you're like a perfect neighbor.

You recondition or renovate the properties you are in...you're a great chef...you're English which means you have impeccable manners and are polite...

Who wouldn't want to be next to you?



Where we moved to is a lot better...so far. There is a vacant lot on one side that they have just broken ground for a new home that is being built. On the other side is a huge house with a family that decided "to move to Florida for a while to spend some time at the beach." Their main home is on the water on Long Island. They're very nice, but very green/timid; a crab crawled onto their patio (we have water by us after all) and they were all screaming and the husband/father was trying to shove the 2-inch crab away with a broom the other night...my son went over and picked it up and put it back at the water's edge. I'm not sure they're going to last that long...the first time an alligator crawls through the back yard I think they'll be gone.



But at least they're quiet and decent and nice.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by besson3c

My old neighbor was a Christian fanatic, many stories there (not good ones).

Yes I am sure a Christian Fanatic living nextdoor to a anti-Christian fanatic wouldn't produce very nice stories.

[Cody Dawg]

Especially if he likes to eat meat and lots of it...by grilling it and letting the odor of charred flesh waft across the fence.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Yes, but Mastrap, you're like a perfect neighbor.

You recondition or renovate the properties you are in...you're a great chef...you're English which means you have impeccable manners and are polite...

AFAIK, Mas is actually German.
Which is actually probably better, since the Germans tend to be much more civilised (i.e. law-abiding, neighbourly) than us.

[Cody Dawg]

You mean no head-butting?



Actually, one of my friends is German. His name is Rainer. He's an exec with a company called TUI AG or something like that. Anyway, the principle thing I remember about Rainer is his desire to walk everywhere - walk, walk, walk! He would get up in the morning when visiting me in Florida and want to walk 6 miles!

Anyway, the Germans and the English are more civilized (should I say civilised?) than Americans.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Doofy

AFAIK, Mas is actually German.

I've got a German passport but I also qualify for British citizenship. Never did anything about it though, mostly out of laziness.

Which is now biting me in the butt a little, as the Germans don't like dual citizenship and I'll be applying for a Canadian passport next year. Extra red tape to deal with.

[karent]

My next door neighbor's son is in jail for murder.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

There's this one German guy up the street who does his yard work in a Speedo. He's freakin fat too so it's pretty nasty. But he's cool.

I can SO picture that.

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

I've got a German passport but I also qualify for British citizenship. Never did anything about it though, mostly out of laziness.

Which is now biting me in the butt a little, as the Germans don't like dual citizenship and I'll be applying for a Canadian passport next year. Extra red tape to deal with.

LOL, I'm working on the same thing.

This darn Beibehaltungsgenehmigung is a pain in the butt.
If you want to exchange some tips and information, PM me.

-t