Almost lost everything I own today

Ulma Doctor said:
unfortunately we can't make people care about what we care about.
the parents of the lil duo had bad parents too, i'll bet $50.

locked gates and 8ft fences make for good neighbors.
a menacing breed of dog will keep all but the stupidest from entering your property
(don't put up a beware of dog sign, if the dog bites, your knew the dog was a liability- no sign= plausible deniability ;))
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I totally agree. The only thing that you can do right now is secure your property with fencing, visible signage, and cameras everywhere. If this continues and you have evidence of it, take legal action. A dog is a great idea!
 
That is their plywood and garage. My shop sits 10 feet from it, and my house beside the shop 10 more feet away.
 
I wish the only danger to my property was my neighbors, none of whom I can see from my house. Living in the middle of a forest, kids living ten miles away (or some fool driving to Reno) can burn my house down.
 
Flyinfool said:
Arson is serious, especially if the parents condone it. I would get the local police involved. Once the kids actions start hitting the parents in the wallet they will have more interest in controlling their kids.

You already tried to be nice and that did not work.
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I would like to add to this by saying this is a building block to prove things in the future, be sure to document it with the authorities that includes children's services
 
Sorry to hear about the starving cats too. I'm real sensitive about animals being abused. Good on you for feeding and caring for them, they'd probably rather be living with you than them
-Mark
 
This is tough stuff to deal with BUT many of these kids are starving for REAL attention, this includes failure and hurt.
I have given some time to some boys/young men that if left unchecked would have cost me grief.
Even the boys that weren't interested in working on stuff became friends that at least halfway respected my property and kept others from mischief.
All walked away with a little self respect after they accomplished a task and I would tell them they learned and experienced something no one can take away from them, they know how to do something.
 
The "mean old man yelling 'get off my lawn'" has always provided entertainment to neighborhood children, and the consequences of escalation need to be carefully weighed. Yelling at kids just makes them want to do it more. Things can get really bad, like your mean guard dog suddenly dying for suspicious reasons, or stuff happening to your car from afar (like having the windows shot out). Both situations may not be solved by having cameras, so yeah, actually inviting the kid over to talk about something neutral, or showing him how to make something, can vastly improve things by defusing any future activity he and his buddies might be entertaining.
 
An 8 year old boy can have crazy ideas and they will love playing with fire but what makes someone do that that’s just crazy a fence sounds like a good idea
 
alloy said:
I think we are in a no win situation. Damned if we do, damned is we don't. We are thinking of splittng off our hose with a t fitting and just leaving it by the side of my shop. Wife had to unwind the hose from the new hose minder she just bought. Took time to do that. I'm glad it was her that saw it, after my stroke I can't move that fast anymore and the outcome could have been much different. The guy repairs ATV's, snowmobiles, watercraft, and boat motors and I'm sure he has flammables in the little garage.

There was one abandoned house on the street, but it was torn down and a new is being built for the last year or so in it's place. The poor old guy comes everyday hoping someone will show up to work on it. I feel bad for him. Sits in his pickup and waits.

Thankfully there are no open fields near us. But there is a vacation home across the street. The owners come every summer, except last summer because f the pandemic. Hopefully they come this year. I have seen the kids over there before. And somehow "magically" their fence got hit hard by a car I'm assuming. And the strange thing is the damage is directly across from the neighbors driveway. But they swear they didn't do it. Go figure :rolleyes:

We call them the "redneck" neighbors. Nothing wrong with a redneck, but from the garbage pile in their font yard, to the overwhelming smell of pot smoke, and their lack of parenting skills they deserve some kind of derogatory name. I have another name for them, but it's not politically correct.

View from my side of the fence 5 minutes ago.

Did I mention the dump is 5 minutes away and is free to residents in my small town?

Did I also mention we also feed their cats? They were starving and I can't let that happen not when I have the power to save lives. The one stays over here all the time now. He gets food and love. I can't let him in the house because they would see him through the windows and I'm sure he doesn't have any vaccinations and could spread something to my pets.

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I look at your delema and see how you wish it would get better by the neighbors solving your situation. I have found that the best way to solve problems to your satisfaction, is to solve them yourself. your wife didn't like your neighbors cat hungry so she fed it and was happy. telling her neighbor to feed their starving cat would not had been as effective for the poor cat. you have to solve each problem that bothers you yourself, so you are sure it is solved. you cannot make others solve the problems that bother you. you can present you and your wife as nice caring neighbors to their kids and their parents for good examples to admire and be glad you are their neighbors. my advice is for you and your wife to eliminate your concerns, and not to expect the neighbors or their kids to fix what is bothering you.
Now the route you take will help the children in the long run and the present. I spent many hours daily in my shop explaining to the neighbors nosey little girls--6 and 3 years old--what each of my machines were for and what they could do---at least a million questions each time they came over. yes it was time consuming for me at times but they needed a lot of questions answered and their folks were busy on other things and I was there. I fixed all their broken toys when they asked me for help and they were fun to watch grow. now they are in their twenties and have their own lives to cope with. they still remember fondly how nice and friendly their neighbor was in their younger years. their memories of my shop full of machines and tools are still fresh in their minds.
as far as the trash you show in your picture that bothers you can be fixed real easy and not much of your time. first off, realize that it may not bother your neighbor as much as it does you and maybe other neighbors. I see a lot of good wooden pieces in the bed items that you could salvage for craft projects. ask your neighbor if you can have them and also tell them you are taking a trip to the nearby dump and would be happy to throw his stuff on your trailer or pickup. sure it is a little work for you but remember you said the dump was close and free. now you solved your problem easily and didn't have to involve your neighbor at all. years later you and your wife will be highly thought of the good neighbors their kids will remember. I realize it would be nice if all neighbors were up to all of our expections, but that is not the case and we will never know why not. the best we can all do for our neighbors and their children is to pray that Jesus will come into their lives to solve their problems; and for you and your concern about fire-- is to pray for your protection. it has worked for me all my life, and I have no fear.
Dave
 
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