Neighbors

So, the sewer work and driveway are now finished, but the people working on it ripped out a couple of sprinkler heads and ran the bobcat into the foundation of the house a couple of times. When the guy walked up to the door expecting to get paid, I asked him first to replace the sprinkler heads and repair the concrete in the foundation of the house first and he looked at me like I was from another planet or something. I am willing to overlook some of the landscaping damage figuring I will have some work to do in the spring but come on. I politely asked him if he would be satisfied with this work on his own house to which he replied he would fix things. Why is it so hard to find people that are willing to work hard and give it their best effort? What ever happened to craftsmanship?

Next issue. Friday night, before we could park in the driveway the street in front of our house was blocked off due to asphalt work that had to be finished due to the sewer work. I was walking out to my wife?s car to lock it up for the night and this guy screams up the street in his car and proceeds to knock down the barricades in front of the asphalt and drive through. I stopped him and politely informed him that the street was not ready to be driven on. He then yelled he did not care and they should have closed off the street at the top. (We live on a small narrow short street). At this point, he guns the engine and forces me to jump out of the way while he drives through only to jump out of his car, run at me quite fast yelling “You BACK OFF!”. Doing what I was taught, I held out my hand a couple of feet away from my chest and he thankfully stopped at my hand, after I informed him that it would be in his best interest to stop. (Not exactly those words). Otherwise I would have had to wipe the pavement with someone who would turn out to be a neighbor one block north of us. Needless to say, our other neighbors seeing this were quite disturbed at his actions and my wife even had the phone in her hand ready to call the police. After about five minutes (seemed like eternity) I was able to get him to calm down, while he explained to me the “illegalities of not formally closing off the street and laying asphalt while the temperature was below 55 F”. He then drove off leaving me and the neighbors shaking our heads.

Twenty minutes later he comes walking up the street taking photos of the street where the repair was made, the tops and bottom of the street and me while I was working in the yard. I asked him what we could do to help him and he launches into another tirade on laws and regulations. When I calmly tried to ask him his name, he yelled “I haven’t told you my name!”

I considered calling the police, but he really did nothing to break the law. Eventually, I managed to calm him down again and he left, only to reappear on our porch about thirty minutes later. I asked him into the house as it was cold outside, whereupon he refused but handed me a CD with all of the pictures on it saying “it was for my records to document the illegality”……Weird. However, I think it was some effort at conciliation, so I let it go and I do know where this guy lives despite his efforts at personal concealment. It?s obvious this guy has a serious anger management problem and perhaps something else going on, but it is disturbing to have to deal with crap like that in a neighborhood you thought was quiet, somewhat upscale and safe.


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