Monday, November 2, 2009

FED UP

The people who live next door to me here in Ireland smoke. At least someone in their family does. It is a man and his wife and they have 2 small children and 2 teenage boys. I guess they don't allow smoking in their house, because they smoke between our houses (on their side of our 6 foot concrete block wall)and then they throw their cigarette butts into my yard. They land around my walkway where I walk to take the trashcan in and out of the backyard. They also land around my front door (this all depending on where they are when they are smoking). For a loooong time I picked them up and threw them away in my trashcan. But as fast as I picked them up, they threw more over. So now I have had it. I thought of several things I could do: 1)Pick them up and take them over to them and complain to them, 2)Complain to my landlord and let him go over, 3)Turn the other cheek and continue to just pick them up and throw them away, 4)Leave them on the ground. I have chosen not to do any of these things and instead have come up with a 5th option: Now I pick them up and throw them back over the fence. I know that is not nice of me. I know I should turn the other cheek. But too bad. I can't believe someone would think that they could just keep throwing stuff over the fence and it will magically disappear. Today I found some new things thrown over the fence. I'll tell you what it is and you tell me what it sounds like: An empty water bottle, a rather large (like 6-8") rubber band, a bottle of cleaner that said it was for "piercings". Should I have thrown those back over the fence too? I didn't. This time.

11 comments:

Inklings said...

My neighbors sit on their patio and drink out of cans, then they throw their cans over the fence to our yard. I've just picked them up, but it's annoying.
People can be pretty inconsiderate. Maybe you should buy them one of those metal waste baskets and fill it with sand, and start putting their cigarette butts in that.On their side of the fence, of course. Maybe they'd get the idea. :0)

Delirious said...

I have neighbors who smoke too. I don't think they throw the butts in to my yard, but I HATE when the smoke comes in my bedroom window! I often have the fan on in the window, and it sucks the cigarette smoke in. I LOATHE it! I have to say though, most people in California are less tolerant of smoking than people in Utah. I couldn't believe how many people smoke in public in Utah. I don't see too many in California. People here really are unaccepting of smoking.

Nene said...

Inklings - If I could get to their side of the fence, I would do that, but it is a concrete block wall that is 6 feet tall. Maybe I could lower a bucket with a rope? I can see it now......
Delirious - When it was warmer and I had my kitchen window open, the smoke would come in that window and I'd have to go shut it. Gag.

Stacy said...

When I was reading your first 4 options I thought to myself...Why not just throw them back in their yard. That's what I would do!! Great minds think alike! If it gets worse and they keep throwing other stuff in your yard then I would talk to the landlord. I really hate people like that.

Dee Ice Hole said...

Throw it back into their yard. Every.Single.Thing. And if they continue to throw stuff your way throw more stuff their way---lots more stuff then talk to the landlord....

Nene said...

OK, if anyone is still reading this, then tell me - Am I just paranoid to think that the rubber band, the bottle of piercing cleanser and the water bottle have something to do with each other? Is someone shooting something up over there? That's what I mean...

Amber said...

okay, I'm very passive aggressive, I would put a bucket on my side of the fence and save all the cigarette butts for a while and then dump the whole bucket of them back over the fence

Bullet for Babs said...

I don't see how those things relate to each other so I think you're just being paranoid. If they were shooting up, they wouldn't use a rubber band because its too weak.

Nene said...

This was an 8" in diameter rubber band. Like an industrial one.

Amber said...

mom, I don't know of any drugs like that I think it was just random trash

~Kris said...

you could always google drugs and those things and see what comes up, but I would think it was just random trash, too...
I like Amber's idea of saving them and then throwing them all back!!!