Lenny
10-15-2007, 02:07 PM
We had a faller come in a week ago, had him drop about 8 trees. LARGE Douglas Firs. We are clearing out an area at the top of our "Mountain" for a future hilltop home, and since the faller was in the area, and we have a "bit" of leeway right now in regards to "defoliating" due to forest proximity and housing, I took advantage.
One tree, another large fir, was leaning over the neighbours home (acreage) AND was on HIS property. It was menacing to be sure, but has been there forever. Anyways, he decided to have it dropped, all branches and wood (he paid for it to be bucked up, whereas mine were simply felled), were dropped onto my land, in a huge pile, and the rounds scattered about a 50' area. He (my neighbour) is about 60 years old, and believes his $hit doesn't stink and that the whole world owes him a favour, daily, just for him gracing us with his offering of a "hello" :rolleyes: I have hated him since the day he showed up. So has everyone else on the street.
eg: (Christmas, 1996) largest snowfall on record, everyone "stuck" for a week in their homes. My neighbour (another one) across the street, late 30's, wife had brain cancer. She died in their home, we went to their wake, she, laid to rest in a room, dressed up, roses everywhere, Alice in Chains music, etc etc etc. Dozens of people. Everyone left, that night the snow started,. It never stopped, ever, for about a week. We were "all" trapped on the mountain, including his deceased wife on the couch, and NO emergency vehicles could EVER get even close to us. After about a week, and many neighbours digging for a bit, daily, to try and clear this road, my neighbour decided to make a run for it in his full size 4x4 Blazer and go to the nearest store and try to get some water (no power for wells) and a few staples for the street so we could survive. He took a brief list from a few close folks. We were simply water, and some canned food we could cook on a fire etc. This idiot neighbour of mine gave him a shopping list that included a Roast, small potatoes, tomatoes, (not too firm he stated) :rolleyes: and about a million other things. :mad: Keep in mind, my neighbour still has his "expired" wife in his house.
Anyways, that is who he is. And a TV anchor to further boost his ego. :(
So, anyways, back to this story.
I have all this wood in my yard and about a trillion huge branches. I talk to him, across the fence, and say, "Here it is" ... :) No gesture to pick it up, no help in moving or stacking it, nothing. Fed up, I move ALL the rounds that are his, (prior to me cutting ANY of mine up so he doesn't get "confused" and accuse me) and carry them out of the "still woods" tripping and falling with these 100+ pound pitch covered behemoths. There they sit, in one off my parking stall/turn-around areas. For days. So, fed up, yesterday, (Sunday) I load them all into my old van (2500 GMC). A mountain of wood. No mention of help from my neighbour.
So, down the driveway I go yesterday, over to his, and proceed to back up his hill, (he is not home) and his driveway is about a 20% grade. How he got a permit years ago is beyond me.
Backing up his hill, it became apparent that I did not have the horsepower or tranny for this task and about 50' from the drop point there is a huge cloud of smoke, and more burnt tranny fluid than I have smelt in recent past. I ignore it and give up, go forward back down his driveway, and drop it all at the bottom where his entrance is and limp next door home after unloading it all.
This morning, after cutting about 100 24" x 48" particle board shelves and loading them into it yesterday, I drive my daughter to school. No gas in the thing, I pull into the first gas station, and check the tranny fluid as it is not shifting anymore and is basically a centrfugal clutch now. :( Upon opening the hood, I find a TON of tranny fluid EVERYWHERE, all over the rad, intake manifold, every nook and cranny has a puddle of it. :rolleyes: I put 3 litres (quarts) into it and some gas, laugh and carry on. Drop my daughter off at school and then head for a car spray wash to clean this disaster up.
There, done ... ??? Nope. I drop off the shelves at the wholesaler and head home. There I look over at my hated neighbours driveway and see almost ALL of my transmission fluid over his entire driveway (blacktop) from top (where it blew up) to bottom. This is about a 400' paved driveway, (or was). My neighbour got home last night in the dark, and left for work in the twilight so it was not visible to him. Whew !!!
So, I have just spent the entire morning, 4 hours, with extension hoses and a GIGANTIC bottle of Sunlight soap, a large shop broom and water, washing and scrubbing his entire driveway, top to bottom, and then trying to dissipate a TON of suds and basically an Exxon Valdes type environment. :rolleyes:
It looks a little better, but is wet still, and I am hoping for rain so it is wet when he comes home this afternoon and is invisible to him. :eek:
What fun it is "helping" out a neighbour :mad:
Wish me luck :bonk:
One tree, another large fir, was leaning over the neighbours home (acreage) AND was on HIS property. It was menacing to be sure, but has been there forever. Anyways, he decided to have it dropped, all branches and wood (he paid for it to be bucked up, whereas mine were simply felled), were dropped onto my land, in a huge pile, and the rounds scattered about a 50' area. He (my neighbour) is about 60 years old, and believes his $hit doesn't stink and that the whole world owes him a favour, daily, just for him gracing us with his offering of a "hello" :rolleyes: I have hated him since the day he showed up. So has everyone else on the street.
eg: (Christmas, 1996) largest snowfall on record, everyone "stuck" for a week in their homes. My neighbour (another one) across the street, late 30's, wife had brain cancer. She died in their home, we went to their wake, she, laid to rest in a room, dressed up, roses everywhere, Alice in Chains music, etc etc etc. Dozens of people. Everyone left, that night the snow started,. It never stopped, ever, for about a week. We were "all" trapped on the mountain, including his deceased wife on the couch, and NO emergency vehicles could EVER get even close to us. After about a week, and many neighbours digging for a bit, daily, to try and clear this road, my neighbour decided to make a run for it in his full size 4x4 Blazer and go to the nearest store and try to get some water (no power for wells) and a few staples for the street so we could survive. He took a brief list from a few close folks. We were simply water, and some canned food we could cook on a fire etc. This idiot neighbour of mine gave him a shopping list that included a Roast, small potatoes, tomatoes, (not too firm he stated) :rolleyes: and about a million other things. :mad: Keep in mind, my neighbour still has his "expired" wife in his house.
Anyways, that is who he is. And a TV anchor to further boost his ego. :(
So, anyways, back to this story.
I have all this wood in my yard and about a trillion huge branches. I talk to him, across the fence, and say, "Here it is" ... :) No gesture to pick it up, no help in moving or stacking it, nothing. Fed up, I move ALL the rounds that are his, (prior to me cutting ANY of mine up so he doesn't get "confused" and accuse me) and carry them out of the "still woods" tripping and falling with these 100+ pound pitch covered behemoths. There they sit, in one off my parking stall/turn-around areas. For days. So, fed up, yesterday, (Sunday) I load them all into my old van (2500 GMC). A mountain of wood. No mention of help from my neighbour.
So, down the driveway I go yesterday, over to his, and proceed to back up his hill, (he is not home) and his driveway is about a 20% grade. How he got a permit years ago is beyond me.
Backing up his hill, it became apparent that I did not have the horsepower or tranny for this task and about 50' from the drop point there is a huge cloud of smoke, and more burnt tranny fluid than I have smelt in recent past. I ignore it and give up, go forward back down his driveway, and drop it all at the bottom where his entrance is and limp next door home after unloading it all.
This morning, after cutting about 100 24" x 48" particle board shelves and loading them into it yesterday, I drive my daughter to school. No gas in the thing, I pull into the first gas station, and check the tranny fluid as it is not shifting anymore and is basically a centrfugal clutch now. :( Upon opening the hood, I find a TON of tranny fluid EVERYWHERE, all over the rad, intake manifold, every nook and cranny has a puddle of it. :rolleyes: I put 3 litres (quarts) into it and some gas, laugh and carry on. Drop my daughter off at school and then head for a car spray wash to clean this disaster up.
There, done ... ??? Nope. I drop off the shelves at the wholesaler and head home. There I look over at my hated neighbours driveway and see almost ALL of my transmission fluid over his entire driveway (blacktop) from top (where it blew up) to bottom. This is about a 400' paved driveway, (or was). My neighbour got home last night in the dark, and left for work in the twilight so it was not visible to him. Whew !!!
So, I have just spent the entire morning, 4 hours, with extension hoses and a GIGANTIC bottle of Sunlight soap, a large shop broom and water, washing and scrubbing his entire driveway, top to bottom, and then trying to dissipate a TON of suds and basically an Exxon Valdes type environment. :rolleyes:
It looks a little better, but is wet still, and I am hoping for rain so it is wet when he comes home this afternoon and is invisible to him. :eek:
What fun it is "helping" out a neighbour :mad:
Wish me luck :bonk: