76 replies to this topic

[hv975]

I was up and out in my backyard doing some clean up at 7:30am. I understand that it was a Sunday morning so the only tools I used were my clippers and broom. My nagging neighbor asked me to postpone my yardwork to a later time and when I said that I wouldn't due to the extreme heat, I mentioned that she should close her window if the noise from my sweeping bugged her. I can't move my yardwork, but she can certainly close that window. Rather than close the window, she called the Folsom police on me. I'm flattered that she memorized my address but also shocked that she would go that far. I was unafraid. The cop showed up about 10 minutes later to a quiet neighborhood and when I told him what I had been doing, he lowered his head down in amazement that my yard clippings would warrant that distress call.

Fellow Folsom neighbors, how do you suggest I deal with this unreasonable, miserable woman? I have a busy life and she manages to create a dramatic situation every other time I'm in my yard, whether she complains about the infrequent barks from my indoor dog, to my music being on at 11am on a Saturday morning. This is not the first time she's threatened to call the cops and certainly not the last. I would hate to think that our hard earned tax dollars are being wasted on crazy fools such as she who would much rather waste the time of our law enforcement for infrequent and reasonable noise disturbance than do something as simple as closing her window.

[AMETHYST PRODUCTIVITY]

If you were using a leaf blower or lawn mower at that hour, that would not be okay but certainly not enough to call the police. If you were just sweeping or clipping, she's being unrealistic.

She should live next to our neighbors with the day care. Kids screaming for 2 hours a day.

[nomad]

7:30 on Sunday seems a bit early and inconsiderate to me. Even if you were only sweeping and clipping why couldn't you wait until 9am? Or even 10am? It's not that hot at those times. Heck it didn't even break 100 yesterday did it?

Calling the cops is a bit over the top for this though, closing the window is easier. That said, however, my neighbor behind me has a lawn service that shows up on Sat at 8:30am nearly all year round, really annoying. I've never called the cops on him though, I just deal with it.

It really is too bad that you can't pick your neighbors!

[gm2005]

Hopefully, she starts getting bills from Folsom PD for unnecessary dispatches.
7:30 may be a tad early for some people, but for goodness sake you were sweaping.
Don't know what to tell you other than, try to be as considarate as you possibly can (for any reasonable person) and let her do what she wants to do. It doesn't sound like you could make the women happy no matter what.

[hv975]

My visiting mother was happily snoozing in a bedroom (window open) about 5 feet from where I was sweeping. Choosing to have an open window during any hour of the day, you assume the risk of hearing any outside noise. 7:30am may be early and inconsiderate to you, but so would 8pm outdoor chatter to a person who gets to bed early for their early morning work shift. I cannot accommodate the needs of everyones different schedule nor should it be expected. It may not have gotten to 100 degrees outside, but you can't assume that I would be available later on in the day to do the work that needs to get done nor could you expect me to want to be out at that hour. Being that yardwork at that hour is not an everyday or even a monthly occurrence, the reasonable thing to do to keep peace was just to simply close her window. She refused to make those accommodations and choose to fight about it.

7:30 on Sunday seems a bit early and inconsiderate to me. Even if you were only sweeping and clipping why couldn't you wait until 9am? Or even 10am? It's not that hot at those times. Heck it didn't even break 100 yesterday did it?

Calling the cops is a bit over the top for this though, closing the window is easier. That said, however, my neighbor behind me has a lawn service that shows up on Sat at 8:30am nearly all year round, really annoying. I've never called the cops on him though, I just deal with it.

It really is too bad that you can't pick your neighbors!

[tgianco]

My visiting mother was happily snoozing in a bedroom (window open) about 5 feet from where I was sweeping. Choosing to have an open window during any hour of the day, you assume the risk of hearing any outside noise. 7:30am may be early and inconsiderate to you, but so would 8pm outdoor chatter to a person who gets to bed early for their early morning work shift. I cannot accommodate the needs of everyones different schedule nor should it be expected. It may not have gotten to 100 degrees outside, but you can't assume that I would be available later on in the day to do the work that needs to get done nor could you expect me to want to be out at that hour. Being that yardwork at that hour is not an everyday or even a monthly occurrence, the reasonable thing to do to keep peace was just to simply close her window. She refused to make those accommodations and choose to fight about it.

Agree with you. If you're just sweeping, the other neighbor can go pound sand.

[folsom500]

6am is not too early for manual cleaning such as sweeping and raking-
My Solution to the problem is the get a weed eater , lawn mower or better a leaf blower and precisely at 8am run them on her side of your yard....

If she bitches- suggest she get up earlier and go to church ...

Oh and do it EVERY SUNDAY -

8 am is an allowable time for weekend electrical and gas tools


Cheers
F500

[hv975]

THANK YOU!! I wish all you people were my neighbor. Forgive me, but living so close to these old, spinster ladies who complain about the stupidest things gets pretty tiring. This is just the last thing she complained about. Don't get me started on the yelling out the window cause I was on the phone at 11pm waiting for my pooch to do his business, or her threatening to call the cops when I had my radio on low at 11am on a Saturday morning, the constant notes complaining of smell from the poop of my 20 pound dog (yet she has a Golden Retriever in her yard)...and the best one was when she talked to my mother and lied about me having parties till 2am then had the nerve to ask her how I can even afford my home. (It's called hard work and sacrifice).

6am is not too early for manual cleaning such as sweeping and raking-
My Solution to the problem is the get a weed eater , lawn mower or better a leaf blower and precisely at 8am run them on her side of your yard....

If she bitches- suggest she get up earlier and go to church ...

Oh and do it EVERY SUNDAY -

8 am is an allowable time for weekend electrical and gas tools


Cheers
F500

[Steve Heard]

My visiting mother was happily snoozing in a bedroom (window open) about 5 feet from where I was sweeping. Choosing to have an open window during any hour of the day, you assume the risk of hearing any outside noise. 7:30am may be early and inconsiderate to you, but so would 8pm outdoor chatter to a person who gets to bed early for their early morning work shift. I cannot accommodate the needs of everyones different schedule nor should it be expected. It may not have gotten to 100 degrees outside, but you can't assume that I would be available later on in the day to do the work that needs to get done nor could you expect me to want to be out at that hour. Being that yardwork at that hour is not an everyday or even a monthly occurrence, the reasonable thing to do to keep peace was just to simply close her window. She refused to make those accommodations and choose to fight about it.

Although I can't justify the cop-calling, and sweeping and clipping seem like fairly quiet activities, if I were interested in 'keeping the peace' I might honor her request and do some of the other house/yard work, or waited an hour or so. The temperature would not have been much hotter than at 730, and you'd have a neighbor for whom you just did a favor, and you would have kept the peace.

Both of you are responsible for keepinig the peace, and we can always come up with valid reasons why we should be able to do this or that, that you can't please everyone, that you have every right, that you are following the law, that if you give an inch she'll take a mile, etc., but if you ask our advice on how to deal with this miserable neighbor, I'd suggest keeping the peace by waiting a bit longer before starting the work.

[hv975]

I would be more than happy to "keep the peace", but this is just one of MANY complaints she has had not just for me, but about the other neighbors around her. She called the cops on my next door neighbor for being in her hot tub after 10pm, sprayed water over the fence of the previous owners of my home because she didn't like it that they were having guests conversing in the yard, yada, yada, yada. Believe me Stevethedad...if you were her neighbor, she'd find a reason to complain about you as well.

Although I can't justify the cop-calling, and sweeping and clipping seem like fairly quiet activities, if I were interested in 'keeping the peace' I might honor her request and do some of the other house/yard work, or waited an hour or so. The temperature would not have been much hotter than at 730, and you'd have a neighbor for whom you just did a favor, and you would have kept the peace.

Both of you are responsible for keepinig the peace, and we can always come up with valid reasons why we should be able to do this or that, that you can't please everyone, that you have every right, that you are following the law, that if you give an inch she'll take a mile, etc., but if you ask our advice on how to deal with this miserable neighbor, I'd suggest keeping the peace by waiting a bit longer before starting the work.

[Dave Burrell]

I was up and out in my backyard doing some clean up at 7:30am. I understand that it was a Sunday morning so the only tools I used were my clippers and broom. My nagging neighbor asked me to postpone my yardwork to a later time and when I said that I wouldn't due to the extreme heat, I mentioned that she should close her window if the noise from my sweeping bugged her. I can't move my yardwork, but she can certainly close that window. Rather than close the window, she called the Folsom police on me. I'm flattered that she memorized my address but also shocked that she would go that far. I was unafraid. The cop showed up about 10 minutes later to a quiet neighborhood and when I told him what I had been doing, he lowered his head down in amazement that my yard clippings would warrant that distress call.

Fellow Folsom neighbors, how do you suggest I deal with this unreasonable, miserable woman? I have a busy life and she manages to create a dramatic situation every other time I'm in my yard, whether she complains about the infrequent barks from my indoor dog, to my music being on at 11am on a Saturday morning. This is not the first time she's threatened to call the cops and certainly not the last. I would hate to think that our hard earned tax dollars are being wasted on crazy fools such as she who would much rather waste the time of our law enforcement for infrequent and reasonable noise disturbance than do something as simple as closing her window.

Sweeping is not noisy, it seems to me like this neighbor is just looking for something to complain about, no matter how small. Some people are like that.... always negative and always lashing out at people (I see it a lot here on the forum).

You should not have to limit your outside time to appease her. 8am is not too early to be outside working, my neighbors do it all the time and it's a-ok. (its called living)

Bottom-line, you are in the right and she is wrong with all that inane complaining against you - you don't need to live in fear of her nor have to be super quiet and tip toe around just to appease her. If she bothers you again about it just tell her these are the sounds of life, deal with it, and if she calls the FPD on you again, suggest to the officers that they bill her for their wasted time and gas.

Sorry to hear you have a sour grumpy old broad for a neighbor.

[folsom500]

Although I can't justify the cop-calling, and sweeping and clipping seem like fairly quiet activities, if I were interested in 'keeping the peace' I might honor her request and do some of the other house/yard work, or waited an hour or so. The temperature would not have been much hotter than at 730, and you'd have a neighbor for whom you just did a favor, and you would have kept the peace.

Both of you are responsible for keepinig the peace, and we can always come up with valid reasons why we should be able to do this or that, that you can't please everyone, that you have every right, that you are following the law, that if you give an inch she'll take a mile, etc., but if you ask our advice on how to deal with this miserable neighbor, I'd suggest keeping the peace by waiting a bit longer before starting the work.

There are reasonable neighbors that make it worth keeping the peace with and then there are the others - like this lady seems to be. I bet if hv975 was to delay her work for an hour- the neighbor would still (censored) about it and even call the cops ... There are some that are never happy....

Considering hv975 desire to get the yard done early - that is fine as likely she has other things to get done later. I know of me ( with our yard) when I have to use the blower it is running for 3- 4 hours in the back and over an hour in the front - (although I do not do it every weekend morning) .

So for a neighbor like she has - I would again say - do what you need to do when you want to do it. The noise laws would certainly not cover sweeping or raking and I believe that 8am to 10 pm is OK for blowers....

I would be nice- but only to a point- once that is crossed- watch out ...

[rlsliger]

+1 for Dave, -1 for Steve (sorry, Steve! I usually agree with what you have to say)

[Steve Heard]

I would be more than happy to "keep the peace", but this is just one of MANY complaints she has had not just for me, but about the other neighbors around her. She called the cops on my next door neighbor for being in her hot tub after 10pm, sprayed water over the fence of the previous owners of my home because she didn't like it that they were having guests conversing in the yard, yada, yada, yada. Believe me Stevethedad...if you were her neighbor, she'd find a reason to complain about you as well.

I've had one or more of those in my life.

When I was just starting out, I lived on the second floor of a small apartment. A sweet looking little old lady moved in downstairs, and within a few hours, was hitting the ceiling with what I assume was a broom handle.

It got to the point where she would anxiously await the opportunity. I recall arriving home from grocery shopping one day. I could see the old lady as I passed her window. I went upstairs, and had trouble getting my keys out of the lock and dropped my grocery bag on the floor. She immediately started banging on the ceiling with her stick. She must have gotten up when she saw me, and stood and waited for noice.

I was just a kid then, and never confronted her about it, but if that were to happen today, I'd have to go and talk to her. Maybe we'd come to an understanding, maybe we wouldn't. I'd have to try, though.

I don't know your relationship with the neighbor, but perhaps you should go and meet with her if you haven't already.

And yes, she'd probably complain about me, too. I like sitting out on my deck in the evenings, listening to music and talking with my wife.

[gm2005]

Your neighbor would love us. My hubby loves to go into the hot tub and sing LOL
She would have a fit.
Granted he hasn't done it after 10pm, but still