(Started from another thread over concern about potential problems resulting from blogging about your old house.) I've never had issues resulting from that; more common are the issues resulting from being in this neighborhood. Ours is a great neighborhood and it's in the city. Like many old neighborhoods it was once a very troubled area that's now been re-vitalized by many people's hard work. But you have to remember, you're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy...
Once I was out cutting the grass and as I turned around at the back of the yard a 40-ish year-old man walked over to me and motioned for me to turn off the mower. Now realize, we have a double-wide corner lot that's surrounded by a 4-ft high stone wall, so this dude had to walk 25 yards in from the street at the front to get to me... He says, "Man, you could kick my *$$. I need to axe you a question. I ain't got no money and you gots a big house. You need help? And why you look so p*$$ed?" I reply, "That's because you're in my yard and I do all my own work. If you don't mind, I'd like you out of it so I can get back to it."
Another time the doorbell rings. I answer it to find an extremely inebriated man with two small dogs. He claims to have once lived here. Then claims to have been a friend of the girls who used to live here. Then ... or someone I know used to have friends who lived here. He then asks, "Can I come in and see the rooms I used to play in?" "No," I reply. "I'll leave the dogs outside," he says as he drops the leashes and the dogs run away. "Oh, They'll be OK... Wait, I better find them. They aren't mine." And he stumbles away not going a direction that either of the dogs went.
The last story for today: I was doing some work in the living room and noticed a car driving quickly down the street. It slams on its brakes and a woman jumps out leaving the car smack in the middle of the street. She walks briskly up the driveway - I watch from inside to see where she's going. She ends up on the back porch and begins peering into the kitchen windows. I come out the back door and ask, "Can I help you?" She starts rambling incoherently about monkey business and some dude being a two-timing scumbag. I step in her way and reach for the hammer in my tool belt as she tries to get past me and go into the house. I open my arms offering a path down the steps and off the porch making it obvious that I now have a hammer in hand. She complies but pauses on the driveway. She looks up, sees my wife walking by a second story window, and asks, "Who's that?" I reply, "That's none of your business and get off my property before I call the police." She continues rambling incoherently as I escort her down the driveway to the street. As she reaches the street she turns and says, "I know he lives here!" I reply, "I live here and you must have the wrong house." "Oh."
Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
As entertaining as your stories are, that's kind of scary.
We live on a well traveled road in a basically rural area with almost thirty acres of hilly woods around us but plenty of houses on the road. The road is a shortcut across the island for tourists going down a nearby peninsula. Daily, we have people turning into our driveway and staring at the house, or walking by and taking pictures of the house. Kind of creeps my wife out, but I attribute it to our incredible work and the beauty of our home ;-]
Several times though, there have been people in the woods, and I have found some "campsites" back in there too...that bothers me. Generally, when I find something fresh in the woods, that is when I tend to have target practice in back with a .22 or maybe air out the 12 gauge.....
I suppose "No trespassing" or "Private" signs might help in your case (mine too) but they are unsightly. Police would consider them a legal warning were any action need to be taken on your part, though.
We live on a well traveled road in a basically rural area with almost thirty acres of hilly woods around us but plenty of houses on the road. The road is a shortcut across the island for tourists going down a nearby peninsula. Daily, we have people turning into our driveway and staring at the house, or walking by and taking pictures of the house. Kind of creeps my wife out, but I attribute it to our incredible work and the beauty of our home ;-]
Several times though, there have been people in the woods, and I have found some "campsites" back in there too...that bothers me. Generally, when I find something fresh in the woods, that is when I tend to have target practice in back with a .22 or maybe air out the 12 gauge.....
I suppose "No trespassing" or "Private" signs might help in your case (mine too) but they are unsightly. Police would consider them a legal warning were any action need to be taken on your part, though.
Etta says "WOOF"
Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
wow...
mjt...
for your first visitor, i may have offered the gentleman $10 an hour to help cut the grass...once you got to know him as a human being that may have had a tough past, he could become your handyperson...
for your second visitor, i may have suggested that he was welcome back if he attended a few AA meetings...when sober you may have discovered that he did indeed know someone who lived there in the past...alcoholic people don't make a lot of sense when they are drunk...
for your third visitor, i would have realized that she was high or drunk and maybe suggested she was in the wrong house...the hammer would never have found its way to my hand with the intention of harming her....
the only people who have trespassed on my property are hunters who have ignored my 'no hunting' signs...i spoke with them politely while reminding them that they were breaking the law and i would appreciate them respecting the signs i posted...oh, and because my driveway looks like a road, people sometimes drive down and see me out in the yard working...we have a good chuckle and i send them on their way with driving instructions...
maybe i'm naive but i find that assessing the situation and handling it with repsect for all those involved usually works best...no guns or hammers....
...jade
mjt...
for your first visitor, i may have offered the gentleman $10 an hour to help cut the grass...once you got to know him as a human being that may have had a tough past, he could become your handyperson...
for your second visitor, i may have suggested that he was welcome back if he attended a few AA meetings...when sober you may have discovered that he did indeed know someone who lived there in the past...alcoholic people don't make a lot of sense when they are drunk...
for your third visitor, i would have realized that she was high or drunk and maybe suggested she was in the wrong house...the hammer would never have found its way to my hand with the intention of harming her....
the only people who have trespassed on my property are hunters who have ignored my 'no hunting' signs...i spoke with them politely while reminding them that they were breaking the law and i would appreciate them respecting the signs i posted...oh, and because my driveway looks like a road, people sometimes drive down and see me out in the yard working...we have a good chuckle and i send them on their way with driving instructions...
maybe i'm naive but i find that assessing the situation and handling it with repsect for all those involved usually works best...no guns or hammers....
...jade
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CS in Low Hud
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
Wow... those are some good stories!
We live on a one-block-long street connecting two dead-end streets at the top of a very steep hill - a gain of about 150' in elevation from the rest of the neighborhood. It tends to discourage the casual and unmotivated surprise guest. Here's what we get: Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, earnest young people with clipboards looking to get signatures for one cause or another, vinyl window and siding sales people. I'm always polite if they make it to the door (though I do tweak the vinyl people a bit)... but sometimes I let the dog out to sit on the porch if I see someone working the street. That usually discourages the proselytizers and sales people. The earnest young people tend to be dog lovers, so that all works out just fine.
But... if I were seeing "goofy" visitors who were showing up under the influence of some substance or another - or their own delusional imaginations - I might be less polite. And more inclined to have the conversation with a hammer near at hand, as in MJT's case. I see nothing at all wrong with that - it's not a threat, just a prudent precaution, IMO.
Chris
We live on a one-block-long street connecting two dead-end streets at the top of a very steep hill - a gain of about 150' in elevation from the rest of the neighborhood. It tends to discourage the casual and unmotivated surprise guest. Here's what we get: Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, earnest young people with clipboards looking to get signatures for one cause or another, vinyl window and siding sales people. I'm always polite if they make it to the door (though I do tweak the vinyl people a bit)... but sometimes I let the dog out to sit on the porch if I see someone working the street. That usually discourages the proselytizers and sales people. The earnest young people tend to be dog lovers, so that all works out just fine.
But... if I were seeing "goofy" visitors who were showing up under the influence of some substance or another - or their own delusional imaginations - I might be less polite. And more inclined to have the conversation with a hammer near at hand, as in MJT's case. I see nothing at all wrong with that - it's not a threat, just a prudent precaution, IMO.
Chris
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Daniel Meyer
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
heartwood wrote:maybe i'm naive but i find that assessing the situation and handling it with repsect for all those involved usually works best...no guns or hammers....
...jade
10 people will die at the hands of strangers in the DFW area today...
So, yes, do assess, handle with respect, but be prepared to see the clues when/if THAT is not working, and have a plan to defend yourself.
As far as goofy people wandering...
We had this guy:
http://theoldvictorian.com/2010/09/03/who-are-you/
Turned out he was just trying to drag me into HIS dispute with the city:
http://theoldvictorian.com/2010/09/05/w ... ou-update/
Then we had the scrappers...the thieves that break in and steal things that can be sold for scrap...they didn't get into the house (we had somebody there) but they took metal stuff that was outside in our carport and shed. They had to open a gate to come in and do that. Extension cords, scaffolds, wiring, etc...a couple thousand bucks with of stuff probably worth $20 scrap...
And we had the gas can thieves...hopped our fence carrying somebody else's gas can, dumped our gas cans out of the shed into theirs, hopped our fence into the neighbor's yard and did the same.
We laugh about that one...we had three on-gallon cans. One was gas for the mower, one was mixed gas for the chainsaw, and one was diesel for cleaning parts. THAT mixture isn't going to help whatever vehicle they stole it for...
At the suburban "blah" house, we woke one morning to find a pick-up truck parked in our yard. It couldn't move because it was hung on the tree they ran over. It left ruts that took me days to fill in. The city came by and threatened me with a ticket. The cops wouldn't tow it because the city hadn't written me a ticket yet, and the truck hadn't been reported stolen. I got my truck and chain, and dragged it to the absolute middle of the street, and then called the cops back. They were happy to tow it then as it was obstructing traffic.
And we had a drunk guy asleep on our porch once...half way down the stair (head on the downhill side). I honestly thought he was dead (nobody could lay like that for long without serious problems) and reached to check his pulse while the wife was calling 911...I about ruined my pants when he jumped up as I touched him (and I am not the easily startled sort). Then, just to show how neighborly he was he kicked me in the nuts, smashed our screen door, and ran off.
In the future, strangers sleeping on our porch will get the "bucket of ice-water from a distance" treatment.
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christiner (WavyGlass)
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
I once had a guy knock on my door and ask if he could see the inside or have blueprints because he wanted to build a house just like mine. you know, my fabulous 1985 house. uhhh, NO WAY, crazycakes.
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Texas_Ranger
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
Let me think...
A while ago we had a guy collecting money, allegedly for a charity helping abused children. Good cause, but... stocky, bald guy, definitely with severe past problems (I'd put my bet on substance abuse) and a huge dog. NOT someone we were willing to give money. He was friendly and accepted a polite decline though.
Then of course we have our share of weird neighbours. Our block consists of tall attached ca. 1900 buildings around a common (though fenced) yard. On the other side of the yard there's an elderly lady of Eastern European descent, whose sole pastime seems to be talking on the phone. She's got quite a dramatic way of talking, always fun to listen to her even if you don't really eavesdrop. One afternoon about 10 years ago we had a kids' borthday party in the yard and she complained about noise. At 2 PM mind you! My cousin called up: "Of course, ma'am! After 10 PM we'll definitely be quiet!". To that she slammed her window shut. A while later I heard a thud and saw a half-eaten peach that had landed close to the table. Surprised I looked up to see where it might have come from. The instant I did that, the phone lady slammed her window shut and it was the only open one...
Then there's the "suit gardener" across the street. Elderly gentleman, quite the perfectionist and is NEVER seen not wearing at least pants with a tight crease and a nice shirt. He also happens to be an absolutely HORRIBLE driver and I always make sure to be well away from him and his late-80s Audi. He drives extremely slowly but sometimes accellerates or swerves all of a sudden. In 2012 he got completely crazy and shot his fireworks in the afternoon of Jan. 1st instead of Dec. 31st.
In the same house, 2 floors above, there's the "bathrobe man". I'd say he's close to 80, yellowish-white hair and very obviously alcoholic. He doesn't bother to get dressed for taking the garbage out or seeing people off, so you can often see him in the front yard or on the street in a green terrycloth bathrobe. On summer evenings you can hear him sit on the balcony until at least 3 AM having looooong slurred conversations. Sometimes he gets visits by much younger women in fancy cars from Poland. My mom once had to help him in the supermarket because he was so drunk he couldn't even keep this balance and threatened to pull down a full shelf.
Oh, and then there's always "Adi". He lives right next door to us (in the twin house) and is most notable for his looks (leftover from the 1980s) and his dog... he's got some small dog (no idea what breed) called Dagobert. That's a fairly uncommon name for a dog, or in fact for anyone. The only well-known Dagobert is the German translation of Scrooge McDuck
Dagobert doesn't listen to him at all, so you can see Adi walk the streets calling his dog over and over in a voice like he's ready to cry. Oh and he's also a seriously poor driver. I think his garage door was replaced this spring and had to be fixed at least twice since then because he keeps bumping into it. The old one was only held closed by a scredriver stuck into the drain in front of the door
A while ago we had a guy collecting money, allegedly for a charity helping abused children. Good cause, but... stocky, bald guy, definitely with severe past problems (I'd put my bet on substance abuse) and a huge dog. NOT someone we were willing to give money. He was friendly and accepted a polite decline though.
Then of course we have our share of weird neighbours. Our block consists of tall attached ca. 1900 buildings around a common (though fenced) yard. On the other side of the yard there's an elderly lady of Eastern European descent, whose sole pastime seems to be talking on the phone. She's got quite a dramatic way of talking, always fun to listen to her even if you don't really eavesdrop. One afternoon about 10 years ago we had a kids' borthday party in the yard and she complained about noise. At 2 PM mind you! My cousin called up: "Of course, ma'am! After 10 PM we'll definitely be quiet!". To that she slammed her window shut. A while later I heard a thud and saw a half-eaten peach that had landed close to the table. Surprised I looked up to see where it might have come from. The instant I did that, the phone lady slammed her window shut and it was the only open one...
Then there's the "suit gardener" across the street. Elderly gentleman, quite the perfectionist and is NEVER seen not wearing at least pants with a tight crease and a nice shirt. He also happens to be an absolutely HORRIBLE driver and I always make sure to be well away from him and his late-80s Audi. He drives extremely slowly but sometimes accellerates or swerves all of a sudden. In 2012 he got completely crazy and shot his fireworks in the afternoon of Jan. 1st instead of Dec. 31st.
In the same house, 2 floors above, there's the "bathrobe man". I'd say he's close to 80, yellowish-white hair and very obviously alcoholic. He doesn't bother to get dressed for taking the garbage out or seeing people off, so you can often see him in the front yard or on the street in a green terrycloth bathrobe. On summer evenings you can hear him sit on the balcony until at least 3 AM having looooong slurred conversations. Sometimes he gets visits by much younger women in fancy cars from Poland. My mom once had to help him in the supermarket because he was so drunk he couldn't even keep this balance and threatened to pull down a full shelf.
Oh, and then there's always "Adi". He lives right next door to us (in the twin house) and is most notable for his looks (leftover from the 1980s) and his dog... he's got some small dog (no idea what breed) called Dagobert. That's a fairly uncommon name for a dog, or in fact for anyone. The only well-known Dagobert is the German translation of Scrooge McDuck
Dagobert doesn't listen to him at all, so you can see Adi walk the streets calling his dog over and over in a voice like he's ready to cry. Oh and he's also a seriously poor driver. I think his garage door was replaced this spring and had to be fixed at least twice since then because he keeps bumping into it. The old one was only held closed by a scredriver stuck into the drain in front of the door -
mjt
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
To be fair, those three were the only odd situations we've encountered in the 5 years we've lived here. And really those people had clearly crossed the line of social acceptability because they either tried to physically push their way into the house or into my personal space (I'm not talking Minnesota personal space here; rather New York City personal space 
The neighbors are great and so are the overwhelming majority of passers-by.
On weekends the historical society has guided tours in the neighborhood. Because it has a number of distinctive features and historical attributes, our house is featured on several of the tours. If I happen to be out doing yardwork, people on the tour will often ask questions, offer compliments, etc. It's kind of cool and it's nice to see that people appreciate what we've done.
The neighbors are great and so are the overwhelming majority of passers-by.
On weekends the historical society has guided tours in the neighborhood. Because it has a number of distinctive features and historical attributes, our house is featured on several of the tours. If I happen to be out doing yardwork, people on the tour will often ask questions, offer compliments, etc. It's kind of cool and it's nice to see that people appreciate what we've done.
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mkeller234
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
Oh boy, I have some of my own stories. We've had a few odd situations at our last home.
One day my wife and I were sitting on the porch. In the street a man was having trouble with his car that stalled. After watching him struggle a bit I decided to help. Once I got down to the drivers side door, which was hanging open. I noticed that he was furiously jamming a screw driver into the steering coulmn. Ok, bad situation. I tried not to look alarmed.... Even though he did. I helped him push the car to the end of the street and to the side of the road. Then, he pushed it down the big long hill. Thank goodness it came to rest without hitting anything. Then he told me that I was ice cold and that I could go over and get high with him sometime. Never did take him up on that! I did go home and call the police though.
I have many lesser stories, mostly about crude neighbors. My next door neighbor used to sit on her porch, with a Bluetooth headset, in her bra. She was probably the worst neighbor I have ever had.
We moved. The new neighbors have been welcoming, sane and wonderful! I love not having any new "good stories"
One day my wife and I were sitting on the porch. In the street a man was having trouble with his car that stalled. After watching him struggle a bit I decided to help. Once I got down to the drivers side door, which was hanging open. I noticed that he was furiously jamming a screw driver into the steering coulmn. Ok, bad situation. I tried not to look alarmed.... Even though he did. I helped him push the car to the end of the street and to the side of the road. Then, he pushed it down the big long hill. Thank goodness it came to rest without hitting anything. Then he told me that I was ice cold and that I could go over and get high with him sometime. Never did take him up on that! I did go home and call the police though.
I have many lesser stories, mostly about crude neighbors. My next door neighbor used to sit on her porch, with a Bluetooth headset, in her bra. She was probably the worst neighbor I have ever had.
We moved. The new neighbors have been welcoming, sane and wonderful! I love not having any new "good stories"
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mkeller234
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Re: Goofy People Wandering in the Neighborhood
Oh, wait I forgot my favorite one!
An awful lot of people used to throw garbage out of their cars in my old neighborhood. I was constantly picking up around the curb and fed up with it. One afternoon I heard a car stop in front of the house. I peeked out the window and saw some young guys shoveling trash out of their car door. Without even thinking I ran down to the curb and picked up what he was tossing. It turned out to be a styrofoam plate with these greasy meatballs all over it. I threw the meatballs into the open window, straight onto the passenger's lap. Natuarally he got out and we had a confrontation. My wife came out with the phone anhrshreatened to call the police. I was probably not smart about how I handled that, but I was younger and my temper burned hotter. Now with a daughter I don't think I'd put myself in the same situation.
An awful lot of people used to throw garbage out of their cars in my old neighborhood. I was constantly picking up around the curb and fed up with it. One afternoon I heard a car stop in front of the house. I peeked out the window and saw some young guys shoveling trash out of their car door. Without even thinking I ran down to the curb and picked up what he was tossing. It turned out to be a styrofoam plate with these greasy meatballs all over it. I threw the meatballs into the open window, straight onto the passenger's lap. Natuarally he got out and we had a confrontation. My wife came out with the phone anhrshreatened to call the police. I was probably not smart about how I handled that, but I was younger and my temper burned hotter. Now with a daughter I don't think I'd put myself in the same situation.