it's never a good sign when the little piece of junk white cavalier with "st. louis county" imprinted on it's side rolls up your street. you know what it is. it's some county inspector looking for any number of inane violations of any number of inane, obscure county laws or statutes.
a couple of years ago, i got a letter in the mail about my lawn. my lawn was out of control, i was told, and it would be cut by county appointed lawn care people at an enormous cost if i did not cut it. of course, initially i went ballistic. then i thought for a moment and remembered that the grass was a bit tall for a few days the previous week because of rain and my lack of time. what made me go ballistic a second time was the realization that some nosy, good for nothing neighbor must have made the complaint to cause the little white cavalier to show up on my street. who on my street would be so petty? we live in affton, for god's sake, not ladue. and while it may have been taller than it should have been, it did not warrant a complaint.
this blog post is not about me receiving another notice. nope, it's about nearly everyone on my block getting one except me. the nosy neighbor has struck again, during the height of the spring rains when the grass grows so quickly that normal people haven't the time to get out and mow. bill, the good old guy next door, caught me outside the other day and let me in on the displeasure that everyone is expressing about the notices. seems no one can pinpoint who the little snitch is this time, since so many people, including those that we thought would have snitched in the past, have gotten notices. i admit that i have kept my lawn pretty clean cut, with very few lapses in care. not because of the notice i got years ago, but because we care about our lawn and the appearance of our home.
i would never call the county on a neighbor. things would have to be car-on-blocks-in-the-front-yard bad before i did anything. and you know what? i would have a talk with them first. maybe they need help? maybe they're broke and can't get the job done? last thing they would need then would be a fine from the county. and, if it turned out that they were just lazy and dirty, some one else would call.
nothing worse than nosy and annoying neighbors.
2 comments:
I had no experience with HOA's until we came out here. I'm a clean guy. I got a warning for having some firewood in the wrong location.
i think everyone can appreciate the need for home owners associations and the like. but, when they start making life difficult for good quality people, it gets ugly.
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