Update
I didn’t sleep well. I awake long past midnight and up long before five. I have a lot on my mind and was anxious to just get through this with LM this morning so we would know how bad it really was and stop WORRYING about it all. It’s so hard as a mother to know how to help your child be courageous. And I knew this would take a sheer act of bravery to sit and allow the orthodontist to put these things in your mouth when you know they are going to hurt.
I took the dog out around 7:45. LM was coming from his dad’s and he was late and I was pacing. My neighbor came out and saw me and laid into me. Let me give you the history (I was going to link to past posts about my neighbor, but I'm too tired to find them):
I have had problems with this neighbor for quite sometime. She lives below me with her two boys, one is in high school, one is in middle school. I have endured rocks being thrown on my patio and at LM’s bedroom window. I have dealt with little plastic pellets being shot at the door and all over the yard. I have had to ask for their music to be turned down on more than half a dozen occasions. As recently as last week, the boys smeared some green paint-like stuff all over my front door. Each and every time I have had an issue I have gone directly to them. I have spoken with the boys or their mom. I have been polite and mature and dealt with it as a neighbor. For the most part, they comply. They just come up with something new the next week.
On Monday, Memorial Day, I was watching a movie and heard a strange sound out on my deck. I knew at least one of the boys and some other neighbor kid were downstairs on their patio so I muted the tv and waited to see what they were up to. About five minutes later I heard the noise again and this time identified it as a pellet from a pellet gun. The boys were shooting pellets at the birds on my birdfeeders. The birds weren’t 10 feet from the gun. I was pissed.
I stewed about for awhile trying to decide if this was truly criminal or if it was just personally upsetting. I had been out on my deck earlier watering the plants and I realized that if I had been hit by a passing pellet it could break the skin. I decided to call the non-emergency police number and ask for their opinion. The dispatcher told me she was sending out an officer immediately, that this was not okay and to stay inside until it was cleared up.
The officer came and saw the boys on the patio. He went directly to them and spoke with them at length. They tried to deny it, but the pellet gun was lying at their feet. After some time their mom came out but I don’t know all that was said. The officer eventually came to my door and came inside and I explained how there was a history here and I’m not one to just call the police over nothing but this seemed more destructive than normal. He completely agreed and told me I had a right to press charges if I wanted to. I declined, saying I just wanted them to stop. He let me his card and told me to call if I had any further incidents.
Back to this morning. My neighbor is now standing in the parking lot reading me the riot act for calling the police instead of just coming to her to deal with the problem. I explained that I HAVE come to her on numerous occasions. She said, “You’ve never complained about the pellet gun before!” I explained that it was a whole new level of destruction and I thought it was more serious this time. She freaked out. She went on and on and on but the gist of it was that if I so much as sneeze from now on, she’ll call and report me for noise violation. She has issues with my dog and threatened to call the humane society (she thinks he’s too big to be in a condo). I told her that if she felt that way to please feel free to make the necessary calls. She told me that she’d have me down to clean up any mess from bird seed falling on her patio. I told her that if she felt she had concerns there to contact the condo association. She assured me she would do just that.
After this heartwarming dialogue, I rushed LM off to the orthodontist to have them tell me that they wrote the appointment down for 10am, whereas I had it down for 8am. I gave her that “we’re not leaving without expanders” look and they took us in.
The expanders are in. The orthodontist has a healthy sense of humor and kept LM entertained while he was being tortured. They are uncomfortable and he doesn’t talk well currently but he wasn’t in agony. He headed off to school with a notebook ready to write messages instead of speaking. I packed him a lunch full of soft things that he was looking forward to. I’m sure he’ll have more discomfort tomorrow when it really takes hold in his sinuses and his head but for now, we’re through what is the roughest part to me.
As for my neighbor, I called my association this morning and gave them the rundown. She encouraged me to write a letter with the history on it so that it would be on file should this neighbor file any complaint. She was outspoken about her support of my actions and stated that this woman is renting her condo and she doesn’t have nearly the leg to stand on that I do anyway.
All of this is to say that my nerves are officially SHOT today. I wish I could move out tomorrow for a hundred reasons (my neighbor is just steadily moving herself up to the top of that list). If nothing else, I expect that the police will be called the next time my dog barks and that I’ll have many more exciting stories to tell as time goes on.
Thanks for all your well-wishes for LM.
I took the dog out around 7:45. LM was coming from his dad’s and he was late and I was pacing. My neighbor came out and saw me and laid into me. Let me give you the history (I was going to link to past posts about my neighbor, but I'm too tired to find them):
I have had problems with this neighbor for quite sometime. She lives below me with her two boys, one is in high school, one is in middle school. I have endured rocks being thrown on my patio and at LM’s bedroom window. I have dealt with little plastic pellets being shot at the door and all over the yard. I have had to ask for their music to be turned down on more than half a dozen occasions. As recently as last week, the boys smeared some green paint-like stuff all over my front door. Each and every time I have had an issue I have gone directly to them. I have spoken with the boys or their mom. I have been polite and mature and dealt with it as a neighbor. For the most part, they comply. They just come up with something new the next week.
On Monday, Memorial Day, I was watching a movie and heard a strange sound out on my deck. I knew at least one of the boys and some other neighbor kid were downstairs on their patio so I muted the tv and waited to see what they were up to. About five minutes later I heard the noise again and this time identified it as a pellet from a pellet gun. The boys were shooting pellets at the birds on my birdfeeders. The birds weren’t 10 feet from the gun. I was pissed.
I stewed about for awhile trying to decide if this was truly criminal or if it was just personally upsetting. I had been out on my deck earlier watering the plants and I realized that if I had been hit by a passing pellet it could break the skin. I decided to call the non-emergency police number and ask for their opinion. The dispatcher told me she was sending out an officer immediately, that this was not okay and to stay inside until it was cleared up.
The officer came and saw the boys on the patio. He went directly to them and spoke with them at length. They tried to deny it, but the pellet gun was lying at their feet. After some time their mom came out but I don’t know all that was said. The officer eventually came to my door and came inside and I explained how there was a history here and I’m not one to just call the police over nothing but this seemed more destructive than normal. He completely agreed and told me I had a right to press charges if I wanted to. I declined, saying I just wanted them to stop. He let me his card and told me to call if I had any further incidents.
Back to this morning. My neighbor is now standing in the parking lot reading me the riot act for calling the police instead of just coming to her to deal with the problem. I explained that I HAVE come to her on numerous occasions. She said, “You’ve never complained about the pellet gun before!” I explained that it was a whole new level of destruction and I thought it was more serious this time. She freaked out. She went on and on and on but the gist of it was that if I so much as sneeze from now on, she’ll call and report me for noise violation. She has issues with my dog and threatened to call the humane society (she thinks he’s too big to be in a condo). I told her that if she felt that way to please feel free to make the necessary calls. She told me that she’d have me down to clean up any mess from bird seed falling on her patio. I told her that if she felt she had concerns there to contact the condo association. She assured me she would do just that.
After this heartwarming dialogue, I rushed LM off to the orthodontist to have them tell me that they wrote the appointment down for 10am, whereas I had it down for 8am. I gave her that “we’re not leaving without expanders” look and they took us in.
The expanders are in. The orthodontist has a healthy sense of humor and kept LM entertained while he was being tortured. They are uncomfortable and he doesn’t talk well currently but he wasn’t in agony. He headed off to school with a notebook ready to write messages instead of speaking. I packed him a lunch full of soft things that he was looking forward to. I’m sure he’ll have more discomfort tomorrow when it really takes hold in his sinuses and his head but for now, we’re through what is the roughest part to me.
As for my neighbor, I called my association this morning and gave them the rundown. She encouraged me to write a letter with the history on it so that it would be on file should this neighbor file any complaint. She was outspoken about her support of my actions and stated that this woman is renting her condo and she doesn’t have nearly the leg to stand on that I do anyway.
All of this is to say that my nerves are officially SHOT today. I wish I could move out tomorrow for a hundred reasons (my neighbor is just steadily moving herself up to the top of that list). If nothing else, I expect that the police will be called the next time my dog barks and that I’ll have many more exciting stories to tell as time goes on.
Thanks for all your well-wishes for LM.
Comments
As for the neighbour, what a palaver - amazing the cheek some people have, no consideration at all. Hope things quieten down for everyone's sake.
Rest up tonight and have a good day tomorrow. :-)
Crappy neighbors and even though I have no idea about expanders they sound kindof horrific...are they in for long?
Hoping the boy makes it through okay :)
It's so funny reading about LM getting braces -- Mark's an orthodontist, so whenever I hear of some kid scared to get braces, I want to send Mark out on a house call. :)
It only hurts for the first couple of days after an appointment... and he'll have a beautiful smile at the end of it all.
Expanders?!? UGH. I HATED those.
Yay soft foods, lottsa soft foods. You are a good mom.
Bad neighbors SUCK.
I agree with the condo association about documenting each encounter. Your neigbor has a pretty clearly established history of disregard for your property, it sounds like.
btw, i posted new content at my blog. :)
I'm forever doomed to have neighbors who send their tiny dogs to poop in my yard. Two houses now. I'm sure my new neighbors will do the same. =)
Nasty neighbor. Bleggh!
My daughter is in the process of getting braces too. She's been doing the head gear for about 2 months now. Next Tuesday she'll get the first 4 braces on her front teeth. She's nervous, but knows enough people who have or had them (myself included) so she'll be fine with it. I just gave a little motrin till her pain wore off.