Navigation

Article posted Wednesday, October 12, 2011 3:19pm

Dear Mary Pat,

My neighbor is a bit of a neat freak when it comes to his lawn. He is out there constantly in the summer with all sorts of equipment. His grass is perfectly edged at the sides. A dandelion wouldn’t dare pop up on his emerald green lawn. There isn’t a flower left to be deadheaded. Weeds aren’t allowed to be in the flower beds for more than a 5-minute span. You get the idea. Apart from making my average yard a little shabby looking in comparison, I don’t fault the guy at all…in the summer. The fall season, however, is a different story. As you can imagine, he is compulsive about leaf removal. That’s all fine and good, but most of his leaves get blown onto my yard by his leaf blower. I work a full-time job, have a wife, three kids and a lot going on. It’s hard enough to get my own leaves collected, but now I’ve got to worry about picking up the neighbor’s too?

Leaf Me Alone Already

Sturgeon Bay, WI

Dear Leaf Me Alone Already,

For someone who is so into details, I’m surprised that your neighbor doesn’t notice the extra work he’s creating for you. Does he think the Leaf Fairy picks up your yard in the wee hours? Does he think that your yard isn’t the showplace that his is, therefore, common courtesy need not apply? You need to address this situation with him calmly and rationally. Say something like, “I’m sure you didn’t notice, but your blower is sending the leaves over to my side. I’d appreciate it if you could blow them into a pile and then rake them up.”

That should do the trick. I’d hate to see you rent a blower for the day and give him a taste of his own medicine…

Seriously, let’s all try to be conscious of our actions in front of our neighbors and everyone else.

Good luck,

Mary Pat