Some People Shouldn't Have... Um... Throats.

[mbc1963]

It's a beautiful day here. Was really hot this afternoon, but a nice wind blew in and brought some relief. The trees (flowering cherries, magnolias, azaleas) are in peak bloom. The non-flowering ones are all in their "first green is gold" leafing. I was finished with some obnoxious work I have been dreading, and had a chance for a late evening walk up and down the block with my dog. Put on my walkman, listening to old favorites. Bopping down the street, thinking what a great night, like one you'd want to take with you, if you could take a night with you when you die.

 

So, there's a woman standing in a doorway of a house, looking out. Buddy and I were strolling by, and he heard the door of the house open. He and I both turned to see what was happening - was she coming out, did she want to talk to us, did we need to look out for a small child emerging? So, the woman called out, "Keep him off my yard." I flashed her an (admittedly sarcastic) "OK" sign with my hand, and she continued to harp on me as I walked by: "Keep on moving. That's right." I finally turned and said, "You don't need to yell at me." She called out, "I'm not!"

 

Yeesh. Talk about a mood-buster.

 

What is it about some people, who seem to spend their lives just looking for things to gripe and complain about? I carry two poop bags at all times, and have never, EVER left a mess on the yard of any of these people. I guess I'm not even allowed to have my dog on the street in front of this woman's house, for fear he might step on the grass.

 

What a miserable way to spend your life: looking and looking for things to get angry about, to gripe about to random strangers. And I tell you, if people act that way to me during just right time (if you know what I mean), it actually brings tears to my eyes. (Oh, yes, I've been made to cry by grouchy postal workers, snarky drivers.) Fer crying out loud.

 

Mary

[mcburniefarm]

Don't take it personally, some people need to lash out and you may have been the closest victim. I was verbally attacked once with my baby in the car when I parked in front of her house. I had missed my son's kindergarten bus and chased it to the next stop. Man she went flippin nuts on me, screaming I can't park there (it's a gravel road) and she's going to call the cops, I better move my car right now you get your car out of here...on and on screaming relentlessly at me...my kids were terrified. The kid's mom from the bus stop called my house, turns out the lady is a certified nut case and terrorizes the neighborhood. She doesn't even understand her ravings. So don't take it to heart, I'm sure you didn't deserve it.

 

(Maybe reverse route and walk on the opposite side of the street, then everyday fling the poo over to her yard from a hiding spot ...if she's gonna gripe at least let it be far a reason)

[bc4ever]

Bopping down the street, thinking what a great night, like one you'd want to take with you, if you could take a night with you when you die.

Mary

What a wonderful way of describing it. That's a phrase I won't soon get out of my mind. I actually looked away from the computer, closed my eyes, and imagined what that would be.

 

Don't let the old woman take your joy away. The sad thing is, she's so negative, she'll probably die without taking the perfect night with her.

[powerfulgazelle]

Mary, some folks could walk through paradise, complaining that the place smells like poo, cos the sh*t's on the end of their own nose.

 

At the end of the day, I bet she didn't have walk with a great dog in beautiful weather with good music to put in her "happy bank".

 

[Ooky]

Oh man these people live in my neighborhood too. I try to shoo him past their street easements (not even their LAWNS) just to avoid it. With the return of the Canada geese (POOP), he was not well for a couple of weeks. So he kept having diarrhea and tummy cramps. You should have seen the time he squatted in front of this one woman's house but didn't do anything (had already gone twice) so I had nothing to pick up. Then I'm having the argument: "Lady, I HAVE bags. Come and look! If there was anything here, I would get it, not argue with you!"

 

She watches us pass like a hawk every night. We give each other stink eye through her window.

[desertranger]

I understand boppin' down the stree. Same as boppin' thru' the desert listenin' to a few cool tunes.

 

I also understand about people who go out and have a good time then complain. On a tour bus it usually means a refund.

[diane allen]

I have a neighbor of similar mood. However, he does have some disease (I think it's rhumatoid arthritis, but not certain about that...) - and it just puts him in a bad mood. To top it off, he really doesn't like dogs. I played nice for awhile, got a bit snippy for awhile, but now just smother him with kindness. It hasn't paid off in spades, but I hear fewer complaints now. It might help that I let him put a "cat deterrent" across the top of my fence - his cat, or rather, his wife's cat, is declawed (they adopted him that way), but still manages to climb the no-climb horse fence! So, they draped a roll of chicken wire along the top. Not sure it's going to work, but it certainly doesn't bother me, and they feel like I'm "letting" them do something I didn't have to do. Whew. Yeah, some folks are just spoil-sports...

 

diane

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Some people like to complain about you to make themself feel more important.

 

So let them and smile.

 

Ask your dog who is important to them. They will tell you.

[Shetlander]

I once had a miserable lady come running out on to her porch to yell at me because I had pulled my puppy to the street when I saw he was going to throw up. I thought it was better than the sidewalk or her lawn. So the poor thing is tossing up bile and she's screeching at us about how people walk in the curb when they park their cars on the street. I explained the pup was sick but she kept screeching.

 

The good part of that experience was I had been looking in her neighborhood for a house at the time and after my run in with her, I decided the homes were much too close together. So I ended up buying in a neighborhood with large lots and pleasant neighbors who smile and wave as I walk by. Really, the old witch did me a huge favor with her nasty diatribe.

[desertranger]

It's worse than that and it doesn't even have to involve a dog. My son (11 at the time) and a friend and I were sailing a Hobie Cat in Marina Del Rey when a plastic rudder pin broke leaving me without a port side rudder to steer with. After some difficulty I was able to make my way to the guest dock at the Marina park and tie up. My friend Simon walked over to the chandlers to buy a replacement pin and while I was sitting there with Kyle a guy comes by in a power boat and says I'm in his parking spot. I explained to him my problem and that I couldn't move the boat until it was repaired. Maybe half an hour or so. He went ballistic. He started by going off the deep end at me and Kyle and when I still refused to move citing a broken boat he called the cops (LA County Sheriff). While waiting for the cops the Harbor Master came along and asked what the problem was. The guy, who was floating beside my boat in his, started screaming at the Harbor Master about how I had taken his reserved space. The HM said to me I had to move my boat. By this time the cops had shown and the whole thing started over again. When I told the cop and the HM I had a broken boat and I would move it when it was repaired the cop threatened to arrest me. I looked at the HM and asked him, doesn't the law say I can tie up anywhere if I declare and emergency. He said yes so I said in a loud clear voice. My boat has no port side rudder and cannot move safely away from the dock. I am declaring an emergency until I can safely sail away or retrieve my boat from the dock. The harbor master agreed. This made the guy even angrier and he jumped off his boat onto mine and to the dock. Thank god the cops where there because he looked like he was going to attack me. He was screaming at the cop demanding my arrest. The cop told him the HM was in charge and since the HM had granted me emergency moorage I was OK to stay. In the end he got to spend almost an hour and a half waiting for me to me fix the boat and move. The cops cited him for disturbing the peace and the HM cited him for leaving his boat without someone at the helm and endangerment for the same reason. I didn't even know that was a law. Simon eventually returned with a replacement pin ($15.00 for a pair of 4" plastic breakaway pins) and we fixed the boat and left.

 

I admit that I took my time replacing the pin and I replaced both of them. Not for any reason of mechanical safety or to see if it was a good repair. The pins can be replaced in 2 minutes. But I want to irritate that guy a bit longer so I took my time just to piss off the guy in the power boat.

 

What gets me is I had a child with me and he was ready to kick my butt. He was also ready to cause damage with his boat seeing the way he had been driving it around in circles off the dock.

Too bad he didn't try. It would have been fun kick his butt and then press charges against him for assaulting a federal officer. I worked for a tribe of Indians at that time and was a DOJ certified law enforcement officer and Tribal ranger. Assault if a federal offense.

[JBlaylock]

What a witch. If it were me, right about the point she yelled "that's right, keep moving", I would have stopped and took a dump in her yard, spared my dog the trouble.

[WildFlower]

Oh man these people live in my neighborhood too. I try to shoo him past their street easements (not even their LAWNS) just to avoid it.

 

She watches us pass like a hawk every night. We give each other stink eye through her window.

 

Hahah!

 

I have one these too. I don't even let a paw of Daisy's so much as graze her nasty pesticide ridden lawn. She's a grouchy old lady that stares our her window and watches all of the people with their dogs like she gets paid for it! (I just always wonder what made her this way???)

 

Once a fellow dog owner in my neighborhood and I were standing on the side walk with our dogs close at our sides in front of her house, and should stood in the window and watched us. After we noticed this, we both smiled and waved at her sarcastically. Yeesh.

[JohnLloydJones]

My boat has no port side rudder and cannot move safely away from the dock. I am declaring an emergency until I can safely sail away or retrieve my boat from the dock. The harbor master agreed.

 

The real problem is that most people live in a world, where everything is just a question of paying money and getting what you want. Immediately. Few have traveled or been in situations where cooperation is a simple requirement to survive. The sea is one such place; true seamen know that one day they will be the ones in trouble and will always lend a helping hand. The Arctic is another place where you help first and ask questions later; that culture is ingrained in people over generations. Without it, no one would have survived. Narcissistic cultures where no one cares about each other are fragile; they may flourish when times are good, but they fail catastrophically when things get tough.

[ziggzmom]

So, the woman called out, "Keep him off my yard." I flashed her an (admittedly sarcastic) "OK" sign with my hand, and she continued to harp on me as I walked by: "Keep on moving. That's right." I finally turned and said, "You don't need to yell at me." She called out, "I'm not!"

 

Mary

 

 

Hi Mary,

 

Try not to let it get to you....You're probably getting the flack for the people that do walk on her yard and let their dogs use it and not clean up. Keep enjoying those beautiful evenings=)

 

 

Janet

[Lewie'sMom]

What Janet said.

[Caerus]

I think there is one of these kooks in just about every neighborhood. Ours is a garbage can nazi, and patrols the streets on Monday after trash pickup looking for people who haven't pulled their cans back from the curb. I don't mean the day after garbage pickup, or the night of, but around 10 am when most people are at work. Then she leaves angry, rude notes taped to their cans.

 

Some people just have to find something to complain about, or their day isn't complete. Totally not worth getting upset over, even if it hurts your feelings at the time.

 

By the way, I love the thread title. I am in a giggly mood anyway, but it definitely made me laugh.

[PSmitty]

What a b*tch. I'm not Miss Sunshine myself, but I just can't imagine going out of my way to be such a jerk. Try not to let her get you down, Mary. She's obviously miserable in her own skin.

 

PS. I've been meaning to tell you I love your new avatar photo of Buddy.

[sandyleew]

We have one of those too. She claims she actually owns the road and we aren't allowed to walk there. We also carry poop bags and always clean up after the dogs. She insists that we let our dogs poop in her yard because she finds poop and we are the only ones she sees with dogs. She went so far one time as to come running out and get right in my face sticking her finger in my face and screaming at me. My son who is three, turned right around and said to her, "You stop being mean". This was happening every single time we walked the dogs, so we finally called the cops and they went and talked to her. We haven't heard or seen anything from her since.

[desertranger]

We have a trash nazi in our neighborhood to but you can't call him a nazi. Legally that's a hate crime.

[sweet_ceana]

My son who is three, turned right around and said to her, "You stop being mean".

That is fantastic! I think your son needs to pull all of these grouches aside and give them a dose of three year old honesty.

 

You guys makes me really appreciate my neighbors! Almost everyone on our street has a dog, there are two groomers and another person who does rescue!