It’s been so nice lately that I want to work in my yard and neglect the inside of my house. The outside of our homes says just as much about us as the inside but right now, I’m struggling with it.
I have one of “those” neighbors, trash fills their yard, cars and car parts litter the driveway and front yard. Half built shacks lean against the house and the weeds have completely taken over the yard.
It makes it hard to stay motivated to keep my yard nice when the weed seeds are causing weeds to sprout everywhere, no matter how diligent I am about digging them up. The neighbors trash blows out of their overflowing cans and covers the street and the neighboring yards. I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle.
I’ve tried talking to them but they don’t see a problem and think I should mind my own business. How can I make them understand that it is my business when they are affecting my property values and I’m constantly cleaning up after them?
The back yard isn’t too bad because the fence is high enough that I don’t have to look into their yard, although their weeds are still taking up residence there.
I try to be a good neighbor but this is really affecting me. Last weekend I mowed the grass, used the weed eater and pulled the weeds in my front flower bed. When I went outside later to sit in the sun with a cup of tea, there were plastic bags caught in my rose bushes and one of the kids had ridden their bike over the columbine.
I love having a beautiful yard but I’m struggling to keep up my motivation, there doesn’t seem to be much point when the neighbors bad habits are invading my yard. For now, I think I’ll concentrate on the inside of the house, they can’t get in there.
What would you do? How would you help your neighbors see that this was a problem?