Bury the hachet...? "Electric Fences and Purple $1 Bills???"" ?

[Robert Blass]

Can we like bury the hatchet on the electric fence posting I made?

I just have about 20 years of anger built up over kids and adults using my front yard as either a playground or 'shortcut'. Many loiter in my yard for many minutes to a full hour. Some even do business with either drugs or prostitution. You might can imagine how that might make you feel?

As for police? We have one living 3 houses away and it doesn't seem to bother him. Imagine me calling the cops and the cops find out a cop lives 3 houses away? That cop will be angry with me because I showed him up in front of all his co-workers. This would be a bad idea to call the cops about this unless I could handle being harassed by the cops in retaliation for getting their cop friend in trouble with his boss.

I've made the decision to never walk on other people's property. It doesn't seem like a difficult decision to make. Do unto others....

We have this fresh crop of 'youths' who are ignoring all normally held rules.

I never dreamed all this would be my fault. I had always thought that if you minded your own business, were polite and obeyed the law that you would be rewarded with peace and respect. The only thing that is respected these days are people in gangs.

Anyway the electric fence idea is dead so don't worry.

Maybe a couple of you could have tried to see this from my point of view. It seem evident that my only acceptable solution is to rob a bank so I can afford a nice farm. That way my nearest neighbor would pass-out from exhaustion trying to walk across my property.

Good Day.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 11 Oct 2008 09:35:54a, Robert Blass told us...

Robert, why not *just* a conventional fence? Could be chain link, or any manner of wooden fence designs. Full enclosure with a gate. It's unlikely that people would continue to congregate in your yard. Make it as high as local code allows. You could probably also get away with putting a row of barbed wire at the top. I think that would take care of the problem.

Our back yard, actually up to the front of our house, is fenced in with an

8' tall stockade fence with locked gates on either side of the house. No one ever enteres it, and we have total privacy.

Our fron yard is not presently fenced in, however, we don't get people wandering about, but we do get debris either tossed or blown into it. We're restricted to a 4' fence in the front, and I think we're going to install a split rail fence with a driveway gate. It won't afford much privacy, and it won't prevent people from tossing things in the yard or things blowing into the yard, but it does "define" personal space. If we had people wandering about, it would certainly deter that.

Frankly, we live in a rather "trashy" neighborhood, but the lot was reasonably priced and large for this area. We have the nicest house and yard in the area. People here just don't seem to give a damn what their places look like. Luckily, the immediate neighbors on each side are really nice people.

Good luck!

[Bob F]

One could also obstruct access with a hedge of blackberries or other thorned bushes.

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Sat 11 Oct 2008 10:31:57a, Bob F told us...

Great idea, except for waiting for the bushes to grow sufficiently to fill in and create a solid hedge. A lot of people in my general area have a 3-4 foot high chainlink fence that has gradually been engulfed with bushes of various sorts, many of them thorned.

[aemeijers]

Maybe a row of shrubbery with thorns would help? My sympathies on your neighborhood going to hell- I moved out of one apartment complex when it became clear one building in back was a drug house, and management and cops did nothing about it. Even the 'fancy' apartment complex I moved into after that wasn't much better. Repeated daytime burglaries while I was at work, and nothing but a shrug from management and cops. So 3 years ago I bought a small house in a small rural subdivision- nothing fancy, and most of my neighbors are retirees. But about half of them have dogs, and I have had zero crime problems. I have accidentally left garage door open overnight and even during the day (faulty auto-reverse sensor on door), and nothing ever walked off. Too bad right now is such a lousy time to sell a house- sounds like moving might be the best thing for your health. That stress can kill you.

-- aem sends...

[EXT]

Yes, how about Hawthorn, they have 1 to 2" long razor sharp spikes grow out from the branches, they can rip the flesh or penetrate deep. Or a Japanese Angelica which are lined with sharp thorns all up the trunks, stems and even the joints in the compound leaves, a brush up against a branch will take the skin off.

[EXT]

Verrrrry carefully. I have some Japanese Angelicas also known as devils walkingstick, thick leather gloves are usually enough for pruning. Generally they don't need much work.

[hallerb]

=EF=BF=BDIt's

The home I grew up in had jagger headges, to discourage people entering the yard.

a nice fence is much easier and requires no trimming

[SteveB]

And just who is going to take care of these beauties?

Steve

[Bob F]

Holly is pretty effective also.

[Robert Blass]

On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:42:19 GMT, aemeijers sayd the following:

Indeed if only for money I have none.

THANKS ALL for your tips and tricks!

:-D