Confrontation with my neighbor

[Poss253a]

Your letter was well thought out and well written. You were a lot more gracious than I would have been.

What can you do eh?....There always seems to be one jackass in everygood neighbourhood. They just happen to live next door to you. Eventually they will learn to live with you and your cigar habit. If not....too bad for them.

[Shelby07]

I wonder if they actually thought you'd knock on the door and apologize for smoking on your own patio.

These people are not only spineless, they obviously feel that their world should be a little more perfect at other's expense.

Smoke 'em out!

[bobbyg29-cl]

Have an update:

I was sitting outside tonight having a cigar and my neighbors came done and apologized and asked if we could start over. They said they appreciated my offer and would really be grateful I could not smoke between midnight-8am but they realize it is my right to do it whenever I want. The wife trying to slip in a "you know smoking is bad for you" comment but the husband quickly stopped her. So it looks like it is all resolved. If they had just come and asked me nicely in the first place this could have all been avoided.

[JoeyBear]

I would have tossed the note before reading it. If it was important enough for a note, it would have been important enough for them to confront me face to face.

You're a lot nicer than I would have been.

[Itsme-Speedy-G]

You should have invited the hubby to have sit and cigar. You could have offered the wife a glass of wine or shut the hell up.

[mhlatke]

I'm glad it worked out for you in the end - but I never would have been able to match your restraint. I have had battles w/neighbors that have resulted in clear-cutting half a tree (was over the property line) and orienting my exterior floodlights to shine directly in their kitchen. Now I know my actions are not very courteous but I never initiated these problems - it was similar cowardly letters that were the cause. If they had simply come to me, more suitable solutions could have been negotiated.
If I were you, I would have bought a cheap smoker and instead of wood chips, I would have loaded that bad boy up w/the foulest cigars I could find!
But, that's just me - I tend to be a bit........reactionary. Now I need a smoke.

[tobacmon]

I'm going to keep this just in case I come across one of them there Nit Wit's!

[Lok17]

Originally Posted by architeuthis

Here in Texas, it would have been handled a bit differently, with slightly more permanent results... <G>

In Texas someone would end up shot, and it prolly woulda been legal to do so!! LOL

[Lok17]

Originally Posted by bobbyg29

Have an update:

I was sitting outside tonight having a cigar and my neighbors came done and apologized and asked if we could start over. They said they appreciated my offer and would really be grateful I could not smoke between midnight-8am but they realize it is my right to do it whenever I want. The wife trying to slip in a "you know smoking is bad for you" comment but the husband quickly stopped her. So it looks like it is all resolved. If they had just come and asked me nicely in the first place this could have all been avoided.

Glad to hear it worked out in the end. It is cool that the guy manned up and came down to talk to you face to face and apologized. Sometimes I just don't understand why people in general can't be polite to start off with and see if the other party will try to accomodate them. As far as my neighbors, I am very lucky!!! One of them I smoke with all the time... damn he takes a lot of my sticks Another I sit over with him and drink and smoke, he doesn't like them. The rest just don't mind or are never outside... If any of them asked me not to smoke because their windows were open or something, I would have to say I would move it to my garage or something to accomodate them.

[alnpd-cl]

Too restrained. I don't know that i would have even responded. I commend you! The nerve of those sons of ....... Good luck, you are in for an uphill battle. It sucks when you have crappy neighbors!

[alanf]

What is it about people that don't want to talk to their neighbors about any "problems" they might have? Twice now we have had neighbors with way too much time on their hands, that have yards that would shame anything in published in Better Homes and Gardens. Now our yard isn't messy but it certainly isn't up to those standards. Instead of talking to us, they would complain to the city and we would have a city inspector showing up. Everytime that happened the inspector was aggravated because there was nothing wrong and we violated no city ordinances. In other words, it was a waste of his time. But these neighbors just wouldn't stop. Yet whenever I talked to them, they would never say anything about their "concerns". Finally they just moved.

I think you handled your situation well. Fortunately, no one has complained about my cigar smoking and if they did - tough luck.

[Jimmie The Mum]

It worked out only because you turned the other cheek. Good for you man.
You should be proud of yourself!

[Slow Triathlete]

Yeah, make sure you keep us updated

[CHRIS7891011]

Awesome Glad to see things are turning out alright. Good for you.

[seegarfan-cl]

You are right about one thing.........you were nicer than i would have been.

You deserve a pat on the back for handling it the way you did. I'm curious, was this your initial response, are did you have to think about it for awhile?

Mark