‘Boomer’ Neighbor Chops Down Woman’s Entire Garden After Her Sprinklers ‘Misted’ His Fence
He resorted to petty behavior, which came back to bite him in the end.
Alter-ego | Shutterstock Neighbors are not always going to get along or agree on certain topics, and this is an inevitable element of life. The best we can do is try to communicate, accept what is out of your control, and focus on your own life.
That’s what one woman decided to do regarding her baby boomer neighbor’s “menacing” behavior. But after he took his actions too far, the woman had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
The boomer neighbor chopped down her entire garden simply because her sprinklers ‘misted’ his fence.
“Seven years I've lived in my home and the boomer neighbors behind me, the husband in particular, has been a menace since the day I moved in,” she wrote in a post to the r/BoomersBeingFools subreddit.
“I've largely ignored the aggressive dogs trying to jump over the fence, the barking at all hours, boomer's attempt at convincing my insurance adjuster my roof was too old to be covered after a bad storm, all in an attempt to be neighborly,” she added. “That ended today.”
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She added further context to their neighborly feud, explaining that the boomer neighbor has harbored resentment toward her ever since she moved in because she refuses to pay him $50 a week to mow her lawn as the previous owner did, stating she prefers to mow her lawn herself.
“Boomer decided that he was going to reach over the fence to chop and mow down my tomatoes, cucumbers, giant sunflowers (ones you can eat), and tall privacy ornamental grass with a weed wacker,” she said. “I went to his house and asked him point blank if he did that and if it was intentional.”
She said the man “exploded,” exclaiming, "Yes, I [expletive] chopped that [expletive] down; you're lucky I didn't call the city on you."
When she asked him why, he claimed it was because her impact sprinkler heads “occasionally mist water” on her side of his fence.
Suffice it to say, the man sought revenge and irrationally chopped down her private property, which was very valuable to her, out of a petty response to her sprinklers interfering with his fence.
Understandably, the woman filed a police report against him for vandalizing her property.
“I filed a destruction of property police report. Boomer wants to be petty while also being a terrible neighbor, he can have the petty consequences in court,” she said. “His fence is fine, but who knows what he'll do when he finds out it rains and rain does, in fact, touch his fence.”
The woman appeared reasonably upset, as no one who puts so much effort into their garden would be too thrilled to find it hastily ruined over some water, of all things.
Many Reddit users expressed confusion over why the man would violate her yard, as most individuals of the boomer generation would understand the value of a fresh garden.
“I lived next door to a neighbor who grew tomatoes at one end and mint at the other end of his garden. I used to go over with little salt packets when I was a kid and help pick tomatoes,” one person wrote in the comments. “Why can't they see the value of a garden?”
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“His yard is an empty mix of grass … There's nothing back there, not even chairs,” the woman replied. “I swear these people all grew up with gardens and pine for the good ol' days; now they lose their mind over anything, even if it's something they want.”
Reddit users also advised the woman to take action by covertly planting seeds of inconvenient plants in his yard and setting up security cameras to document any further attempts of violation and catch him in the act.
“Next time you go talk to him, sprinkle mint seeds as you walk across his lawn. Catnip is an aggressive mint, too, if he's not a friend of the feline,” someone suggested. “Then set up a security camera, plant something big and annoying, and just wait for him to do something stupid. Use that video to file a lawsuit against him. Keep your phone camera on with any interaction. If he threatens you in any way, press charges.”
No matter how annoyed you may feel, no one has the right to vandalize someone’s private property.
Especially when it comes to something as meaningful as a garden, no one should ever take their neighborly pettiness as far as demolishing someone's pride and joy without expecting karma.
Was the man wrong? Yes, but when it comes to neighborly disputes, it's important to think big picture because the last thing you want is a home you don't feel peace in.
Etiquette expert Elaine Swann told HuffPost that if a conflict has already occurred, it's imperative to de-escalate. Primarily, don't react in the heat of the moment. Since that already happened, Swann advised taking some space to come to a resolution. "Your goal should not be to simply tell the person how he's upset you but to also express what you want to happen to make it stop," explained Swann. "It's about how you can work together to solve the problem."
The man was in the wrong for his spiteful behavior, but being petty in return will not resolve the issue. It very well may be that he is struggling to regulate his own pent-up emotions regarding circumstances unrelated to the woman and projecting his frustrations onto her.
Your home is your sanctuary, and having disruptive neighbors can ruin that peace. While it might seem impossible to get along with someone who is cranky and petty, it's best to try. Don't make things worse if you can come to a truce because it will only benefit you and your entire neighborhood in the long run.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.