At the bottom of our driveway, by the group mailboxes, there is a large stoned area. It is our neighbor's property. There was an old chain fence, overgrown shrubs, lots of garbage in the shrubs, and a sign that said "No Dumping."
He put none of this in place. All was there when he inherited the house. Originally the mailboxes were in the graveled area, but after 60 years of them being hit by of out of control cars, baseball bats, and snow plows, the neighborhood got together, talked to the post office, and moved them. We haven't had to buy a new mailbox in years. Previously, a new mailbox was a monthly expense. Or duct tape.
The area is a magnet for car breakdowns and the neighbors get knocks on their door at all hours, 'Do you have a gallon of gas? Do you have brake fluid? Do you have transmission fluid? Do you have engine oil? Can I borrow your phone to call a fried/tow truck/my mom?"
The economist in me says "yeah, have these supplies available. Gallon of gas? $20." But the person that likes her sleep says "I'm not getting out of bed because you can't remember to put gas in your fancy SUV."
The other problem is that the majority of people aren't polite. Yes, we know you're broken down and under stress, but you are parked on someone's property and sometimes blocking driveways. When they are asked to move their car to not block the driveway, we are often met with arrogance "My car is broken."
Yes, I see that and I understand, but there are several older woman that live up the lane and if something happens and an ambulance is needed, your vehicle is in the way.
They don't care. We have never seen one person in a broken down car knock on the door to say "I'm sorry, My car broke and I'm stuck. I don't mean to be an inconvenience, but I will return shortly to move it."
Call the police you say. Once there was a broken down camper parked there for a week. The neighbors did call the police. They said "If the vehicle is not blocking the main road, we can't do anything about for 72 hours."
You've got to be kidding me!
Most recently the amount of turn-arounds in this gravel area have doubled if not tripled. Yes, everybody gets lost or misses their turn, but this was an unusual amount and the vehicles would often peel out at a high rate of speed, scattering stones everywhere, and leaving large potholes that collect water after it rains. And the turn-arounds where occurring on Friday and Saturday nights.
Then we started to notice that there was an unusual amount of turn-arounds from one particular house at the top of the hill. These people must have a lot of friends that come and visit, but the odd part is that the friends just don't stay to visit very long. Maybe 2 minutes, 5 minutes max.
Hmm. Then we really started watching. Sometimes the friends coming to visit wouldn't even get out of their cars. Heck, they weren't even pulling in the driveway, they were pulling into the neighbor's driveway.
Sometimes, the visitors were so plentiful, they were waiting to get in and out of the driveway.
Then we noticed that one of the cars making the turn-arounds was the guy that lives in the house. He'd leave his driveway, turn around, head into town, come back 5 minutes later, turn around again and then back into his driveway.
Hmmmm. Something fishy is going on.
Now, I know that the fastest I can get in my car, get to the closest store, pay for whatever I need, and get back is 15 minutes. That's if I don't hit any traffic and only have one small item to purchase with no line.
Where could this guy be going that he left, got what he needed and returned in less than 5 minutes? It can't be a legal store. And what about all of these friends stopping by to visit for less than 5 minutes? Even when I have to drop something off at a friend's house, even a friend I see regularly, I am going to spend more than 5 minutes.
Hmmmm, something very fishy is going on. What kind of activity would bring so many people that only stay for less than 5 minutes? You don't think it could be a drug house and they are selling drugs do you? We have seen the police there in the past. Hmmmm.
Hmmmm. Then one day we saw an SUV drop some off in the turn-around zone. The person got out of the SUV and started walking up the hill. The SUV drove up the hill to the house in question. The guy walking up the hill walked up a bit, then turned around and came back down, then turned around and walked up some more, then crossed the street into the neighbor's yard, then walked back up the hill, then crossed the street again.
Luckily, the Mayor saw him and went out to talk to him to find out what was going on. Mostly the Mayor went to yell at him for walking on grass. The walker said that he was just waiting for someone to pick him up. The Mayor said "I JUST saw your friend just drop you off and go up to that house." A different friend was coming to get him, he claimed.
By this time the SUV, had backed out of driveway and headed down the hill. The walker jumped in the SUV and they were off.
Ok, now we know something is going on. That guy was the lookout. It's got to be a drug house.
Oh no, not in our neighborhood.
We *think* the police know about it. The Mayor talked to some friends on drug patrol. They wouldn't give any details, but it lead him to believe they were watching the situation. They also said to get license plates and vehicle descriptions. Easier said than done.
Good, but not fast enough. In the meantime, the neighbor is going to take the turn-around matter into his own hands.
Ever had a few old tires you didn't know what to do with? Now we have a solution.
And a nice big "NO TRESPASSING" sign.
Sounds like a good plan. It worked, too. The turn-arounds slowed. Now only people pulling in are those that live here. Except...last week another neighbor called and said "someone is stealing your tires."
The neighbor jumped in his car and followed the tire thief to the junk yard. The tire thief claimed he thought they were junk and anybody could take them. (uh, no. Junk yards don't usually take wheeles with the tire still attached. Just the metal rims. And the junk yard is closed, so are you just throwing the tires over the fence?) Interestingly, the tire thief just happens to be one of the "friends" of the guy who lives at the top of the hill. Hmmmmm, coincidence?
Saturday, Walt Kowalski got in on the action. He remembered that we have an old tractor tire buried in the leaves in the forest. He dug it out and rolled it down to the bottom of the driveway. If they want to steal tires, they are going to have to work harder for it.
It's an on-going situation. I don't like this kind of trouble in our neighborhood. Drugs bring trouble. Drugs bring violence. They are often yelling at each other. Drugs bring guns. I don't even want to think about hat would happen if they made someone mad.
This story isn't over yet.
The funny part of the situation was when the neighbor appeared from his garage pushing the shopping buggy full of his old tires out to the curb. Walt Kowalski and I (and the neighbor's wife) had a good laugh at that one. I don't even want to know where (how) he got the buggy.
