Am I a smuck .... ?
 

OK, for 4 + years, I have been mowing my neighbors yard. She is 85 yrs old, no kids and has a niece that will visit her from time to time. Her house is run down, it appears that no maintence has been done for 30 years to the place and the health department checks up on her each month. She lives on social security, she has no A/C but you never hear her complain. 2 years ago I bought her 4 fans for her house when it was so damn hot during the summer.

During this 4+ year period, I have never charged her a dime, not a penny for any yard work or light repairs to her place. Then last year she starts giving III $10.00 each time we do the yard. I do the tractor work and III does the small amount of push mowing and weed eating. I tell III that since I supply the mowers, weedeater and gas, he can forfeit the cash to me to buy the gas each week. I do our yard and her's the same day, just to keep the yards looking good and because she has nobody to do it for a reasonable price. Her yard would cost her about $ 40.00 to have it mowed. I also mow my MIL's yard ( for 3 years ) , don't charge a dime for it either, out of respect.

This old lady next to us has nobody, she calls us daily, sometimes 2, 3, 4 times per day. She calls just to say , " It's nice to see your truck parked out front " .... or calls and says, " you don't mind me calling do ya, ya know I really love ya ". She is a lonely old lady that needs some attention and this is her way of getting it.

During the 4th of July weekend, we shot off our fireworks for the g/k's. The policy here in town is it's OK to shoot till 10:00 pm unless a neighbor calls in to complain....... She did , she won't admit it, the cops came and told us we had to stop. I have been pissed off with her since. Sometimes our driveway is blocked with cars, I'll drive my pickup between her house and ours, ( 1/2 is her property ) she tells the g/k's that she is going to call the cops on me. But yet she lets me and the kids drive the golf cart around the yard.

The deal is this, I think I'm getting fead up with this old lady. For 4+ fuggin years I have done her a favor and she acts like this ? I'm thinking about charging her for her damn yard now........ Am I wrong here ?

Or do I continue to do it free and live with her back stabbing ways.

ball bat + Newtons First Law =?????????????????

She's probably just senile. I'd confront her (tactfully, of course) and if she's not willing to admit to/apologize for what she did, I'd tell the old bag to find someone else to mow her damn yard.

Hell no you are not a schmuck! That is absolutely ridiculous she called the cops on you. Charge her full price!

sounds like she needs a flaming bag of poo on her doorstep.

That's my take on it as well. I do the same thing for the old boy next door to me as well as plow his snow in the winter. If he called the law on me for lighting off fireworks like that, I would not be happy about it. :hmmm:

No, that's what two smurfs do, you are a schmuck

I don't know....

I tend to help old folks and tollerate alot more from them than other people. There is still a line that can be crossed.

I think I'd talk to her about it and explain that in order to be good neighbors, if she has a complaint, that you KNOW she has your number and you'd have appreciated it if she'd have just spoken to you.

It might also be a good time to let her know that times are tight, gas is $2/gallon and you need to raise her fee to $20.

When I was in Jr High, my brother and I mowed and cared for 27 yards in town(once our farm work was done..and also worked for neighbors)....anyhooo...most of them were old ladies. We had 2 of 3 houses on 1 block. One lady played the "I'm 200 years old and dirt poor" card, and her neighbor was obviously rich.

I think we got $15 for "pearl's yard"..the rich broad...and $6 for Gladys, because we felt bad for her....Keep in mind, things were Really tight at home too, and we were just trying to help her out. It took about 45 min for 2 of us to mow and trim.

I got ran over by a van, and my brother had to do them alone.....Pearl, the Rich broad gave him $5 instead of 15, and Gladys told him we only got $2.

They BOTH tried to kick us when I was down, and my brother, who was in 4-5th grade didn't know to confront them. My mom took me to town and I knocked on the door for the rest of our money.

Turned out Gladys had her walls packed with cash too when she died.


Its one thing to be helpful, neighborly and kind. Its another thing entirely to get hosed.

Confront her kindly, try to work things out, or it'll be drama until she dies.

I started this post on III's car pull over incident by mistake........

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Originally Posted by ChiTown
She's old, Roy. Talk to her about it and see if you can reason with her. If not, send her a fuggin invoice for 4+ years of mowing - that'll shut her yap up.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heh, I put that post here , sorry, I thought I had clicked on the new thread icon........

I tried it once, she just doesn't get it ...... I think she forgets things easily.

Well, then the only obvious solution is to put out a bowl of antifreeze.

:LOL: I see that you think like I do. :D

ROFL But yes, calling the cops for fireworks on the forth is a serious offense. Especially BEFORE 10!!

OK, color me lost on this one ........ ?

Another point to keep in mind here...... I had originally had a desire to purchase the property from her and have it bulldozed down after she leaves this world . I asked her about buying the property from here last year, this is when she started to give us $ 10.00 per mowing.

Ah, but then poor RoyC is gonna have to be the one to clean it up later ROFL Of course that could be a perfect job for III right?

Show restraint with the old woman my friend. No good deed goes unpunished even if she lost her head by calling the cops. You are doing something good and stand up for someone who needs a helping hand.

It's a running joke here. Someone was having a problem with a neighbor's dog so it was suggested that a bowl of antifreeze be put out for the dog, who will subsequently die from ingesting the antifreeze. It's now the standard solution to ANY problem. Although, it's not nearly as funny now that I've had to explain it (Not like it was side-splitting hilarious in the first place).