Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Citation


My neighbor called me, on her way out of the park. “I just saw Joe with a stack of pink folders and said ‘Hey, where’s mine? I want to come to the party, too.’” Joe told her they were citations, and he had none for her, but one for her neighbor, which would be me.

I retrieved the bag from my doorknob, and it is a citation, for unwhipped weeds. How petty. Three unrectified citations equal an eviction. Thirty days to fix it. I stomped off for an inspection, and made it around the building without my cane. Laura mowed on Sunday, and, frankly, I didn’t see a problem.

On the other side I met Dan, the maintenance man, mowing at top speed. I flagged him down and asked where my problem is. Poor fellow, he’s flustered. He’s out mowing everyone’s lawn at top speed (Joe delivered forty odd citations.) I asked him “What?” And he replied “Those women!” I told him to be sure he went down and around my place, too, through the previously verboten side yard that now is well established.

Back in the house, I collected my library book to return, my car keys and my curiosity, and went to the office, via the mail box (all junk). Theresa, the big boss, came out, and I said “Hey, what’s going on?” It seems that “corporate”, which is one above her boss, Bob, the regional vice president who was nailed for drains recently, will be here “sometime in September,” and she’s starting early.

I asked where my weeds needed whipped. “Behind your shed,” she responded, sharply.   Inquiring minds do wonder who climbed down the very steep hill behind the shed to observe the weeds, but did not become an inquiring mouth. “Three citations and you’re out,” came even more sharply. “Out of my hands.”

When Laura came in from school, I inquired, and she confessed she has been very lax of late, especially with Kathy, the neighbor. Laura’s being sucked down the damn social media rat hole again. Over the summer she lost phone privileges, and is twelve hours on, twelve off since school started.

Sadly, I realized she has her nose stuck in the computer when she’s phoneless, inhaling that social drama. I could deal with it, if she handled her end of the bargain and took care of the grass. I pointed out to her that we’re both down a blind alley now, with no place to go and keep her in the school district.

Laura is at “hands on the wheel” driver’s ed tonight. It was a pretty, blue kind of day, but that citation sure kicked the karma out of it.

35 comments:

  1. That seems to be an overly strict regulation. But 30 days to rectify is generous.

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    1. You know, Wilma, it's more of a "you missed the weeds behind the shed" sort of situation than a formal citation.I know how I would have handled it.

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  2. Sure hope that if you rectify the problem that they will expunge your record.

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    1. The two women who run the office are pretty full of themselves. I haven't a clue. I would not even have hired either of them, back in my day.

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  3. Good lord. I'm flabbergasted at the level of pettiness that steers a person behind someone's shed looking for violations.

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  4. Three strikes and you are out for weeds behind the shed seems harsh. I doubt that you will be giving Laura 30 days to rectify it though.

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  5. Does make you wonder who was desperate enought to go out behind your shed to see if they could fid a weed. Some folks don't have enough to do.

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  6. Seems to me like the height of nitpicking! You don't need this kind of cr.p on your already maxed out plate. There must be a long list of people interested in moving to the park? Else why would "management" be so quick to tell you that you might get evicted? I do hope Laura keeps her bargain.


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  7. Pah! I despise petty actions and the people who glory in them.

    I hope Laura takes your reminder to heart.

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  8. May have to lock up the computer for a while. Don't listen to me though. I am not strict at all and often gave in. Except for grades at school. B's got an "oh well,.....if you want to be average." My son used to say, "Mom, you bum me out." Since he just finished his Ph.D. I wonder if he remembers those days... Sorry you're having to deal with all that right now.

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  9. I hesitate to use the same word I see above but it seems to me that someone is being petty. Wouldn't a quick knock on the door to ask if there is a reason the weeds are not taken care of or did you know the weeds were not taken care of would take care of the problem better.

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  10. How harsh they are for some weeds behind the shed. I hope that if the problem is fixed quickly, the citation will be expunged. It does not seem fair.

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  11. That seems a bit harsh. How easy is it to get behind the shed? Is it a wide enough space or just a narrow goat track size? If it were me I'd be spraying that area with weed killer twice a year, if it was too narrow for easy access.

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  12. When we lived in Prescott and rented, we were in a homeowner's association where certain rules apply, like you can't have lights on outside at night, etc. There were inspections for making sure no excessive weeds, trees trimmed etc. Our lease specified we took care of the inside of the house and weeds and leaf removal in fall, but all cutting of trees, bushes, etc., were the responsibility of the owner. Low and behold we get a letter from the homeowner's association that two bushes in the front needed to be trimmed. My hubby contacted the homeowner's association board after he contacted our leasing agent, who ensured us it was not our problem and she would take care of it, and the board said basically they didn't care what the lease said, the bushes needed to be trimmed (14 day notice here). Hubby waited to see if the owner would do anything; nothing happened so he trimmed the bushes, not caring if it would have any ramifications to our lease (it didn't). We only rented there because at the time we thought we needed a place that took dogs, but the dog had to be put to sleep before we even made the move. Never again a homeowner's association or similar will we live in. The city does do semi annual inspections to make sure properties are reasonably maintained, no junk cars left in the street, that type of thing. That I can respect.

    Bet the weeds will be getting done now in the future in your place and hope Laura regains full cell phone privileges soon.

    betty

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  13. That sounds so crule, i hope every thing will be ok.

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  14. Hari OM
    Bureaucratic posturing from the office, having a wider effect than the cause. Tsk. Still, no harm for Laura to get the reminder of give and take and 'social' time is the reward for what comes before! YAM xx

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  15. oh brother, I wouldn't fit in at your location, I'd be evicted promptly. Pain in the petute.

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  16. What kind of neighbours do you have that take civic pride to the point of 1930s Berlin fascism? Did you know about these rules when you moved in?

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    1. I knew, and thought we were complying. I had to fight them to get grass to mow, you may recall. It is petty schoolchild behavior, which I never expected, and need to learn to live with.

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  17. How fortunate you are to have those two ladies keeping the lid on mayhem and civil unrest. And what glee at the thought of forty odd families shaking in their boots. Petty bureaucracy.

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  18. It does seem excessive for weeds behind the shed. Who sees them? They must go out searching for infractions.

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  19. and this is exactly why I won't live anywhere where there is a neighborhood association. my place would give them apoplexy. petty tyrants lording over everyone in their kingdom. so the citation will be dropped once it's rectified, right? I believe you said 'three unrectified citations' equal eviction.

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    1. yes, when we make two twenty something "supervisors" happy, this citation should disappear. I asked for someone to come and show me the violations yesterday. No one appeared. I'll ask again today. I'm taking notes. I have not rented a home since I was 28. I can almost remember prior vindictiveness between 21 and 28. I blamed all of them on my husband. But, today will be better. As I told Tom, if it weren't for me there would be no grass to mow. Be careful what you wish for.

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  20. Sorry you have to put up with this petty crap.

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  21. Oh golly Joanne this all sounds pretty scary to me. Good luck with those weeds.

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  22. Strange neighbour of yours, Joanne - that comment does not help you to get less angry, but sometimes you can't do anything but the obvious - (and blow a few dandelion-seeds in the direction of her garden, lalala :-)
    Honestly: I learn (still learn!) the hard way to endure the neigbour with the wooden clogs about my sleeping-room - maybe one day I will transform it into "The Art of Murder"- writing a crime novel. And, as you know, dear Joanne: the murder is always the gardener... to come back to your outrageous tale...

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  23. So petty and unpleasant. Hopefully Laura will cut them regularly from now on. "Whipping" weeds is a strange expression, I have not heard it before.

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    1. People here are strange. It's called, variously, a whipper, a wacker, an eater. Perhaps more and I wasn't paying attention.

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  24. Such a pity you can't just blow a raspberry at them . And you've made it all look so nice , too !

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  25. Sounds totally ridiculous to me. But I can't wait to see the pictures!

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