Rich wrote in news:Szl0c.12998$TF2.971
@nwrdny02.gnilink.net:

This may not be the right group to ask this question in but I am hoping
some other gardeners have had this problem and found a solution.

I've got a neighbor across the street that apparently likes to
garden/maintain his house to the beat of a drummer (not a diffeernt
drummer, just a drummmer and a 28 piece band BG)..to enhance his
listening pleasure he has installed outdoor speakers. HE enjoys it but
(he did this as the weather was getting cold late last year (I am in
northern NJ)and now with some warmer days happening, so is his 6-8 hour
marathons of music) The noise makes the thought of gardening in peace a
thing of the past for me. I have lived here for 14 years on a dead end
street and its quite peaceful, or WAS until this character decided that
his music must be shared with the world. I am perplexed that people
cannot just enjoy the sounds of nature when working outside. Yeah
sometimes I want to listen to some music myself but I use wireless
headphones and no one knows I am listening to The Beatles as loud as I
did when I was a thoughtless teenager. I mentioned this to him after a
another neighbor (right across the street from him) called me to ask if
I would speak to this individual about the loud music. That is when I
heard "hey I have the right to play my music during the
daytime".....apparently the concept of other peoples right to quiet is
beyond his comprehension.OR he just doesn't give a S***~ which is more
likely the case.

I have talked with the other neighbors and while they HEAR it and find
it annoying they don't want to say anything (are most people deaf or
just sheep?). Perhaps its because they spend most of the winter shut up
tight (though the music comes through MY windows) and spend the summer
in central air and still keep those windows shut tight. I guess I am
weird, I LIKE fresh air........but now its polluted with noise that is
so unnecessary.

I have spoken with the police and while there is a town ordinance again
noise above certain decibles, I was told it was rarely
enforced....besides I hate the though of having to call the police on a
neighbor....not only does it go against my principles (though I have to
admit I am ready to throw them out the window in return for some garden
serenty) but it may open a bigger can of worms...a ****ed off neighbor.

now, after a long winded post, my question.........

Have any other gardeners run into a problem like this and how did they
resolve it (besides moving)?


(and a last minute thought though it should be saved for a different
post).........I noted this am a whole row of 10' Leyland cypress are
turing light green a brittle.........what is going ON this winter? What
the deer don't eat, the wet soggy/frozen ground is rotting
roots...anyone having this problem? Thus far I have lost a 20' weeping
nootkantensis and the deer have eaten over 10 hemlocks, 16 arborvitae
and utterly destroyed every euonymous I own (owned)...

rich haynes


This post has been rated PG-13. Parental guidance is suggested.

As a Man, you always hate go ask somebody else for help or admit to
yourself you can't handle a problem the masculine way, viz. go over and
knock your neighbor's skull open, or at least shove a dirk in his ribs and
break off the handle. However, civilized people supposedly don't act that
way, and upon reflection, I guess it wouldn't make me too happy if an
crazed neighbor came over wielding a brace of ginsu knives he finally
discovered a use for. Cleaning the mess up later would be quite a hassle,
as well as needing to go get tested for blood diseases and keeping certain
peoples off their doughnut breaks with all the questioning.

So rather than rationalizing your right to action and dropping a couple of
bombs on your neighbor just because you can, I suggest you find out exactly
what the legal decibel limit is, and be prepared to learn something about
sound, as measuring devices may vary in their attentuation of certain
frequencies, find out if your neighbor is in violation. If so, you may
proceed to the next phase, which may require more gump than you have,
certainly more gump than your neighbors and you should be prepared to face
the possiblity that you will fail, but also the possibility that you will
succeed. You will want to document every violation, and even be prepared
to make a nuisance of yourself to the police, who likely will not do
anything unless they witness the violation and have suitable measuring
devices on hand. You could always ask them to leave a note, though. After
nothing happens and you have accumulated enough evidence, you can take your
case to the local magistrate and have a court order placed on your
neighbor. You may wish to inquire ahead of time what is suitable as
evidence. (If they will not, you escalate your case and sue the locality
for selective/none enforcement of laws). This will likely **** off your
neighbor, but he, being an unreasonable person, isn't someone you want as a
friend anyway. However, your other neighbors may appreciate you and sing
"hail to the chief" whenever they see you. Your noisy neighbor, having
lost his only source of solace in world, will after a time been become
deranged and one day march on your house with murderous intent, bearing his
wedding gift, a brace of ginsu knives. You may then take that opportunity
to gun him down. Later, a bevy of gorgeous young women who enjoy nude
sunbathing will move into the vacated premises, which can now be had a
bargain price due to the unfortunate circumstances. You live happily ever
after.

Good luck