On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 12:52:33 -0500, "Michelle C"
wrote:

Oh, for God's sake! "Eyesore" is a commonly accepted figure of speech,
meaning 'unpleasant to view'. Obviously the canoe didn't cause physical pain
to my eyes.

All right, I was being over-critical. Yes, I know what "eyesore"
means. It means something that does no actual harm but that one
prefers not to look at. Part of the compromises we make in living
around other people is realizing not all of them are exactly the same,
and some are *bound* to do things that annoy others. Local codes
generally prohibit conditions that are noxious or dangerous. I very
much doubt that storing a canoe outside is one of them.

You asked if you were wrong in considering them "cranky". I think you
were. If they'd wanted you to plan their landscaping, they would have
asked. If you'd said when you planted it, "I want to plant this along
the fence, and it may intrude on your property. Are you OK with this
if I keep it trimmed?" I feel confident they would have been perfectly
satisfied, even pleased. If they were "cranky," they would have yanked
up the plants by the roots.

That is, their "eyesore" caused you nothing but aesthetic pain, while
your plants have become a very real nuisance to them.