heck I'd set up my own system and make sure it pointed towards him and
then put on some high class classical and make sure it was louder than
his and let it rip.

I did just that - using Wagner to fend off some particularly repellant (c)rap
music from the neighbour. They got the message pretty quickly.

A friend had an even better solution. He called his mother, who called the
mother of the 30 somethings next door, who called her children (well that's
what they were acting like) and told them to cool it.

Rich,

I have the same problem. One thing that helped was to get a copy of
the noise ordinance for my town. The definition of noise was based on a
decibel level. I started measuring the neighbors music volume and he was
in in violation of the ordinance. With this evidence in hand I was able to
get the town to order the volume to be lowered. Unfortunately, it looks
like taking the neighbor to court will be an annual affair as the the
volume began to creep up again at the end of last summer.

--beeky

Rich wrote:

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

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

Take bagpipe lessons and practice outside.

When you get a complaint from nature boy, offer an entente cordiale.....

I had a neighbor who kept 17 dogs. The stench and flies were bad
enough to make backyard gardening undesirable. I checked local
ordinances and the neighbor was in compliance with all the laws.
There was really nothing I could do, but did more indoor gardening
until they finally sold and left. I would have traded a boom box at
full volume in trade of the stench. Carefully check your ordinances
about noise.

heck I'd set up my own system and make sure it pointed towards him and
then put on some high class classical and make sure it was louder than
his and let it rip.

I did just that - using Wagner to fend off some particularly repellant (c)rap
music from the neighbour. They got the message pretty quickly.

A friend had an even better solution. He called his mother, who called the
mother of the 30 somethings next door, who called her children (well that's
what they were acting like) and told them to cool it.

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

Take bagpipe lessons and practice outside.

When you get a complaint from nature boy, offer an entente cordiale.....

I had a neighbor who kept 17 dogs. The stench and flies were bad
enough to make backyard gardening undesirable. I checked local
ordinances and the neighbor was in compliance with all the laws.
There was really nothing I could do, but did more indoor gardening
until they finally sold and left. I would have traded a boom box at
full volume in trade of the stench. Carefully check your ordinances
about noise.

Rich,

I have the same problem. One thing that helped was to get a copy of
the noise ordinance for my town. The definition of noise was based on a
decibel level. I started measuring the neighbors music volume and he was
in in violation of the ordinance. With this evidence in hand I was able to
get the town to order the volume to be lowered. Unfortunately, it looks
like taking the neighbor to court will be an annual affair as the the
volume began to creep up again at the end of last summer.

--beeky

Rich wrote:

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

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:13:22 GMT, Rich wrote:

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

You have obviously pursued all, or most of the reasonable solutions --
talking both neighbors, police, and the offender. "I have a right
to..." is maddening. "Yes, the noise ordinances apply after 10pm, but
you *are* bothering a number of people." Living with (next door to)
other people often involves compromise. Not laying down and being
walked over, but some reasonable accomodation. Is this neighbor
outdoors 6 hrs/day? Could he be persuaded to cut off the speakers when
he doesn't require musical accompaniament to his gardening? Or gently
asked to cut the volume a bit? Many of these controversies become
highly confrontational and emotional. You'd be surprised (maybe) at
how many people will back down when approached gently. Not "your f'ing
noise is driving me nuts" but "could you tune down your stereo a
little -- it really bothers me." It bothers me when neighbors have a
late night party with music; it bothers me when the guy across the
street regularly blow-dried (leaf blower) his car collection (3). I
live in suburbia. *I* am not quirky, but everyone else is. :-) If I
wanted complete silence, I'd move to the country.

heck I'd set up my own system and make sure it pointed towards him and
then put on some high class classical and make sure it was louder than
his and let it rip.

I did just that - using Wagner to fend off some particularly repellant (c)rap
music from the neighbour. They got the message pretty quickly.

A friend had an even better solution. He called his mother, who called the
mother of the 30 somethings next door, who called her children (well that's
what they were acting like) and told them to cool it.

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:13:22 GMT, Rich wrote:

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

You have obviously pursued all, or most of the reasonable solutions --
talking both neighbors, police, and the offender. "I have a right
to..." is maddening. "Yes, the noise ordinances apply after 10pm, but
you *are* bothering a number of people." Living with (next door to)
other people often involves compromise. Not laying down and being
walked over, but some reasonable accomodation. Is this neighbor
outdoors 6 hrs/day? Could he be persuaded to cut off the speakers when
he doesn't require musical accompaniament to his gardening? Or gently
asked to cut the volume a bit? Many of these controversies become
highly confrontational and emotional. You'd be surprised (maybe) at
how many people will back down when approached gently. Not "your f'ing
noise is driving me nuts" but "could you tune down your stereo a
little -- it really bothers me." It bothers me when neighbors have a
late night party with music; it bothers me when the guy across the
street regularly blow-dried (leaf blower) his car collection (3). I
live in suburbia. *I* am not quirky, but everyone else is. :-) If I
wanted complete silence, I'd move to the country.

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

Take bagpipe lessons and practice outside.

When you get a complaint from nature boy, offer an entente cordiale.....

I had a neighbor who kept 17 dogs. The stench and flies were bad
enough to make backyard gardening undesirable. I checked local
ordinances and the neighbor was in compliance with all the laws.
There was really nothing I could do, but did more indoor gardening
until they finally sold and left. I would have traded a boom box at
full volume in trade of the stench. Carefully check your ordinances
about noise.

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:266641

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 16:11:47 GMT, wrote:

"starlord" starlord*inreach.com wrote:

heck I'd set up my own system and make sure it pointed towards him and
then put on some high class classical and make sure it was louder than
his and let it rip.

I have to agree. if you are unwilling to bitch to the police, or they are unwilling
to do anything, then you have little resort unless you want to do some sneaky shit
and make their life unbearable in the neighborhood.

Oh, yeah. If someone throws a rock at you, the "solution" is to throw
a bigger rock. There are *many* solutions to problems that don't
involve tit for tat. I once cranked up Mozart on my car radio (open
windows) to 'make a point' with the unwelcome music coming from an
adjacent car in a parking lot. Result: I don't really enjoy Mozart at
50 decibels; I risked/provoked confrontation with unknown people; they
didn't lower their volume (fortunately they didn't leap out of their
car and smash my windows), and AFAIK, I was the only one left feeling
a bit foolish. You don't "teach" people to be polite and accomodating
by matching or exceeding their rudeness.

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 13:13:22 GMT, Rich wrote:

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

You have obviously pursued all, or most of the reasonable solutions --
talking both neighbors, police, and the offender. "I have a right
to..." is maddening. "Yes, the noise ordinances apply after 10pm, but
you *are* bothering a number of people." Living with (next door to)
other people often involves compromise. Not laying down and being
walked over, but some reasonable accomodation. Is this neighbor
outdoors 6 hrs/day? Could he be persuaded to cut off the speakers when
he doesn't require musical accompaniament to his gardening? Or gently
asked to cut the volume a bit? Many of these controversies become
highly confrontational and emotional. You'd be surprised (maybe) at
how many people will back down when approached gently. Not "your f'ing
noise is driving me nuts" but "could you tune down your stereo a
little -- it really bothers me." It bothers me when neighbors have a
late night party with music; it bothers me when the guy across the
street regularly blow-dried (leaf blower) his car collection (3). I
live in suburbia. *I* am not quirky, but everyone else is. :-) If I
wanted complete silence, I'd move to the country.