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