To Eric,The houses in the suburban area where we live are somewhat close to one another. Two years ago, we constructed a spacious deck and a really attractive screened-in porch. We enjoy eating breakfast and dinner on our porch, and fall is usually our favorite season to spend time outside on our deck.
We can no longer use the outside spaces we used to enjoy since our next-door neighbors smoke a lot of marijuana and the stench is so overpowering and unpleasant to us.
Although they have been here for almost two years, they are not really approachable despite their general friendliness. They only smoked sometimes, so it wasn’t an issue when we smelled the weed last fall.
This year, for whatever reason, they have smoked a lot more pot, to the point where the smell is intolerable when my husband and I walk outside our house five or six times a day.
I don’t care if they decide to smoke marijuana; I do recognize that they have the freedom to smoke on their land. All I want is to avoid smelling it. I’ve thought of approaching the pot smokers, but I don’t know them well and I’m not sure how they’ll respond.Smoked Out
To Smoked Out,Being conscious of how one’s lifestyle impacts others is a component of being a good neighbor. Telling your neighbors that you can smell their marijuana but would prefer not to is a smart place to start. It’s also the only way to know how they’ll respond. They might not be aware that you find the odor bothersome or that it is carrying.
Hopefully, they will make adjustments to resolve the problem and allow everyone to live in harmony with one another. To assist clean the air, you could wish to get a porch fan if they don’t. Solar-powered fans are excellent choices because they may run continuously without increasing your electricity costs.
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To Eric,Unfortunately, my neighbor’s wilding of her yard, where she is allowing all the plants grow as they like, is encroaching on my yard. One of my trees has been overtaken by a noxious vine known as porcelain berry, which has so far choked four branches before dragging them down.
I have four traps re-baited every three months since I have noticed rats in her yard. She flees her home and yells at me each time I attempt to reclaim my portion of the yard. I told the city about her yard, but it didn’t help.
She is childless, widower, and in her late 60s or early 70s. I am 76 years old, live alone, and have three children who are as concerned as I am and frequently check in on me. I can’t perform a lot of continuous yard labor because of my cardiac problems. In addition to removing the vines from her yard and hacking back the shrub from which they are growing, I intend to have my lawn staff cut down the strip of incursion and perhaps construct a little wall along our shared border. But it’s the tree that worries me. On that side of my house, it is the only tree that provides shade.Increasing Issue
To Growing,Being a good neighbor entails being conscious of one’s own influence, just like the other letter from today. Your neighbor seems to have trouble with that.
Being proactive is a smart move because porcelain berries are an invasive plant that can be difficult to eradicate once established. In many states, there are even pages devoted to managing and getting rid of the vine. For assistance, you might want to look at the website of the Department of Agriculture in your state.
Discuss your particular worries about the tree with your lawn care team to see if they can manage it. According to Trees Atlanta, a group that works to plant, preserve, and educate people about trees, one way to get rid of porcelain berries is to delicately unwind them from the trunk and branches using clippers and gloves. They advise cutting the vine at the base after it has unraveled, as this will destroy the vines that are out of reach. They advise against attempting to take down vines that are higher up. You should contact an arborist or another qualified expert who can handle the issue if the lawn staff is unable to do it.
Consider sending a message to your neighbor informing her of the wall and the additional landscaping ideas. Based on previous experiences, it appears likely that talking won’t get you anywhere, but at least sending a message could prevent a conflict on the day of the event. Additionally, you could wish to ask one of your children to assist you by being present on that particular day.
For inquiries, contact R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Subscribe to his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com and follow him on Instagram.
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