MONEY PIT (part 12) The roosters the chirping alarm and everything in-between.

BESIDES PUTTING UP WITH TWO DIFFERENT ROOSTERS, A GOBBLING TURKEY, AN ALL DAY YAPPING CHIHUAHUA, A HEAVY BREATHING ENGLISH BULL DOG, AND A ROTTWEILER THAT WOULD REAR HIS HEAVY HEAD ABOVE A STOCKADE FENCE, OUR CAR ALARM WAS CONSTANTLY GOING OFF... AND USUALLY AFTER DARK. 
I WOULD LOOK OUT OUR SECOND FLOOR DINING ROOM BAY WINDOW DOWN TO THE DRIVEWAY AND SEE NOTHING ON OR NEAR OUR CAR. I WOULD SOMETIMES EVEN GO OUTSIDE TO LOOK AT THE CAR, AND COME UP BLANK. 
IN THE MORNING I WOULD FIND A FOOTPRINT ON THE HOOD OF OUR CAR. FROM WHAT I DEDUCED, THE BOYS FROM ONE OF THE HOUSES BORDERING OUR DRIVEWAY WOULD HOP UP ON OUR CAR IN ORDER TO CLIMB OVER THE CHAIN LINK FENCE WITH THE STOCKADE FENCE BEHIND, TO GET TO THEIR YARD. THEIR YARD WAS A RAISED CEMENT PLATFORM WITH WOOD POSTS EMBEDDED INTO THE FOUR CORNERS OF IT. THE POSTS WERE THERE FOR USE AS ANCHORS WHEN THEY WOULD RAISE TARP ABOVE THE CEMENT PLATFORM, FOR PARTIES.

ONE MORNING AFTER BEING AWAKENED DURING THE NIGHT BY THE CAR ALARM GOING OFF, I FOUND A LARGE POTATO ON THE GROUND NEXT TO THE SIDE REAR DOOR. ANOTHER TIME THERE WERE DRIED CARROT PEELS STUCK TO THE REAR BUMPER. 
THE LAST STRAW WAS WHEN OUR CAR, PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY WAS SLAMMED NOT ONCE, NOT TWICE BUT FIVE TIMES WITH A BASKETBALL. THEIR WAS NO HOOP IN THEIR YARD AND EXCEPT FOR THEM GAMING ME IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE ANY GAME WAS GOING ON OVER THERE. STILL, I GAVE THE BALL BACK AND ON THE THIRD AND FOURTH SLAMS I TOLD THEM I WAS GIVING IT BACK BUT THEY HAD TO STOP HITTING MY CAR. ON THE FIFTH SLAM, I RETRIEVED THE BALL, STABBED IT AND CHUCKED IT OUT. I CAME BACK INTO THE HOUSE, HEARD A BANG AND WENT BACK OUT TO FIND TWO THREE LITER WATER FILLED BOTTLES NEXT TO THE CAR. I TOOK THE BOTTLES AROUND THE CORNER TO THEIR FRONT DOOR AND SPOKE TO THE FATHER OF ONE OF THE BOYS AND I DIDN'T SEE HIM OR HIS COUSIN FOR 2 MONTHS AFTER THAT. OUR ALARM NEVER WENT OFF AGAIN, AFTER THAT. 
IN BETWEEN, I HAD GOTTEN FOUR NEW TIRES FROM COSTCO, AND A WEEK LATER GOT A FLAT. COSTCO PRO-RATED THE TIRE WHICH HAD A SCREW IN THE SIDEWALL, AND REPLACED IT FOR ME.  WHEN I GOT HOME I PARKED AT THE CURB AND WALKED OUR GRAVEL DRIVEWAY TO FIND HALF A QUART SIZE ZIP LOCK BAG FULL OF RUSTY SCREWS AND NAILS. I KNOW WE HAD ALLOT OF WORK DONE ON THE HOUSE, BUT, I'M POSITIVE THIS BAG FULL OF SHRAPNEL WASN'T FROM THAT. 
THESE PEOPLE ALSO HAD TWO DIFFERENT ROOSTERS, WE PUT UP WITH ONE BUT WHEN THE SECOND ONE STARTED IT'S BACKYARD STRUTTING AND CROWING, I CALLED THE CITY. IT SEEMS FOWL ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE KEPT WITHIN CITY LIMITS. WE HADN'T CALLED FOR THE TURKEY WHICH WAS ANNOYING AS HELL WITH IT'S GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE ALL NIGHT LONG. ONE EVENING, I NOTICED THE GRANDMOTHER GRAB THE TURKEY AND TAKE IT OVER TO ONE OF THOSE WOODEN POSTS. SHE HIT THE TURKEYS NECK A FEW TIMES ON THE POST AND THAT WAS THE END OF THE GOBBLE GOBBLE. THE NEXT DAY WE HEARD THE LADIES UP AGAINST THAT STOCKADE FENCE WITH A TABLE AND HEARD A GRINDING SOUND. TURKEY SAUSAGE??

THE DOGS CAME AND WENT BUT THE POOR CHIHUAHUA WAS LEFT OUT ALL DAY IN THE RAIN, SO, I CALLED THE ASPCA AND THEY CAME AND TOOK THE DOG AWAY. 
THEY ALSO HAD A HUGE WHITE RABBIT THAT ONE EVENING WAS FED ALL OF THE FLOWERS FROM OUR CREEPING PHLOX THAT HAD BEEN IN FULL BLOOM. AL HAD AWAKENED ME WHEN HE INVESTIGATED AND FOUND A GROUP OF A DOZEN OR MORE BOYS AND GIRLS FROM AROUND THE CORNER SITTING ON OUR PORCH AND FEEDING THE RABBIT. WHEN I WENT DOWN TO SEE, NOT ONLY WAS THE PHLOX BARE BUT THERE WERE EMPTY BAGS FROM CHIPS AND SNACKS ALL AROUND.
I WAS IN MY HOUSE DRAWING OR PAINTING WHEN I HEARD OOH OOH. OF COURSE I HAD TO LOOK DOWN INTO THEIR YARD. THE OWNERS SON WAS ORDERING HIS COUSIN TO PICK UP A LARGE DEAD RAT WITH A SHOVEL. THIS KID PICKS UP THE RAT ON THE SHOVEL AND FLIPS IT OVER THE FENCE OF THE DELI'S YARD (NEXT TO OUR DRIVEWAY) AND ONTO OUR STREET. I TORE OUT OF THE HOUSE AND FOUND THE GUYS DAUGHTER IN THE DELI AND ASKED HER TO BRING HER FATHER OUTSIDE. I HELD MY COOL AND TOLD THE MAN WHAT THIS BOY DID AND HE HAD IT TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT AWAY. 

THIS MAN HAD ALSO SPOKEN TO ME ABOUT THE LARGE MAPLE TREE THAT HAD GROWN THROUGH THE CHAIN LINK FENCE THAT BORDERED OUR PROPERTIES. HE HATED THE TREE, AND IT WAS A PAIN FOR ME AS WELL. 
I HAD THIS ELECTRIC WEED WHACKER THAT HAD A LONG ATTACHMENT FOR TRIMMING TREES AND I WOULD HANG OUT OF THE SECOND FLOOR AND THIRD FLOOR WINDOWS TO TRIM IT EACH YEAR. NOT TO MENTION THE SAP THAT WAS RUINING THE PAINT FINISH ON OUR CAR. I FORGET THE MAN'S NAME, BUT HE OFFERED TO PAY HALF TO TAKE DOWN THIS TREE. 
I CALLED A COMPANY AND GOT AN ESTIMATE, TOLD THIS GUY AND OF COURSE HE NEVER CAME UP WITH ANY MONEY. THE GUYS THAT DID THE JOB WERE GREAT, THEY SWUNG ALL THE LARGE BRANCHES UP THE DRIVEWAY, GOT THEM TO THE WOOD CHIPPER AND HAD THE JOB DONE IN NO TIME. WE WERE HAPPY TO PAY. 
IT SEEMS A FEW SMALL BRANCHES LANDED OVER THE FENCE AND LATER IN THE DAY I HEARD SOME NOISE OUTSIDE AND I LOOKED OUT TO FIND THE VISITING GRANDFATHER NEXT DOOR THROWING THOSE SMALL BRANCHES OVER THE FENCE AND ONTO MY CAR. THIS WAS INFURIATING. I WENT DOWN AND TOOK THOSE BRANCHES ONE BY ONE AND THREW THEM OVER THAT STOCKADE FENCE AND ONTO THAT MAN. I DON'T THINK I WAS BEING MEAN, HE KNEW HE WAS WRONG AND INCIDENTALLY EVEN THOUGH HE WAS THE GRANDFATHER HE WAS MAYBE ONLY A COUPLE OF YEARS OLDER THAN ME. I REMEMBER SHOUTING 'THESE ARE YOURS'!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

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