Accessible Gardening: #19 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners , 1 by seacanepain

seacanepain wrote:
Just be careful, TTC. Compulsive neatness can become an illness. This whole weirdness with the neighbor is over a tire track. The postal workers van left a tire track in the sand by the mailbox. There are two little bright orange landscapers flag on either side of the tire track as though he is marking evidence in a crime scene. To make absolutely sure the evidence of this terrible crime is not ignored, he put a big piece of wood between the two flags so the postal workers can’t drive there. Neatness can ABSOLUTELY become an illness!
Understand we live way out in the country. Woods on either side of us. No houses in site. From our deck, the view is the western neighbors pond and occasionally her rescued pet mule. Like a petulant, spoiled two-year-old he throws these temper tantrums. It will be interesting to see if the postal service caves in to his pestering or he discovers why we have the term “going Postal” in our language.
He suffers from paranoia. Once upon a time, I believed they were growing weed back there on the river and he was afraid someone would come upon his pot patch. I almost wish that was the case. What does society do with wealthy madmen when they lose it? We can’t keep humoring his insane demands and he appears to be getting worse. There are three of them, brothers or half-brothers, and one, the attorney, was convicted about 10 months ago of stealing ten million dollars from his clients. The decline of his families fortunes and reputation is pushing him off the edge finally. He’s been teetering on that edge for a while.
Yes, our land is a mess. Kay has been ill since last fall and I had the surgery I did because I could not stand up to the pain any longer. Before the surgery, sitting was an ordeal. I’m sure the state of our property bothers him. It bothers me, but life is a bitch sometimes and you have to let go of unimportant things occasionally to deal with the important ones. I’m not going to beat myself up for taking care of my wife and the other people I care about rather than the land itself. The land will always be here manicured or weedy. The people in your life are transient gifts from the Almighty. If we lived in a neighborhood where all the houses were cheek to jowl this man’s behavior would make a modicum of sense. He sees our property very briefly on his way to his home a quarter mile away through thick impenetrable woodlands. We will get back to taking care of the land properly as soon as we can. This absolute fury at what he perceives as our slovenliness is totally off the wall. He has serious, serious control issues.
Just be aware, TTC, and monitor yourself. It is a wonderful trait to have if you can keep it in proper bounds and don’t let it skew your priorities.
We are doing okay other than dealing with the above. The staples have been taken out of my back and being able to get up and move again without pain has taken off 12 lbs. I made it up and down the stairs several times without any assistance. They say it will be a year before I’m fully healed, but I’m looking at part-time work. The sooner we get this placed paid off completely, the sooner we can leave . Kay agreed with me about T. and her home girls now that it is definite the neighbor is a sick puppy and not doing something on his land a little illegal. If things don’t work out with the beekeeper and the man who is into wild edibles, Kay says we will get the name of the thieving brother’s victims and, if there is one that was left destitute by the theft, we will give them Amargia. There is a certain poetic justice in that. I am 100% behind that idea. The man is trying to mess with my baby girl’s mind. Nadi walked out to the end of the road to check the mail. He stopped his vehicle when he saw her and just sat there and glared until she was out of sight behind some trees. Nadi said this isn’t the first time that has happened. I may have had nothing to do with Nadi’s creation, but she is my baby girl in every way that is important. You don’t mess with mine in any way
, shape or form.
(Jim)
Pix at entrance to Flowers Hospital