Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Associations and stuff..
These days you buy a new home you gotta join The Association. In fact a lot of older communities got what they call The Board or The Associates. Real scary official soundin' stuff. Well lemme tell ya - and this aint no sour grapes...
Got caught more'n a coupla years ago with a strand of Christmas lights over the garage in late January or early February. Got one of them notices - official and stuff - giving me 10 days to take these detriments to the community down or suffer the consequences of The Board. I quickly walked outside and - poofa - down the lights came. Didn't think much more of it.
Come springtime a few more years later and another "reminder" arrives to "spruce up" the front door entrance with a lil paint. Got ye ole ladder out on the weekend and joined a coupla of my other neighbors who must have got the same notice and wee doggie we sure nuff beautified the fronts of our abodes. But - I couldn't help but look down the block and saw some homes which really needed paint. No touchups - PAINT. Kind of shook it off and said I guess selective enforcement beats no enforcement.
During the interim - got a neighbor with a coupla pits and el Neighbor Extraordinaire
likes to remove them from their 18 lockup and take them to the rear deck area of the home where they relieve themselves as no other animal can. Prior to this the Mr. Homeowner would let the dogs "go" any place and everywhere - got so bad the mail person almost refused to deliver our mail to the community box. So el Neighbor Extraordinaire changed up and just let the dogs go right outside his rear door. Of course the stuff doesn't get cleaned up. It is washed off the cement pad onto the lawn where it kills the grass and really really stinks. The feces are tossed up on the hill behind the home - common area - where kids and the antelope have played.
Thought a coupla phone calls and a fax or two to the Board...Association ...whatever would get the problem fixed. NOT. Took some photos, made some more calls, letters - It's the Same old Sh....They say they sent the feller a letter. Question being begged to be asked here - did anyone ever respond out to take a look at the problem to see if it as bad as I claim or if it even exists? NADA. "Don't confront owners"..."He's got pits you say?"...
I sat back and started thinkin' - I get a letter for a strand of Christmas lights threatening action from the Board and El Neighbor Extraordinaire creates an unseemly and very unhealthy condition and gets carte blanche? Prompts another call because dagnabit I'm startin' to get a might angry - especially when the dead urine stained grass has now spread to a sizable patch of MY LAWN. Ever try eatin' BBQ in the summer on your deck with 95% humidity and the smell of animal urine and feces wafting through? Sent a letter invitin' The Board to a cookout...will they dare show? Respond?
I asked a question - what do I as an owner get for my monthly homeowners dues?
I thought hard and the more I thought it occurred that what I get is the ability to help a company pay its employees to do nothing.
Is it sour grapes? Nah. Guess I'll dig out the Christmas lights and that really weird lookin' 4' high gnome for my front lawn...maybe I'll spruce up the front lawn with a coupla empty Bud cans to go with the bearded feller. Do you think somebody will check it out?
Stankass out...
Got caught more'n a coupla years ago with a strand of Christmas lights over the garage in late January or early February. Got one of them notices - official and stuff - giving me 10 days to take these detriments to the community down or suffer the consequences of The Board. I quickly walked outside and - poofa - down the lights came. Didn't think much more of it.
Come springtime a few more years later and another "reminder" arrives to "spruce up" the front door entrance with a lil paint. Got ye ole ladder out on the weekend and joined a coupla of my other neighbors who must have got the same notice and wee doggie we sure nuff beautified the fronts of our abodes. But - I couldn't help but look down the block and saw some homes which really needed paint. No touchups - PAINT. Kind of shook it off and said I guess selective enforcement beats no enforcement.
During the interim - got a neighbor with a coupla pits and el Neighbor Extraordinaire
likes to remove them from their 18 lockup and take them to the rear deck area of the home where they relieve themselves as no other animal can. Prior to this the Mr. Homeowner would let the dogs "go" any place and everywhere - got so bad the mail person almost refused to deliver our mail to the community box. So el Neighbor Extraordinaire changed up and just let the dogs go right outside his rear door. Of course the stuff doesn't get cleaned up. It is washed off the cement pad onto the lawn where it kills the grass and really really stinks. The feces are tossed up on the hill behind the home - common area - where kids and the antelope have played.
Thought a coupla phone calls and a fax or two to the Board...Association ...whatever would get the problem fixed. NOT. Took some photos, made some more calls, letters - It's the Same old Sh....They say they sent the feller a letter. Question being begged to be asked here - did anyone ever respond out to take a look at the problem to see if it as bad as I claim or if it even exists? NADA. "Don't confront owners"..."He's got pits you say?"...
I sat back and started thinkin' - I get a letter for a strand of Christmas lights threatening action from the Board and El Neighbor Extraordinaire creates an unseemly and very unhealthy condition and gets carte blanche? Prompts another call because dagnabit I'm startin' to get a might angry - especially when the dead urine stained grass has now spread to a sizable patch of MY LAWN. Ever try eatin' BBQ in the summer on your deck with 95% humidity and the smell of animal urine and feces wafting through? Sent a letter invitin' The Board to a cookout...will they dare show? Respond?
I asked a question - what do I as an owner get for my monthly homeowners dues?
I thought hard and the more I thought it occurred that what I get is the ability to help a company pay its employees to do nothing.
Is it sour grapes? Nah. Guess I'll dig out the Christmas lights and that really weird lookin' 4' high gnome for my front lawn...maybe I'll spruce up the front lawn with a coupla empty Bud cans to go with the bearded feller. Do you think somebody will check it out?
Stankass out...
