City Code Inspectors Harass Little Old Ladies

What is it little old ladies chatter about at church functions? Well, it probably should be their grandchildren, but that wasn't the case one recent Sunday afternoon. They chattered up a storm about the rain and how they hadn't been able to cut their yards. Each of them feared reprisal from the local code enforcement officers, because their weeds were more than eight inches high.

Was it because their neighborhoods were safe from drug dealers and the influence of drunk drivers? Not really, a drunk driver drove through one old lady's fence more than 15 feet in from the curb at a corner stop sign. It seems his vehicle missed hitting the corner of her home by less than a foot.

But... the code inspector was busy measuring her weeds, determining that the brush pile she had waiting to be picked up by her trash barrel was a community hazard and threatened her with a fine or jail term if she didn't get it picked up. Where was he when the drunk drove down the street? Perhaps, had he been there, he could have pulled the drunk driver over before he drove through the little old lady's fence?

Instead, he was across town with a friend of the little old lady, pulled to the side of the road fining her for having the light over her license plate burned out. Didn't it used to be a community service of police officers to install a new light bulb when they pulled a vehicle over for this particular problem? Isn't there still a sign on the side of their vehicle that says "To protect and to serve"?

Green Fence - Treatment or Algae?

I found this photo of a green fence on google in a search of "green fence" and thought it valuable enough to post here. The photographer isn't sure if the green is caused by the treatment the wood was given or by algae from a sprinkler.

I'm not sure either, though I'm betting it was a treatment. Either way, it's green enough for me to appreciate the value of the portrait of the fence and post it to encourage more folks to think GREEN when choosing their new fence.

Looking for a new fence? Consider recycled materials, green fencing or some other reusable item for fencing your yard. Don't use new - that's just a bigger foot print you're making in the sands of time.

Bailing wire and corrugated steel are preferable to adding size to your foot print.

Fence Options - Totalitarian Methods of Creating Property Boundaries

There's got to be a better way to put up a fence than the old post holes and kid-or-pork controlling wire fences I grew up with - but what?

After seeking a solution to the neighborhood problem of fencing, I retaliated. These every day, non-unique fence designs are okay for run of the mill neighborhoods where everyone complies with the same general sense of "looks-a-like" but my neighborhood isn't one of those. In fact, although there are a few boldly brilliant white picket fences around, the majority of neighbors tend to use found objects and refurbished junk as fences. Or, due to city code irregularities, the neighbors tie up a few old panels of 'something or other' to provide privacy for their activities, and listen to the neighbors and city hall squeal for a year or two before "mending their fences".

In one recent case, a family suffering from the residuals of cancer, abandoned their home for the greater requirement of health care, and the city (in their infinite wisdom) hired a local firm to clean their yard for them and bill them in accordance with some significantly well hidden rule of discrepancy - six months later. Whatever happened to neighbor helping neighbor? Couldn't someone have just cut their grass and left a note that said, "Hey, I'll be back next month to do it again. Hope things get better for you?"

But... Nah, that would be too much like caring for brother-man.

Back to fences - what about these novelties?

Bicycle frame fence reuses a throw-away and shows off a collection of classic bicycle frames. Or what about a Birdhouse Fence?

A tire fence might be interesting? Although some might think it dangerous or a health hazard, a ring of tires standing half buried around a residence and painted a variety of colors might be a fun and exciting way to preserve a property boundary. I could think of a few interesting ways to decorate a row of tires? Perhaps by bolting them together, you could get a double layer of tires for a taller fence?

If you like it county, here's a thought - boot fence? It could happen differently, but these boots have walked out their usefulness and arrived at a different stage of life. Fence post ornaments! what a way to live out your days as a boot?

Have a few athletes in your family? Dress up a great fence with athletic equipment, by hanging your favorite equipment on a privacy fence. Put up a basketball hoop and you've got a great way to entertain yourself on a summer afternoon.

Over the Green Fence - the Pasture is Greener

Fences in the neighborhood can be quite pathetic, but the alternative is... they could be quite darling and daring if all the neighbors decided to live a little on the other side of the green fence.

For instance, take this rickety old picket fence.

Please!

If you took it, the neighbors could contact the victim's fund and they'd have money to replace the picket fence with a few good fencing ideas, like the one I'm going to show you right below this paragraph. Consider for a moment if this neighbor, painted their rickety old fence and tacked it to a support post that kept it from being rickety. Cleaned up the weeds in front of the fence, and planted green grass on the other side of the newly painted picket fence. (Tom Sawyer - eat your heart out!)

The problem is, the white picket fence would not be as appropriate for this property as the fence it has already on the property. A white picket fence would be a larger ecological footprint for the owner to leave in the sands of time. And the home owner probably would feel very out of place behind a white picket fence with greener pastures.

Sometimes people choose to be who they are because it's comfortable and they don't know anything else, but sometimes they choose to be who they are simply because that's who they are.

Many years ago a woman in my parent's business organization showed up to a meeting and asked for a brighter red lipstick. She was wearing a mixture of orange and red clothing and claimed her lipstick (an unheavenly shade of red) wasn't as bright as she'd like it to be. My parents offered her a different shade of lipstick (they sold it as one of many products at that time), and explained that they could order any shade she liked. Before the woman left our home that evening, she had applied the new "gaudier" shade of lipstick.

Another woman of a more graceful appearance had explained to me a few days before that you have to be the kind of person you want to attract. You can't change those who surround you, but you can change yourself, and whatever you change yourself into, that's what you'll attract to you. I listened and when I saw the woman in red lipstick I considered her words.

We can't all be the high class social elite that attract only high class social elite to ourselves. What we can do, is be the best "US" we can be and attempt to attract those whom we desire to spend our time with. If we're failing, we need to change.

In short, if the pasture on the other side of the fence is always greener, perhaps you should change your fence. White picket fences - what a generational topic!

Over the GREEN Fence

There are times when designing a fence and painting it to suit the neighborhood, the community, or other specific causes means taking a risk and putting your imagination to work. Over the green fence came to mind. The past several months, I've considered the kind of fence I want to surround my personal property.

• Playful and fun kept coming to mind.
  
• Privacy and visually reductive was obvious.
• Colorful wasn't on my initial list, but it sounded good.
• Who could resist looking over the Green Fence into the neighborhood?
  
• Along came DIFFERENT and I couldn't resist.
• Then the City of Lamar started playing harassment games over their stringent city ordinances and I considered the response to the green fence and how much attention it would draw when the City starts harassing me over the color and style of my new green fence.
  

I could write a blog post about it - I thought - conjuring up images of various fence styles I could design to surround my somewhat modest home. Since the colors I choose probably won't be traditional neighborhood colors, the city control freaks might have an issue with my random color selections.

Of course the green fence above was my initial design, but then the concept of painting the house with brilliant colors and letting the neighborhood enjoy a more than exuberant design came to mind. Now, I probably should let you in on the secret that I have a few strange yard ornaments, like a footed bathtub water fixture, a toilet fountain, and fertilizer spreader - the old antique variety with a huge rake and old steel wheels. I'm seriously thinking I'll need to create a nice sign that says "Happy House" on a winding ribbon that runs down my fence.

If you have suggestions, leave them in the comments section. I'll consider them.

Oh? The toilet is turquoise and the claw footed tub is violet on the outside with yellow feet and the inside is a lovely shade of teal! They're going to make an awesome vignette in my front yard!

Property Boundaries - Moving the Lines of Propriety

Word has it that sturdy fences make good neighbors, but I'm here to tell you that isn't always the case. Sometimes a good sturdy fence makes the neighbor see green pasture on the other side of the fence.

Such is the case with this neighborhood boundary... If you look closely, just beyond the second fence post is a concrete curb about three inches wide. The south edge of that curbing runs along the actual property line between these two rural neighborhood residences.

The pig-wire fence was installed new by the neighbor on the south side a few years before this photo was taken, about three inches inside the property line. At the time of installation, the fence was above and beyond the "common quality" of fences in the neighborhood, and relatively popular among the inhabitants of small towns. With nice wood posts, the fence took on an open appearance allowing open views and good neighbor communications. Chatting over the back fence (or in this case) front fence was common - and still is.

The original neighbor moved out and four more neighbors moved in (and out), none of them having a problem with the property boundary, and all of them using the driveway for full size vehicles. These neighbors also have access to the garage with another entrance from the side street, where a double garage door opens onto a concrete driveway. The current neighbor has attempted on more than one occasion to purchase for a few hundred dollars (without appropriate documentation being paid for) an extra several feet of property. The current owner says, "No!"

Current neighbor at one point attempted to set in the middle of the drive way curve (visible in photo) a new fence post, more than one foot inside the property line, for a fence he intended to install. The current owner insisted he pull the post and remove the concrete he'd set it into.

Mind you, both neighbors have been good neighbors, occasionally helping each other out, doing random favors and offering to watch the other's home while vacationing, etc. When the owners husband fell from a ladder while working on the back fence, the neighbor put away the ladders and tools so the owner could leave to take her husband to the hospital. The relationship has been good in most respects, except for this one fence post issue.

Somehow, the neighbor can't seem to hit his driveway when entering it. He keeps hitting the fencepost with his truck. And he's hit the fencepost so many times with his truck, his brother's truck, his father's truck and anyone else's truck that drives into the yard that the fence post is terminally broken off at the ground. OOOPS!

Citizen Harassment over Fence Code Inspections

After years of harassment from the "powers that be" in Lamar City Hall, this neighbor erected a standard 6 foot fence with 2X4 frame and galvanized metal siding to protect and give privacy for a collection of antique vehicle parts. Retired with an eye for refurbishing antique vehicles, this 72 year old woman was forced back into the workforce full-time by city code requirements to rebuild her fence. Irritation aside, she returned to work and set about the chore of rebuilding her fence using recycled materials she had on hand, along with the few materials she was forced to purchase.

Her efforts were applauded by a local official who appreciated the fact that she put forth the effort to not only erect a fence strong enough to stand the winds that blow, but graceful enough to portray the BEST fence in the neighborhood. Other city officials continue to harass and pester this citizen, including the dog catcher who recently presented her with two new door hangers, condemning her property and threatening her with stiff fines and a possible jail sentence. Imagine her chagrin at receiving such a "Notice and Order" when the neighbor's fences are less than suitable, and do not meet the City Code for fences, nor are they attractive. The butting fence post and broken gate post of one neighbor sets against her newly installed ecologically correct recycled fence.

Perhaps the dog catcher needs to take a few extra moments on his route to review other neighbor's fences, instead of instantly jumping to the conclusion of writing this woman a ticket. And perhaps the Police Chief of Lamar Colorado, whom the Dog Catcher said, "told him to deliver these tickets to you at work." should spend more of his time in the neighborhood reviewing OTHER neighbors back of the fence weed patches, and less of his time intruding and trespassing on this woman's private property.

As a community, Lamar, Colorado celebrates Antique and Refurbished Autos in an annual Auto Show at Willow Creek Park each year. Yet this same community continues to harass and attempt to intimidate this law abiding citizen who collects and works on refurbishing antique vehicles in her spare time.

One particular vehicle, a 1959 Ford Truck, driven regularly until 1977, by this woman and her husband was relocated to a nearby farm, at the demand of the City of Lamar in 2002. The vehicle, maintained in pristine condition with all windows and decals intact, needed only a paint job and some minor engine overhauls until after the relocation. Now, decals are missing, stolen while the vehicle was stored at a farm site less than two hundred yards from the home of the City Code & Building Inspector, windows are broken out, and the vehicle will require a major overhaul to be presented again in parades and other Antique Car Shows.

Notice the missing 1959 Ford Emblem in the front grill. This emblem had been in perfect condition before the vehicle was stored. A paint booth constructed on the property was available for sanding and prepping the vehicle for a new paint job and for re-chroming such pieces as the rusted bumper seen in this photo.

All windows and glass in this vehicle were broken while the vehicle was in paid storage. The woman who owns the vehicle was told there was nothing she could do about the damage to the vehicle. She contacted the Sheriff for an investigation and was told that her vehicles were junk and they couldn't pursue the investigation, although they did locate flat head engines at a local junk yard which resembled the engines this woman was missing. No arrests or further investigation have been pursued. No questions were asked of the junk yard, although it was rather obvious the engines had recently arrived there, due to green grass smashed beneath the engines.

Numerous times, this neighbor's fences have been hit by drunken drivers, destroyed by trespassers, and damaged by unknown sources. Each time, complaints are filed by the citizen, and no investigations are done. Complaints are put away in the file, and her property is left damaged. Yet, the city administration continues to harass her about weeds, although the neighbors weeds surrounding her are left unkempt, unmowed and uncared for, long after hers are mowed down and cleaned up. Fines have been assessed to and paid by this 72 year old woman who continues to work a full time job and attempt to work on her vehicles and enjoy her life in the same neighborhood where she's grown up since her family moved into Lamar, Colorado in 1944.

It's a sad state of affairs, when a community sets out to harass one neighbor, a 72 year old woman, beyond equitable measure while other neighbors go years and years without being bothered by the City of Lamar, although their activities often include loud boisterous parties, drinking, drugging, and drug trafficking that the Lamar City Police Department can't seem to prove, or do anything about. Is it that the police department is afraid to pursue true criminals? Is it possible that it's just easier for them to harass an old woman than it would be for them to spend their time and the tax payers money actually pursuing criminal activity? Have we, as a nation, as a community, fallen so deeply into despair that we gain some sort of evil pleasure from harassing old ladies instead of pursuing real, dangerous criminal activity?