[AT] Quick question

[Indiana Robinson]

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense...
We had a guy that moved next to our little 17 acre mini farm in the next
county that for years trespassed on us to trim and cut trees that he felt
were blocking his view of the river through our property. He just kept
crowding, sometimes string trimming areas bare of trees (we consider that
place to be a small tree farm and sell a few trees from there now and
then). He had been told to stay off numerous times even by the chief
deputy. He had boasted that he knew he wasn't supposed to be doing it but
that he was going to keep doing it until they made him stop. He had a
couple of others from the village helping  him by standing watch and
encouraging him. This went on for years. I was watching for him but we live
12 miles away. Friends of ours there were watching to catch him. The
sheriffs dept. and the DNR were trying to catch him too.
Finally one day our friend there caught him in the act... They called us, I
called the chief deputy and they shortly pulled into his driveway, called
him out into the driveway, handcuffed him and tossed him in the back of the
patrol car and drove away. All very public. I didn't have to do anything,
the judge changed the guys attitude.
 It's been really quiet there for the last couple of years... including his
buddies. His neighbor to one side of him was also becoming a problem and
they apparently decided to heed my warnings after that.
These two families were also being a problem for our friends there and they
had the property lines resurveyed. Seems the one problem causer had
installed a sand mound septic system over the line between them including
on a non used but not legally abandoned alley. The county surveyor did the
survey and the problem folks had to have the whole thing removed and
reinstalled properly.
If it were me I would be looking for any chinks in their armor, property
line infringements etc. and I would be sure that they knew I was doing so.
Survey flags and paint marks get attention.

I just had a fun thought. Go buy (or borrow) a trashed out demolition derby
car and haul it out in a visible field on your trailer and leave it sitting
there on the trailer for a few days. Then mark off a big circle with those
little wire survey flags. Let them panic about that a few days then haul it
to a scrap yard and pull all of the flags. Wait a week and erect a big
plywood pig cut-out out there for a few days. Make it a family and friends
project to come up with new ideas for things to keep them guessing. Give a
prize for the best ideas. If you can't stop them you can at least have fun
with them.  :-)


-- 

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com