Thursday, April 25, 2019

An interesting week

Even though I've barely left the house this week, things have been....interesting....around here.

The good stuff first:

It's been a banner week for birdwatching. About three days ago a Facebook friend posted about a rare sighting of a Rose Breasted Grosbeak at one of his feeders here in Florence. I told my husband about it that afternoon while we were sitting on the porch watching our feeders, and not an hour later one showed up! This was a first for me.



And if that wasn't exciting enough, we had another feathered visitor a few minutes later that was even rarer in this part of the state: a Painted Bunting!




I've seen Painted Bunting before, but only a couple of times at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC. They tend to stay close to the coast. My dad, who grew up in Murrells Inlet, talks about seeing them there as a boy. I've never even considered seeing them 50 or 60 miles inland. What a treat!

Unfortunately, the Rose Breasted Grosbeak and the Painted Bunting only hung out at our feeders for a few minutes, and then they both disappeared. We sat outside all afternoon yesterday hoping they might stop back by, but no luck. They must have been passing through on Monday and it was just sheer luck that we were sitting outside and got to see them.

Speaking of birds:


Somebody kept trying to sneak up on the dyed eggs to see what they were all about! I had to stop him twice or he would have broken into them. I finally just took them away. Brat!

I also got a much-needed haircut:



In January and February I started losing an alarming amount of hair. Every time I took a shower there would be gobs of hair around the mesh drain covering. Of course I googled it (thanks Doctor Google!) and discovered that stress can make that happen. Apparently you're supposed to think back two or three months before the hair loss started to see what was going on in your life. Well, we bought a house and moved in November. So there you go. I'm beyond thankful that the loss seems to have gone back to a normal amount, even though now I have tons of 1-2 inch new hairs that stick out all over. Hey, at least it's growing back, right?! I hadn't had a haircut in several months and my hair was looking bad. Limp and tired, thin, with dead ends. I usually go to our local Great Clips to get my hair cut, but that's always a crapshoot. I've had some of the best and some of the worst cuts of my life there. I went yesterday hoping to get someone good, and as luck would have it a woman named Wendy who has hair very similar to mine in texture and color was assigned to me. She listened sympathetically to my tale of hair woe, assured me that she's seen lots of people lose a bunch of hair when they're stress and that it always grows back, and then talked to me about  the best method of cutting fine hair like mine. I was very, very pleased with the results. The cut is good (hard to see that in these two pictures) and now my hair looks much healthier and shinier again. Wendy was a godsend! I feel so much better about how I look right now.

Finally.....the weirdest thing that happened this week. I've been looking at the fence line in our back yard, planning how we need to get back there and do some weeding. On Tuesday afternoon I went out there again while scooping up dog poop and this had appeared, hidden in the bushes just behind the crazy old man neighbor's property line:




What does that look like to you? The crazy old asshole has set up a surveillance camera! It's pointed at our back yard and porch, although when you're sitting on the porch the angle of our garage blocks it from view. It's hidden in thick bushes about 6 inches behind his property line, and it definitely wasn't there the day before. There is absolutely NOTHING on his own property that he could be filming. Not his yard, not an entrance, nothing at all except our yard and house. What a creep!

I texted the sheriff's deputy that works at our school. He said he didn't think anything could legally be done, since the camera is outside and on his property. He said he would put up something to block the view of the camera, and see if it moved. He thought it was hilarious. I was furious at first, but now I think it's kinda funny, too. There's nothing for him to see, and our dogs rarely bark anymore (not to mention they spend over half their time in the house these days) so I can't imagine what he gets out of it. I've gotten close, leaned over the fence, and flipped off the camera a couple of times but now I'm trying to think of something funny to put right there his view. A sign of some kind, maybe? I would LOVE any suggestions you all might have!

So that's been my week so far. Today I'm planting a few tomato seedlings around the back porch (I'm sure Crazy Neighbor will be watching from inside his house) and then going to lunch with a friend. Spring break is going by a super light speed, but once we go back to school we only have a little over a month and then summer vacation will be here! Then I can spend three months thinking of ways to get revenge on the nutty neighbor! Hahaha.

33 comments:

  1. Oh my, and it is not illegal to infringe on your privacy? That does not sound right. Turn the tables on him, Jennifer, and aim the camera right back at him.

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    1. The deputy from our school said that it was actually outside his area of expertise and he's not sure of the law. He told me to call an officer that works on neighborhood issues to find out for sure.

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  2. Your hair looks great, Jennifer! As you are a beautiful woman with a lovely smile, you'd look good with less great hair of course, but this really is very good. Nice and shiny!
    As for the camera, well, in Germany, you could take action against him. In this country, it is illegal to monitor anything that is not your own property, and in this case, the camera radius is clearly your property, not your neighbour's. What a creep indeed!
    I am waiting to see what YP suggests for a sign :-)

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    1. It's still possible that I could take some action against him (see my reply to SOAC, above) but it all seems so ridiculous. I, too, am eagerly awaiting Neil's ideas!

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  3. I think a cinderblock, a 4x4 and an old birdhouse aimed dead at his "birdhouse" might do the job. I really know nothing about hos these things work.

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    1. I actually thought about putting up an old birdhouse too! Great minds think alike!

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  4. NEIL'S IDEAS
    1. Regarding the sexy picture of you with your lovely new haircut - IDEA CENSORED!
    2. Have you ever considered turning Marco into a hat?
    3. Take a photo of your property from the position of the spy camera. Have that picture enlarged and mounted on a placard. Place the placard in front of the camera so that whenever Mr Grumpy checks the footage all he sees is nothing happening at The Barlow Residence.
    4. Instead of the picture of your house put a different picture on the placard. Perhaps Donald and Melania Trump playing nude beach volleyball at Mar a Lago with a slogan beneath - "GOOD CHRISTIAN FOLK".

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    1. 1. You're so silly! But thank you for the compliment anyway!
      2. More times than you can probably imagine.
      3. Haha! Great idea!
      4. The best idea of all! GOOD CHRISTIAN FOLK would be the clincher!

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  5. The haircut looks good, I got one too. Mines a lot shorter.

    As for the legality of the camera? I would say that if he has more than one and they are surround the perimeter of his property, than there's no problem. However, one camera pointed at your property is probably against the law. In fact, Peeping Tom laws generally make it a crime to view and/or photograph or film a person without his or her consent.

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    1. My husband mentioned Peeping Tom laws. I really need to talk to a police officer who knows more about privacy issues than our school's resource officer.

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  6. I like Yorkshires #3 idea of a photo of your house.

    cheers, parsnip

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  7. I had the same problem with my hair...they narrowed it down to being a symptom of one or two of my health problems. If it gets any worse, I've threatened to shave my head and just go bald. I could have some inappropriate tat put on the top of my head and since I'm tall not many people would see it!

    I love the bird pics. I'm a closet bird enthusiast.

    Peeping Tom? Like my blog says "Anything is possible with the right attitude, a sledge hammer and a roll of duck tape"...

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    1. I lost a lot of hair one time before in my life; I had had a couple of seizures and a neurologist put me on an anti-seizure medicine that made my hair fall out. I was glad to quit taking that stuff a few years later. The side effects were terrible, and so far I've been seizure free for years....knock on wood.

      I discovered your blog yesterday and it made me laugh so hard! Thank you for stopping by here and leaving a comment so I could find you!

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  8. I don't think you can get revenge on a jerk like your neighbor. Things would just escalate and then...well, you've seen the movies- SOMEONE DIES!
    Love your hair! You are so beautiful. I hope you know that.
    And those birds...to die for.
    I'll be thinking of Gregg tomorrow. And you, of course.

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    1. What you say about the movies...yes, I've thought of that too! The guy might be psycho. I mean, even psychos get old just like everyone else so just because he's in his 80s doesn't mean we can rule that out! :)

      You're so sweet. Thank you for the compliment.

      The birds really ARE awesome! Even though those two visitors were only here briefly we see lots and lots of other species. I think it's because we're so close to a creek.

      Gregg is at his appointment now. He declined my offer to go with him, so I'm just sitting at home waiting. Thank you for the positive thoughts. I'll update here later when I know more.

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  9. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! and marco is a naughty bird. the outside birdies are fabu; I have never seen those up here. as for the neighbor, consult a lawyer and your local police force.

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    1. Thank you Anne Marie! You're a good blog friend and I always love seeing comments from you. As to the police and a lawyer, as luck would have it Gregg has aquarium gigs at the mayor's office and half his family are attorneys who have offices in the same building. Legal advice won't be a problem!

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  10. I'd paint a representation of male genitalia and put it in front of his camera. Look at school desks for inspiration!
    It's always delightful to see an unusual bird, I hope your visitors return

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    1. Haha! Now THAT'S a great idea! Hahahahahahhahaha.

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  11. Those are stunningly beautiful birds. Could you not erect a large poster of Trump on your side of the fence?

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    1. Or Bernie Sanders...That would really wind up The Grump.

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    2. I'd bet my next paycheck that Crazy Neighbor is a Trump supporter. I think YP is correct that Bernie Sanders would get a much bigger rise out of him...or a rainbow sign with "Pete Buttigieg for President". :)

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    3. OMG -- yes! A Mayor Pete sign!

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  12. The painted bunting is amazing ...we don't get such colourful birds here! That camera pointing at you is very weird. Definitely get some legal advice.

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    1. I was stunned to see the Painted Bunting at our feeders. It had to be merely passing through, as they are not at all common this far inland.

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  13. That neighbor is a major jerk. I can’t imagine it’s legal to have a camera positioned specifically to spy on a neighbor’s property. I love the idea of posting a still photo and your property. The birds! Wow. We had a rare sigh I gotta of a painted bunting in our neighborhood in Connecticut in the ‘90s. So cool. And your hair looks great!

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    1. We've had weird neighbors before, but this one takes the cake!

      Thanks for the thumbs up on the haircut! And for stopping by!

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  14. OK, that neighbor situation is bizarre. (Any complaining I've done about our Mrs. Kravitz PALES in comparison.) I love the idea of erecting a barrier on your property. Maybe a big bush in a pot that you can move around? I wonder if he saw you walking along the fence line as you were considering weeding and he wants to intimidate you to stay away from his property. What a crank!

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  15. Go to Amazon and search for bark control birdhouse. That's what that is I think.

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  16. My idea is to find a duplicate birdhouse camera and point it back at his. That would be good for laughs. Yorkshire's idea no. 3 appeals too. Your hair is gorgeous, such a healthy shine to it.

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