A sign of the times?

[Kilted]

A neighbor had a pile of firewood go for a walk on Friday morning.

Mind this is Mountain View, CA. It does not get what most of you folks call cold, just a bit nippy.

The City has been going around and trimming trees the last few weeks and as usual there are a few that need to be removed. There was a tree trimmed last week and the neighbor had the branches cut to length and stacked ON their properity behind the tree. The tree just had all of the small branches removed and brush was chipped and cleaned up.

I walked around and asked the neighbor were the wood was going. She wanted the stacked stuff, and there were two large pieces down. She said she was keeping the stacked stufff and I could have the two large pieces. This was Thursday evening dinner time. The rest of the tree will be dropped some time next week.

When I went around early Friday afternoon my two pieces were still there and the nice stack was gone. Hmm, strange I thought she worked quick to move the stack.

Saturday morning on the neighborhood email list there was this note about stolen firewood Some one had gone up onto her properity and removed the whole stack - a small pickup load!!

-- Brandy

 

[myzamboni]

It doesn't surprise me. Around here anything not in your backyard seems to be fair game. I'm the next town over (Sunnyvale).

What stove are you running? There aren't many of us here in the valley.

 

[Kilted]

It doesn't surprise me. Around here anything not in your backyard seems to be fair game. I'm the next town over (Sunnyvale).

What stove are you running? There aren't many of us here in the valley.

Hi it is a Avalon PerfectFit flush fireplace insert. An insert is the only thing that works in my old McKay house.

There is a picture my insert here.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/7084/

OEM pictures.
(broken link removed)


-- Brandy

 

[pybyr]

spread local rumors that your wood pile is boobytrapped

put up a sign to that effect

it is illegal almost everywhere to _actually_ booobytrap it

but free speech, including rumors, is not illegal as long as you can credibly assure law enforcement, who may inquire, that there are no actual boobytraps

then let the crooks worry about the actual situation

 

[LeonMSPT]

Around here, a person doesn't want to be caught stealing firewood. Darned near like stealing someone's horse a few years back... and neighbors still watch out for folk's places when they're away.

 

[kenny chaos]

I'm not sure it's just a sign of the times. I see it around here. When the power company cuts limbs or whole trees, some people believe that it must be on the road right-of-way and is open to the public. I guess sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.
I know one guy who walked across the road and chunked a bunch up and the next day, he found the area cordoned off with crime scene construction tape and posted signs by the guy who lived there. He was very pissed he didn't get his chunks. Some people are just very bold and brazen that way. It seems to pay off for many.

 

[wellbuilt home]

I pick up wood all the time . If it was on the side of the road around here this time of year it would be goooooooo real fast . If there is fresh cut rounds up on the lawn I would knock on the door and ask if i could take it . Some People are just rude . or stupid

 

[Cory92]

My comment is on Govt stupidity. I stopped at a roadside rest last month and noticed that they had dropped several trees and the wood was all bucked up. I went around to the maintenance office and asked if the wood was fair game. They said no, it has to be hauled off and dumped. If you were to be caught picking any up the state would look upon it as theft. "So I'm a tax payer and I'm going to watch the state through away more of my money by paying to have this hauled off?" "Yep"
Yeah Ohio Dept of Transportation way to go!

 

[myzamboni]

spread local rumors that your wood pile is boobytrapped

put up a sign to that effect

it is illegal almost everywhere to _actually_ booobytrap it

but free speech, including rumors, is not illegal as long as you can credibly assure law enforcement, who may inquire, that there are no actual boobytraps

then let the crooks worry about the actual situation

Great idea but neighbors just don't talk much around here. I've lived in my house for over 8 years and converse with 3 of the 10 houses around me. People are too self-absorbed around here

 

[staplebox]

spread local rumors that your wood pile is boobytrapped

put up a sign to that effect

it is illegal almost everywhere to _actually_ booobytrap it

but free speech, including rumors, is not illegal as long as you can credibly assure law enforcement, who may inquire, that there are no actual boobytraps

then let the crooks worry about the actual situation

Great idea but neighbors just don't talk much around here. I've lived in my house for over 8 years and converse with 3 of the 10 houses around me. People are too self-absorbed around here

Maybe if you smiled...???

 

[myzamboni]

spread local rumors that your wood pile is boobytrapped

put up a sign to that effect

it is illegal almost everywhere to _actually_ booobytrap it

but free speech, including rumors, is not illegal as long as you can credibly assure law enforcement, who may inquire, that there are no actual boobytraps

then let the crooks worry about the actual situation

Great idea but neighbors just don't talk much around here. I've lived in my house for over 8 years and converse with 3 of the 10 houses around me. People are too self-absorbed around here

Maybe if you smiled...???

That's not me in the avatar(its Henry Rollins). I get along with most everyone.

 

[cannonballcobb]

California strikes me as the kind of place where if someone was stealing your wood and injured themselves, you would get sued.

 

[Risser09]

"I lit a fire with this stolen wood and burned my house down, you owe me money"

 

[jeff6443]

What , People will come on my property and take my cut split stacked fire wood . ASK me . I will give to anyone ,steal from me . Shoot first .

 

[CowboyAndy]

On a sign, in front of the wood pile:

"One of these pieces has dynomite in it. Guess which one."

 

[bsruther]

My neighbors on both sides are too far away to throw a rock at, there's nothing but woods behind me for a half mile or so and my neighbors accross the road are in another state. I live on a busy state route though and I rely on friends in the area to watch things when I'm not around.
I have about a cord of reserve wood behind the house, maybe 500 ft. back. I figure that if someone is going to steal any of my wood, that is the pile they'd go for.
Hopefully I'll get a roof built off the back of my garage this summer and there won't be any way to see my wood from the road.
The nerve of a thief should never be underestimated.