Ordinance Violation: Rodent Harborage - They want wood 18" off the ground...

[MrGriz]

WOW...what a pain in the a$$. It sounds like one or more of your neighbors really have it in for you. All I can say is that in my neighborhood payback would be a groan.

I hope you are able to straighten things out without too much inconvenience.

 

[babalu87]

I wonder what it would cost you in insurance premiums and the deductible if you were to , oh say drop a big ass tree the "wrong way" on your neighbors house. Someone is ratting you out.
You have to get permission to do anything with a tree that takes more than a day?!?!?!?!

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

I'm planning on staying clear of th pissing match. I think the good half dozen folks that got screwwed since he called the latest 'violation' in will get the issue resolved. The person in question simply can not keep his mouth shut.

I did consider filing complaints on the multiple apparent violations I know about until I thought of all the honest folks that are screwed already. There are some honest hard working tradesmen that keep commercial vehicles handy and would probably be caught up it this thing.

The truely guilty have a way of catching their thing in their own zipper! I'll admit to laughing when this happens.

ATB,
Mike P

 

[Jabberwocky]

I can confirm the rats especially in the Back Bay/Boston University area. They scurry everywhere in front of you as you walk at night, at least that was my experience with the BU campus.

Expect more in the way of smoke ordinances for you log burners. If I lived closer to Boston I wouldn't dare install even a pellet stove as explaining it to inspector (usually a ex-fire dept thug) would be an excercise in futility. My last stove inspection went okay but I think it was just because we went to the same parish church and we recognized each other (that's where the secret roman catholic hand shake came into play. )

 

[CountryGal]

My wood is stored in those wood frames I bought at Lowes. No way are they 18" above the ground!

Try living on 30+ acres in the desert and not have rats. We have tons of rats, kangaroo rats, mice and chipmonks.

One rat even made a nest under the hood of my 300E a couple of winters ago and chewed the covering off alot of the wiring. Freaked me out when I opened the hood to check my oil. Yikes! And a mouse once rode with me to the car wash and came out from under the hood all wet and looking lost. LOL!

I do NOT keep wood near my house and have never had a rat get inside but I do get mice. I have a full time cat for that little job.

 

[Charlie Z]

Yeah... Western Mass... home of Northampton. Smith College, 'nuff said. First time I drove through that town I almost drove off main street into the hill in front of the college. Wow. 2 girls going at it on the hill... woot woot!

No self respecting right winger would be caught dead in an American car, not around here at least.
....

-- Mike

I guess you've missed the community of aged 'Smith alum' in Orient... Or, the locals who only buy American cars from Richie Mullen.

Their slogan is, "If you didn't buy it from Mullen, you don't know Dick."

 

[colsmith]

Mike, sorry to hear of your predicament. That is so bizarre! I am a little worried in my town that our tenant some distance around the corner from us will get us some kind of 'too much junk in the yard' violation. But nobody cares how we store our wood that I can tell. Having it a foot and a half above the ground seems downright stupid. I tend to knock parts of our woodpiles over once in a while, so building them higher up would just make it worse.

I do take issue with blaming leftists for this ordinance. It is right wingers who want to interfere most in our personal lives. Who is most against a variety of sexual practices, who is against private drug use, who doesn't think women can make their own decisions about birth control and reproduction? Conservatives over there on the right wing, of course. Finally, here is my recurring grammar hint: if you just want to make a word plural, do NOT put an apostrophe on it (son's, saw's.)

 

[VT-Woodburner]

"...To be certain, check the car. If it is American, chances are right wing, a volvo is definitely left..."

HEY! I had a Volvo. And I'm definitely Not a Leftie. Bought it brand new in 1988. 740GLE. The car was a piece of crap though, It didn't even last 200,000 miles! The worst 26 grand I ever spent!

But does the OP live near former Sen John Edwards? It seems Edwards' wife doean't like her neighbor. Not only because he owns a gun but his property looks "unsightly" I guess now that they finished their 28,000 sq foot mansion, everybody now has to be like them. "I live here now! Clean up your property!"

 

[zzr7ky]

Marcia -

Although I agree with most of the specific issues you raise the Leftists are indeed the bigger threat. I'm not particularly pleased with the current crop weak knee conservatives either.

Although I agree with most of the specific issues you raise the Leftists are indeed the bigger threat. More government means more control and bureaucracy.

More government means more control and bureaucracy. Spend some time in Massachusetts or talk to some from a European country about freedoms we take for granted.

Which part of the constitution do leftists hold dear? The 1st, 2nd, or 14th Amendments? The evidence suggests otherwise.

Private drug use? That's a tough one. After a family member or 2 go down to drugs and you experience Meth addicts especially erratic way of committing crimes it doesn't seem so private any more. On the other hand I'd like to see the profit brought down and some tax revenue from the trade.

Yes - it is a bit silly. hundreds of towering wood piles seems like a larger threat and public nuisance than a potential rat. I take precautions against rats and mice. I've got plenty of rabbits, squirrels, hawks, owls, and bats. Seems like less (or no) inspectors would be just fine with me.

I apologize for my sloppy grammar. I spend little to no effort editing here.

All the best,
Mike P

 

[Bill]

Mice can climb 18 feet, 18" isn't gonna stop my mice. It's impossible to keep mice out of my wood pile, I think your inspector is confusing your woodpile for a restaurant.

 

[titan]

zzr7ky-are your neighbors BI members?BTW we don't have a real rat problem in Canada,we just elect them to office,then keep 'em at Parliament Hill. :coolgrin:

 

[zzr7ky]

Hi -

NO!! The little stinkers alll burn old fashioned fireplaces and even campfires in the yard! They are however friends of my ExWife... They all have non-conforming woodpiles and other ordinance issues. I suspect that they're getting violation notices due to their own complaints.

It's even more comical today. Last night about 11PM I turn the corner on my short dirt street to find a 10" diameter Sassafrass of mine completely blown down across the road!! So - Like a good neighbor I fire up the Dolmar 5100 and ATV and clear the road... With the recent controversy I was leary about dropping it in the road! It missed the neighbor's car thank God. As luck would have it I pretty much ran out of dry wood last night! This one seems pretty dry/dead so the smaller stuff is going in tonight! Of course I called the Ordinance folks so they'll keep a warm fuzzy about the whole thing!

May have to fire up the smokehouse with some cheese this weekend. It's still wintery here.

I've had the pleasure of hanging with some of the rural freedom loving Canadians... Great folks with great fireboxes full of softwood! Powered by Labatt's IIRC

ATB,
Mike P

 

[Henz]

that isnt gonna do a damn thing from keeping rodents out of the wood..Nor snakes who eat the damn rodents..What BS..Have you ever seen a snake climb a wall. I have ..