The man who lives behind me has decomposing bodies in his bathtub.
A plumber was overheard to say, "I know. I know. There's a blockage somewhere....Yeah, it's bad...Tried that already...uh,huh...Yeah he's inside, but he won't let me into the house!...Snaked that, too...It's gonna be a real problem...Yeah, call the owner and see what he says."
Two days later the owner flew in from Michigan.
Between our houses are some cedars, croutons and the prettiest Turk's Cap hibiscus I've ever seen. In the two+ years that we've lived here, that thing has never been without a bloom. It's probably 10 feet tall and leans out over my pond, shading the plants at the back of it. For the past couple of weeks it's been a main attraction for local hummingbirds.
I've met the owner a couple of times when he's been down to work on his rental property. We've discussed what is planted on his property and he's seen my garden. He's asked about native plants and he's shared information on butterflies. I've shown him when the hummers are visiting the Turks Cap. Seemed like a good guy.
The Turks Cap started looking a little puny a couple of days ago. We haven't had any rain so I let it go. Yesterday, the leaves started turning yellow. I was busy so I let it go. Today, the leaves started dropping. I couldn't let it go.
The owner, still in town, was working in the back yard. "Hey Steve! Have you noticed the Turks Cap? I'm worried about it. It doesn't look good." "Oh, whoops! Bad neighbor, I cut it down. It was too overgrown over here."
Overgrown, my eye. The whole thing leaned into my yard. He hadn't cut it down so much as chopped away the bottom of it and left the whole thing to die up in the cedars and a mess for me to clean up.
Needless to say, I flipped out!
Plants were burning because their shade was gone. The enormous branches were tangled in the cedars and we had to cut them out. Knowing how pissed off I was, Steve lamely tried to help and started yanking at a large branch, pulling it to his side but it was caught in my angel trumpet tree. I was yelling to wait and I'd untangle it, but he kept pulling and with the branch took the whole back half of my angel trumpet tree.
With that, Steve disappeared for about a half an hour.
He returned as I was digging up the peace lilies at the back of the pond so they could be moved to some shade. "I'm sorry I caused extra work for you."
Before I could stop myself, up came my hand in that "talk to the hand" position. Side to side bobbed my head and I let loose on him. I let him know in no uncertain terms that while I understand that it's his bush to do with as he wishes, I was pissed off that he had not had the courtesy to tell me that he was going to cut it down, or at least to tell me that he had cut it and furthermore it was not only the damage to my plants he had caused, but that his intentions were apparently to just leave all that mess in my yard for me to clean up. I have seen this person at least twice a day for the past three days to say hello to. He would not have had to go out of his way to inform me.
Idiot.
Then my son came home from school, gave me a hug, went inside and came out a little later with a piece of paper in his hand.
The clouds lifted, the sun came out and my priorities were once again in the correct order.
Don't get me wrong here. I still think the owner's an idiot. And as for the renter with the decomposing bodies in the bathtub? Well, there really was a plumbing problem and he really wouldn't let the plumber in. As for the rest? That's how rumors get started.
