What do your neighbors think of you...really?

There have been a few new neighbors that have moved into the homes that were sold on my street lately as a couple of the old timers passed away. My old neighbors all knew me and my habit of practicing archery in the yard, my odd strength training practice of lifting logs and concrete blocks,etc. The newbies will just have to deal with it.
 
With the exception of one, they believe me to be "not right in the head". Practicing archery, throwing spears, cooking over wood fires, killing squirrels to protect our pecan harvest, testing out new tents and tarps, open carry, and the "worst" for them - getting caught pissing in the back yard. But, like stated by others, when they have a problem they invariably will ask me for help. Being in my 50's, I care less and less of the opinion of others. I love what I do and will continue for as long as I can. It is always the people whom are least able to run their own lives that always have the most to complain about yours.
 
My neighbors don't quite know what to make of me. Backpacks, axes, big knives, lighting fires in the driveway. I'm in a townhouse in yuppy-ville. I wan't to move.
 
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When I recently moved into my apt a resident say my ruger 10-22 in a case. He told my girlfriend guns were not welcome here and tried to get me evicted the same day I moved in! Thankfully the management is sane and ignored him.
 
TheGame said:
...when he was mowing his lawn I was chopping up some wood with a knife in my backyard, and he stopped on his mower and was staring at me. I smiled and waved....QUOTE]


That was YOU???


Just kidding. I would have gotten off the mower and come to see what kind of steel you were playing with.:)


I am in a rural area and back off the road a piece with the property pretty much surrounded with trees and bushes, but most people around here have tools too and are not surprised to see an axe, knife, trap, shovel or gun. I have been here for over twenty years and although I don't socialize much, anyone can rely on anyone else around here in a pinch and when we do bump into one another, there ia always a lengthy and familial conversation.
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jw2n said:
........getting caught pissing in the back yard..............
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I almost didn't make it to the back yard when I read this one!:D

We have two "bathrooms" at my house - the girls' bathroom and mine.
When one of the girls complains about another being in the bathroom too long, I just tell them they can use mine, which is out back. No takers to date.

Why waste a perfectly good gallon of water every time you take a leak?? All the yak about conserving energy and resources and people get uptight about someone saving a gallon of perfectly good water. Why pollute it if you don't have to??
 
tknife said:
I dunno how it is in other states, but if people saw me trapping squirrels, sitting in trees and lighting fires in the front yard, the cops would have been here real quick.
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That's just SoCal. The cops here do all that stuff at their homes as well. :D
 
When I moved into my current neighborhood(22 years ago) we were the 3rd family to move in. Then everyone else started building houses, then forced all of us into an HOA. My neighbors are from some big city up north (not criticizing northerners ) They hate me, they hate my vehicles, and my life style!

1970 m35a2c
1973 CJ5 locked,lifted and loud
1993 XJ 14 inches of lift on 37's for rock crawling
and my wifes 1990 K5 mud runner and her DD

I run strait pipes in everything except for the XJ which has a flowmaster and the m35's never came with a muffler unless it was a gas version.

I also do welding and half baked knife making in my garage but I try and keep it during reasonable hours. I also like to go play in the back yard making a shelter or a fire or sometimes splitting wood just for exercise. So they think I am nuts.. but we don't live in the town limits so there is not much they can do about it. They called the local sheriff department once because I was playing with a full auto Russian BB gun in the backyard far far away from their house but they failed to realize and still don't know that I am LE (we don't have drive home cars) :( so all they did was save me a phone call inviting my friends over!!

to them I am the UN-politically correct,yank hate'n southern guy next door, but in reality all I am a southern outdoors love'n off road driving and camping guy who if they ever gave me the time of day would explain himself to them. And perhaps I would stop playing my bugle at 7am while my wife hoists the colors.
 
Here, if I used a chopper the locals would tell me to use a chainsaw or an axe and the yuppies would think I'm crazy. The church goers tell me off and on that they see my hubby walking on the state road with an axe, they don't know what to make of him.
 
Fortunately I live in a rural/farm county. You hear gunshots all the time. People target shooting or hunting. Especially this time of year with hunting season in full swing. I have a game farm for bird hunting about a mile away and you know when there are guys pheasant hunting by the constant gunshots. As far as neighbors, they all know I'm a knifemaker so there are no raised eyebrows when I'm swinging blades in the yard. I did shake up the UPS driver one time when I came around the side of the house with a 9" bowie in my hand. :D
Scott
 
Gossman Knives said:
Fortunately I live in a rural/farm county. You hear gunshots all the time. People target shooting or hunting. Especially this time of year with hunting season in full swing. I have a game farm for bird hunting about a mile away and you know when there are guys pheasant hunting by the constant gunshots. As far as neighbors, they all know I'm a knifemaker so there are no raised eyebrows when I'm swinging blades in the yard. I did shake up the UPS driver one time when I came around the side of the house with a 9" bowie in my hand. :D
Scott
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This our current home now...I kept a low profile in suburbia when stationed in Texas, now I see only two neighbors; one is about 200 yards up to the main road across a large field and the other is across the lake barely seen through the trees. I've only met one neighbor down the road (really good guy). I don't do any high-power shooting, but I've got a .22LR bullet trap target in the back of the property. I have access to some property on the other side of the lake in the back corner...looking to set up a deer stand as I've run into several. It's nice to hear shooting going on around me...quite different feeling than when in a small city:D

ROCK6
 
I'm the crazy guy with all the dogs. I'm on good terms with my neighbors tho. Nobody's worried about me doing them any harm.
Jim
 
I've used this as a training guide so I know what to look for when I venture into the Burbs. :eek:

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:D
 
My neighbors see me going metal detecting, fishing, camping etc. I am in some type of old camo or just plain old ratty clothes that are warm. 80% of the time I'm wearing a belt knife. I'll do a quick hi\bye wave or whatever on the way out, pretty much the same as you cross paths while bar-b-qing in your yard. People are often afraid of the unknown and what looks like possible danger. So instead of ignoring them, I take the extra few minutes to do a light chat with them now and then. Once they know you a bit, the fear fades. The old lady living by herself next door gets some steak or whatever I'm doing, once in a while. And she comes over with fresh garden veggies occasionally when she sees us coming or going in the car. I'm not saying that we have to donate a kidney to our neighbors, but at least a smile and nod or wave coming or going greases the social wheels. It's the same old with my motorcycle. People see the bike and have an instant opinion, then I act respectfully and treat them with basic decent social etiquette, and they open up. I have had the police look at me for a few seconds as they drive alongside, while on the motorcycle with a Becker Brute hanging half way to my knee. As I'm on my way out of town to the bush, neither makes an issue of it. Now if I was walking down town with the Brute strapped on, it is out of context and would almost ask the police to check me out. I know that I would feel uneasy if walking down the street with small children and dude walks toward us with a big FB. So proper context and a little uncommon sense will allow us to use\carry our cutting tools in freedom and peace.
 
Hard telling. They’ve become accustomed to me having my Glock on when I’m out in the garage or taking out the trash. They no longer wince when I toss an uncased carbine in the passenger seat. The batoning wood and doing my yard work with a machete is what gets the most glances. :D
 
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