I always thought that the old “get off my lawn” guy you see in movies was just a comedy trope. Well, turns out, there are folks who, while not entirely “get off my lawn” material, still give off a similar vibe when it comes to their grass. More of a “why didn’t y’all trim my lawn properly” thing.
And speaking of that, a Redditor shared a story about how their neighbor decided to ruin a good thing—a perfectly fine lawn mowing thing—by being entitled as all heck and demanding they do some extra trimming on top of the lawn mowing they already do for free that they aren’t really obligated to. And so they don’t oblige any more.
More Info: Reddit
You'd think the old “get off my lawn” guy is a comedy trope, but it feels real when you find out there's a “why didn’t y’all trim my lawn properly” guy
Image credits: Christine (not the actual photo)
Meet Redditor u/James324285241990. James lives on a street-corner property with a very geometrically straightforward piece of lawn—a rectangle divided by a sidewalk in the middle (so, two rectangles). There’s some lovely Texas heather running along the edge of the property, serving as a fence of sorts.
The way the plant and the technical property line are situated in space (and time, presumably), OP ends up having to do some grasswork on the patch of land on the other side of the natural fence. And even though their property ends about a foot before the neighbor’s driveway, they end up mowing the neighbor’s bit of lawn as well—they might as well. If anything, it’s a nice gesture and just good neighborship. But also because the neighbor does a poor job maintaining it. But, shh, don’t tell him that!
A story surfaced where a person got some entitled demands in response to their neighborly gesture of mowing the neighbor's grass
Image credits: James324285241990
Well, apparently, this friendly gesture went unappreciated due to a fit of entitlement. During one of James’ regular lawn mowing sessions, a wild next door neighbor appeared with a seemingly kind, but not really, request. Well, several... you know what, do tell him his lawn sucks.
Besides mowing that little patch of lawn—something OP does out of generosity and probably a little bit because they value beauty and order—the neighbor started asking OP to trim the edges of the driveway on his side (something OP didn’t do, you gotta draw the line somewhere), and then not leave any trimmings on the driveway (again, this is where the neighbor should have already gotten the hint to pick up the slack), and then he had the audacity to ask to cut the grass lower so he wouldn’t have to cut it that often (but when the weather gets hot enough to cook eggs on the hood of a car, the higher greenery helps manage it, so, no thanks).
Specifically, if they were going to mow that tiny patch of lawn, they might as well trim the driveway and do other things, right? Well, no
Image credits: James324285241990
A quick back and forth about obligations, courtesies and the like led to the neighbor not budging on his entitled demands, and so the conclusion was if he doesn’t like how OP does the lawn, then the honor shall be the neighbor’s. James stopped.
So, was the neighbor really entitled, or is there any beef or context that led to this? In an interview with Bored Panda, James put it simply: “Just entitled. We don’t really know each other. If he has beef, he raised it himself because I’ve not done anything.”
One back-and-forth later, petty revenge commenced, the neighbor's lawn was not cut, and a $150 fine ensued
Image credits: James324285241990
"So pay your ticket and mow your lawn. Or get another ticket."
Image credits: Alan Light (not the actual photo)
Well, some time later—enough time of not cutting that patch of grass to be visible enough to the right people—the neighbor came over, citation in hand, saying that OP’s pettiness and the subsequent ceasing of lawn-mowing of land that’s not even his to begin with had led to the neighbor getting a fine. Nope, definitely not the neighbor’s lack of effort to do anything about it. It can’t be. Right? “Thanks a lot!” concluded the neighbor.
What happened next was something you’re more likely to see on r/MurderedByWords rather than r/PettyRevenge. OP responded:
“Bud, if you think it’s my problem then call 311 and have them come out and reissue the citation to whomever owns the land that the weeds are on. I think you’ll find that the property line follows the fence (Point at line) which makes everything 12 inches to the east of your driveway your problem. You didn’t like how I was doing it, so I stopped. So pay your ticket and mow your lawn. Or get another ticket.”
Mic drop.
It wasn't long until the story gained some attention from folks online
Satisfying as endings go. But what happened next? We have to know! Well, OP explained that there weren’t really any more developments in the story: “He learned his lesson and started mowing his lawn. The one issue I almost had (I have cameras, so I nipped it in the bud) was him possibly planning on poisoning the grass there.”
Oh, and if you’re wondering, the citation was for $150. And it gets worse if it goes unattended. OP elaborated that the fine might increase and the city might even take matters into their own hands and hire landscapers to mow the lawn and charge the neighbor. Or seize the property. But considering that he is a renter, the landlord would probably have intervened way before that would happen.
And folks do love themselves some petty revenge that spirals out of control and someone now has to pay $150. Besides appreciating OP’s approach to dealing with entitlement, some asked why lack of lawn mowing might lead to a fine, and that’s because the perfectly hot and humid climate combined with tall grass can lead to Australia levels of danger. And nobody wants that in their yard.
OP also spent quite some time responding to people in the comment section, where we also learn that they’ve planted some more greenery to eliminate the need to mow on the other side of the Texas heather. So, hey, problem solved!
Well, it’s funny to think that OP did consider more devious options before settling on small shrubs and ornamental grasses: “I did consider planting some aggressive ground cover under the hedge I added in on that side, so it would start to creep over his driveway. But then that would just make me look like a slob. And that’s burning calories for someone else’s pain rather than for my joy.”
The post received some love in the form of 5,600 upvotes and a handful of Reddit awards. You can read the post in context here. But before you go, let us know your thoughts about this whole situation. And remember to be kind, as concludes OP: “Be nice to your neighbors. Use your words. Show gratitude, and realize that we’re all in this together.”