A woman has taken to Reddit to detail the bizarre moment her neighbour demanded she cut down seven of her trees – and the lengths they went to in order to change her mind when she refused to do so.
The social media user said that she lives in a lakeside community and has a view of the water from her backyard. Her elderly neighbour across the street can see the lake from her front porch.
She also mentioned that the area they live in reaches high temperatures in the summer, adding: “I don’t have central air conditioning, so my place gets HOT.”
The trees, she says, have finally grown tall enough that they provide the house and garden with shade from the sun.
“You can feel a 10+ degree drop in [temperature] going from the street into my driveway,” she shared.
“My plants are all thriving now because of it, and I’ve even noticed more little creatures in my front yard lately, like frogs, king snakes, lizards, etc. Plus inside it’s much cooler. I love it!”
However, the woman’s neighbour is not a fan of the trees, claiming that they obstruct her view of the lake.
The social media user, who claims that the shrubbery doesn’t fully block the view but is “just in the way”, says that she only found out about her neighbour’s grievance when “she, her daughter and grandkids started talking s*** and making threats about my trees from her porch; to me, my teenage daughter, my roommate, whomever.”
“She even had her grandson come over to me one day and ask, ‘Hey, can [you] chop all your trees down so my grandma can see the lake?’
“I just laughed and said, ‘NO!! You may not chop all my trees down!’ But I’d be willing to trim the tops down so she can have some of her view back”.
He allegedly replied: “Nah… f that! You’re f’d up for doing that to a sweet little old lady!”
Things took a turn for the worse when the elderly neighbour attempted to force the woman to remove her trees by getting the community involved.
“She went as far as to call the county, claiming they were an eyesore. Called the electric company and internet company claiming they were a threat to their lines. Even called my next neighbour who had the house as a vacation home, telling him some branches were over the fence line. All of which amounted to nothing.
“And she can take all that time talking to everyone else about my trees, but has yet to speak to ME about them.”
The woman admitted to feeling bad about the situation, noting that her neighbour is “old” and “she did live here before I did”.
However, she took offence at the fact that the elderly neighbour had yet to talk to her privately about the issue and, instead, resorted to what she saw as aggressive behaviour.
“Why can’t she just be an adult and talk to me instead of threatening me from her porch?
“And, if having an unobstructed view of the lake was SO important to her, why did she buy a home directly behind another home, and an entire neighbourhood, and not just buy a lake front home? She for sure had the money to buy one.”
The woman said that she “tried compromising” but the neighbour only wanted “all or nothing”.
Reddit users swarmed the comments section, with the majority in the woman’s corner when it came to the dispute.
“That old woman is not only entitled, she and her family members are rude af! If she demands a lake view let her buy a house directly on the lake. That clan are bullies,” one person wrote.
Another chimed in: “If she wants an unobstructed view she can move. I wouldn’t alter my yard to please a neighbour. That’s insane.”
Some even suggested she plant more trees in response to the neighbours’ behaviour.
“I’d be tempted to plant an 8th tree just to spite her,” one shared, while another penned: “I feel ‘more trees’ kinda energy.”
Others were concerned about the woman’s security, with many encouraging her to install cameras in case her neighbours decided to take matters into their own hands.
“PLEASE put up cameras WITH night vision pointing at all your trees!! I would honestly even consider having a lawyer write a warning letter considering the threats they’re making,” one social media user stressed.
A second wrote: “I’d put up cameras and make sure they know about them but not where they are.”
“Time for cameras. Prepare for shenanigans against your trees. Also, make a report to the police so it’s at least on record,” a third agreed.