Advice needed

[Thistleoak]

For those of you who know me well, you know that I would give the shirt off my back to a stranger to help them.  Yesterday I had to run into town for a bit and when I returned I noticed " extra tracks in my driveway, tracks that are wheelbarrow specific... These extra tracks made their way up my driveway to my car port on the side of my garage where I stack the firewood for our woodstove.  The extra tracks then lead back down the drive way and across the street to my neighbors house.  I don't know if it was cute or pitiful,  they tried to conceal the tire track on the original tire track, but completely forgot about foot prints... This has happened before two winters ago.  It pisses me off that my neighbor is stealing firewood for his furnace from me, Lord knows all he would have to do is ask and I will prolly load the back of my pick up truck drive across by his outdoor wood boiler and dump a load for him.  I have more than enough wood to get my house through the cold weather.  My mother imprinted a lesson on me in my youth. " Seek first to understand, then to be understood " , this is making me think of how bad it actually has to be for him to be in the situation to steal.  My heart says he must be in a desperate situation and that his pride is getting in the way of asking for help ( nothing wrong with asking for help, we all need it once in a while) but my ego is saying drill some logs and fill them with black powder and plug them back shut ( no I'd never do this really). Should I go over and confront him?  Should I load my pickup bed with fire wood and unload it over there when he is t home?  Should I call the sheriffs dept?   I don't want to reward theft,  but at the same time I don't want him to freeze this winter and I REALLY don't want to make an enemy as he is my neighbor and I'm kinda stuck living next to him for the next 25 years till my mortgage is paid off.  Any advice from my family here on the BoB would be greatly appreciated as I'm stumped on what to do.

 

[Brewdude]

What kind of relationship do you have with him Alex? Friendly/Cordial or otherwise? I'd definitely approach him on this basis and be non-confrontational about it.

Perhaps ask him "OK, so what's up with you taking my firewood? If you're desperate all you'd need to do is ask  first". And then give him a chance to explain.


Cheers,

RR

 

[MisterE]

I might just ask him in a non-accusatory way if the opportunity presents itself. Maybe not even say anything about the tracks back to his place. Just mention that someone has been helping themselves to your firewood and ask if he's seen or heard of anything. My bet is it'll stop without any sort of confrontation.

 

[Thistleoak]

I might just ask him in a non-accusatory way if the opportunity presents itself. Maybe not even say anything about the tracks back to his place. Just mention that someone has been helping themselves to your firewood and ask if he's seen or heard of anything. My bet is it'll stop without any sort of confrontation.

That's an awesome Idea!

 

[mgtarheel]

My two cents worth: Load your truck with firewood and take it to him when he is at home. Then see what he tells you about the wood that he "borrowed". What he says or does not say will tell you a lot about his character. Either way, you should not have to worry about him getting wood from you again this winter and you will learn a lot about your neighbor.

 

[Thistleoak]

My two cents worth:  Load your truck with firewood and take it to him when he is at home.  Then see what he tells you about the wood that he "borrowed".  What he says or does not say will tell you a lot about his character.  Either way, you should not have to worry about him getting wood from you again this winter and you will learn a lot about your neighbor.  

Thank you that's some big medicine as well

 

[arkansaspiper]

this is like the homeless man that goes to jail for stealing a can of beans to feed his wife and kids. was it his only option no but did he have the means to buy it no he simply did what he had to do to not have his family go hungery.

 

[daveinlax]

I'd call the sheriffs dept and at least report it. There's probably a reason they don't have their **** together and need to steal your wood and you will be an easy mark next time they need something. I "wood" not be surprised if they are already on law enforcement radar. I've lived a very rural non ag area of Northern MN and I found the low life's outnumbered the good guys and this was 35 years ago long before meth invaded the area. :shock:

 

[Richard Burley]

I'd get something on video before playing either good Samaritan or becoming accusatory. Just a backup for whatever works out--you could then play it either way. Nothing like options. You don't actually know your neighbor did it. Could have been a guest of his or a family member from the next town, or creature from outer space who just borrowed the wheelbarrow. Any saucer sightings up there recently? :cyclops:

 

[Fazby]

Hopefully you will be able to communicate with them and settle this amicably.

If not, well, I REALLY like the black powder thought.

 

[Thistleoak]

Hopefully you will be able to communicate with them and settle this amicably.

If not, well, I REALLY like the black powder thought.

Kinda tickles the funny bone don't it

 

[Thistleoak]

I left a Christmas card between his door and screen door... the pre printed text I blacked out with a Sharpe and wrote

"May you never be truly certain if that pressure is a fart or a poop"

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Sharia Law prescribes first verify the wood he has was indeed yours. The wood types or cuts will tell much. You then drag him out onto his front yard, read the charges and remove his right hand. Let his family keep the wood, and stick the hand on a pike in front of your wood pile as a message to future thieves.

Or, put a motion sensor out there and rather than have it activate a light, hook it up to a siren.

Hide a bear trap in the wood pile. Sharpen the trap. Tell no one but your family.

Install a game camera pointed at the wood pile. Catch them in the act. Then blackmail them.

Let the issue go and see how far the thief will go. Remember to not lock up your stuff. It's cheaper to replace you stuff than to replace your stuff AND a broken door or window.

:twisted:

 

[Lakebound]

I advise against any black powder shenanigans. You're going to go from good guy/victim to bad guy immediately.

In the spirit of Christmas, I advise like another has. Take wood to his house and offer it up. The Good Lord has ways of repaying those who do good and those who do evil.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I advise against any black powder shenanigans. You're going to go from good guy/victim to bad guy immediately.

In the spirit of Christmas, I advise like another has. Take wood to his house and offer it up. The Good Lord has ways of repaying those who do good and those who do evil.

Probably the best advice on the thread....

 

[Thistleoak]

I advise against any black powder shenanigans. You're going to go from good guy/victim to bad guy immediately.

In the spirit of Christmas, I advise like another has. Take wood to his house and offer it up. The Good Lord has ways of repaying those who do good and those who do evil.

Probably the best advice on the thread....

I did leave that special christmas card

 

[Bonanzadriver]

I'd encourage you to take a proactive approach.

Being a compassionate person I'd recommend that you talk with him. Share with him that it appears that a wheelbarrow was rolled up your drive way and to your woodpile. Let him know that you're happy to lend a helping hand if one of the neighbors is in need but that you must politely insist that they let you know that they're doing so.

If he doesn't own up to it, then ask him to help you keep an eye on things, that the last thing you want to do is to call the police and report that you've been robbed of your personal property.

If he does own up to it, re-affirm that you understand that folks sometimes fall on hard times, but that in the future he must let you know that he needs some wood.

Either way, the message you've conveyed is that you are aware that someone is helping themselves to your personal property and are not ok with the way in which it was done.

If he is a person of less than desirable character and is offended by this dialogue, then you've let him know where you stand, that you're not an easy mark.

If he is a person of good character, but is embarrassed, he will understand that he needs to swallow a bit of pride and ask for a hand.

Just my $.02

Life's too short to put up with sh!tty people.

 

[KevinM]

I wonder who he stole the wheel barrow from. In a neighborly sort of way, I’d ask to borrow it. (The wheel barrow) Then keep it for the rest of the Winter.) While it’s reasonable to let this sort of thing ride, it’s also possible to expect “midnight wood supply” to be repeated.

 

[Brewdude]

I'd encourage you to take a proactive approach.

Being a compassionate person I'd recommend that you talk with him.  Share with him that it appears that a wheelbarrow was rolled up your drive way and to your woodpile.  Let him know that you're happy to lend a helping hand if one of the neighbors is in need but that you must politely insist that they let you know that they're doing so.

If he doesn't own up to it, then ask him to help you keep an eye on things, that the last thing you want to do is to call the police and report that you've been robbed of your personal property.

If he does own up to it, re-affirm that you understand that folks sometimes fall on hard times, but that in the future he must let you know that he needs some wood.

Either way, the message you've conveyed is that you are aware that someone is helping themselves to your personal property and are not ok with the way in which it was done.

If he is a person of less than desirable character and is offended by this dialogue, then you've let him know where you stand, that you're not an easy mark.  

If he is a person of good character, but is embarrassed, he will understand that he needs to swallow a bit of pride and ask for a hand.

Just my $.02

Life's too short to put up with sh!tty people.

This is the way I'd handle it. Soft approach. Non-accusatory. After all, you don't have concrete proof except for the wheelbarrow tracks.

I get that you need to live next to this person for the foreseeable future. And that you'd like to have cordial relations. Nothing worse that a next door neighbour that you're feuding with. At the same time you don't want to be a doormat.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Oxman]

I look forward to hearing whether he replies to your card