[COBALT]

...ah yes, the age-old rant. Randy, I know you actually haven't stated that the neighbors sicked the local authorities on you, but I think its probably a pretty safe assumption, isn't it? How else did the city/county know to come out and talk to you?

First, it's damn anoying to have the city or county start trying to boss you around on your own property. I sympathize completely. I grew up in a rural area, where now you have to have a permit to move your own dirt around. I had to help my dad put up gates, extra fences, and "No Tresspassing" signs because the county (King) kept showing up wanting to "inspect" my dad's dog's pet licenses. Of course none of them have licenses because we didn't live in GD Downtown Seattle, we lived in the middle of 60 acres of barely anything...so trust me I understand.

Second, as a guy who lives in Seattle now I also understand the *OTHER* side of this argument as well. There's some pretty damn inconsiderate neighbors in our area. Our homes are TINY, and the lots are not even set up for working on a vehicle. There's no where to put coolant, used oil, tranny fluid, or old tires. You have to pay to have that dealt with. Also, since property is so damned expensive out here everyone is banking on their property values increasing over time, otherwise you as a homeowner feel like you've wasted $250,000. Therefore, when you see some jackass (no, I'm not calling you one) in your neighborhood lets his house rot out from under him, and fill the yard with garbage and junk you can literally see your property value drop before your very eyes. It's not a pleasant experience as a home owner. Plus, you want to enjoy the neighborhood, and feel apart of something.

Third, don't let this continue until you end up in legal trouble. My parents are in hell right now because of this tree cutting thing. Their neighbors are now facing serious consequences, and its drove them to pettiness, and its making life unbearable out there. As an example their stupid dog has always found its way over into my parents property for years, but we usually would ignore it. No big deal. We never called the guy, and we never complained. Recently the damn mutt ended up over in our field, and one of my parents' dogs tied into it. Both dogs got ripped up, and our dog ended up at the vet with some stitches, and 3 teeth extracted. $300 bill. My parents paid it and kept quiet. Next thing we find out these moron neighbors called the Humane Society and Animal Protection, and "reported" my parents for animal abuse to their dog. They showed up at my parents' front gate like they were The Wiatt brothers. It didn't come to anything, but come on! Un b-f$%king-lievable.

Forth, this isn't really a State or National issue. Each body drafts their own laws, and follows their own constitutions. Therefore any city or county ordinance that sets guidelines of how your property is zoned, and what you're allowed to do with it are decided by a bunch of council members who live somewhere in your kneck of the woods. If they don't live locally then they don't represent the area, and you should vote them out. If you don't think they're doing their jobs, then vote them out. If you think they're conspiring against property owners, then vote them the hell out.

Therefore, the result of all of this BS is that folks don't act like communities any more. They are too intimidated to simply walk over and have a chat with their neighbors about the problem, and solve it like adults. The neighbor with the junky yard are defensive, and you (being the annoyed homeowner) are usually emotional, so the easy thing to do is call the city or county and have them solve the problem. In the mean time we're all too busy to go to city/county council meetings and voice our opinions. Last I heard these were open meetings you could go to. It's been a while since I've gone to one, but its important nonetheless.

Good luck selling your stuff. I like the fence idea. Just deal with it like any other problem.

I'd love to get ahold of your '70 coil sprung SWB setup. Too bad I'm not local. I'll get back to you about the tranny yoke...