Posted by gwendolyn on February 25, 2002 at 03:41 PM

We live in an upstairs apartment. We live above people who think that they are entitled to extend their patio out into the grassy area between their sliding glass door and the sidewalk. They decorate their space and the space that doesn't even belong to them with tacky ugly plastic lawn furniture and planters and all sorts of ugliness. A few times I have went out onto my balcony to sweep leaves off that fall from the huge tree that hangs over our space and theirs and the space they claim that doesn't belong to them. Repeatedly the bitchy woman comes running out of her apartment to scream up at me not to sweep dirt and leaves off of the edge of the balcony onto her stuff that is sitting in the grassy area that doesn't even belong to her.

The first time I apologized to her because I hadn't realized I was sweeping leaves onto her stuff. Then it hit me that I didn't know what else to do with the leaves and dirt and that her stuff didn't even belong there. So a few weeks later I swept again. This time it had rained and I had water sitting in my plants so I picked them up and dumped them over the side (not the front) of the balcony into the shrubs and grass that are beside her patio, in front of her kitchen window. She came running out again to scream at me. I have since been sweeping leaves and dirt up into a dust pan and disposing of it in trash bags but this is really stupid.

I am now sitting here trying to figure out how to carry my plants in and pour the rain water out of them without completely soaking my entire apartment on the way in with potting soil and nasty water. I feel like pouring it all over her table and chairs that sits right under my railing. I wonder how freaky the office people would think I am if I called them and asked them of how I am to properly handle these sorts of things.*

*I called. She said she lives upstairs too and sweeps her leaves up with a broom and dust pan too, she also suggested I do what I am doing with the sweeping. She didn't have any good ideas on how to deal with the plants. However, they are going to come and power wash my balcony and possibly give me some paint so that I may touch up the railing and some spots that are yucky. But they didn't have too much to say about how to deal with the downstairs lady. I guess she wins. Fucker.

They also suggested I go down and knock on her door and let her know my balcony is scheduled to be cleaned. Um, that isn't my job. And I would rather laugh when all of the yucky crap gets washed down onto her precious plastic trailer trash yard crap.