I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND

I asked my neighbor if I could park my boat on his property. "I don’t have enough room on my side," I explained, nodding to my postage-stamp-sized yard . He, on the other hand, has a three bedroom brick ranch that sits in the middle of a double lot. He has a gorgeous pond, swimming pool, two tier wood deck, large shed, and vegetable and flower garden. He can spare a few square feet of land.

Well . . . some people have their nerve. He got all defensive, like a mangy mutt marking its territory. He flat out told me, "No."

Last week I backed my empty boat trailer onto his property. I couldn’t see what I was doing and accidentally knocked over his mailbox. I told him I’d replace it as soon as he lent me a hacksaw to cut away the box from the post. He obliged, and I repaired it. That’s what good neighbors do. He seemed eternally grateful.

Now he says my boat trailer can no longer sit on his property. I don’t understand what the big fuss is all about. It’s not like he’s using every inch of his land. It’s not like I’m causing him pain and suffering. It’s not like I’m actually parking my boat on his turf—just the trailer.

Perhaps he’s jealous of my having a boat, which I now dock at a friend’s lakefront house. Perhaps he'd like to go fishing sometime. Perhaps I should’ve asked him if he’d like to go once in awhile. Perhaps I should’ve asked him if it was okay to park just the trailer on his land. "Is it okay?" I asked after the fact. "It’ll only be there for the boating season."

He says, "HELL NO! IT’S MY PROPERTY." Then he wants his hacksaw back.

Some people are just plain rude and inconsiderate. He must be just like the inmates in his charges.