Mary
07-16-2008, 08:15 AM
We planted a big garden this year, but not at our house. DH does a lot of landscaping for a wealthy elderly man for whom he always plants a big garden. This year, after DH plowed and fertilized, said man decided he wouldn't be up for the summer in time to do the garden and it came about that we used his garden to plant this year and were sharing with him. This is in rich lakeside neighborhood and when the owner did come up, he's been very clear pointing out to everyone that's it's Mike's garden. When it was said man's garden, he always had a neighbor that would pick a little here and there, sometimes getting a little greedy.
So, when I made a trip to the garden at first noticed that the tiny cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, etc that should have been ready to pick were GONE, I knew it was Frank. We planted things that were prolific with the intentions of canning and freezing and we've barely gotten anything out of our garden. Except hot peppers, apparently, he doesn't like hot peppers. The owner there spends a lot more time napping in the house these days and probably hasn't noticed.
So, Mike pulls up at the garden yesterday and guess who is in the middle of it with a BIG BAG? Yep, Frank the neighbor. He played dumb, looked like he'd been caught. Guess what else. All the ripe tomatoes were gone. No cucumbers at all. No zucchini. No squash. Our giant cabbage, which was nowhere near the size it should have been was cut and gone. No apology. Nothing.
The man is rich. He has a summer home on the lake. I knew it was him all along. He's taking everything. If he were only picking enough for him and his wife, there would be plenty left for me to can, freeze and eat. But no, I'm sure he's been giving our garden to his pastor and his neighbors as if he had a right to do so. That's what Frank does. It makes him look generous to the people he wants to appear that way too. Damn stingy millionaire thief. :flame::headonfire::censored:
Mike is much calmer about it than me. I can't really say much because this community is where we do all our landscaping jobs and it's bad business to start an argument. Mike says next year we will have twice as much here. We've been doing our own landscaping. Mike's had the side of the hill dug out with a retaining wall and he's building me a series of raised 4 x 8 beds for our garden next year.
It will all be fine but I'm so angry I HAD to vent before my head popped.
So, when I made a trip to the garden at first noticed that the tiny cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, etc that should have been ready to pick were GONE, I knew it was Frank. We planted things that were prolific with the intentions of canning and freezing and we've barely gotten anything out of our garden. Except hot peppers, apparently, he doesn't like hot peppers. The owner there spends a lot more time napping in the house these days and probably hasn't noticed.
So, Mike pulls up at the garden yesterday and guess who is in the middle of it with a BIG BAG? Yep, Frank the neighbor. He played dumb, looked like he'd been caught. Guess what else. All the ripe tomatoes were gone. No cucumbers at all. No zucchini. No squash. Our giant cabbage, which was nowhere near the size it should have been was cut and gone. No apology. Nothing.
The man is rich. He has a summer home on the lake. I knew it was him all along. He's taking everything. If he were only picking enough for him and his wife, there would be plenty left for me to can, freeze and eat. But no, I'm sure he's been giving our garden to his pastor and his neighbors as if he had a right to do so. That's what Frank does. It makes him look generous to the people he wants to appear that way too. Damn stingy millionaire thief. :flame::headonfire::censored:
Mike is much calmer about it than me. I can't really say much because this community is where we do all our landscaping jobs and it's bad business to start an argument. Mike says next year we will have twice as much here. We've been doing our own landscaping. Mike's had the side of the hill dug out with a retaining wall and he's building me a series of raised 4 x 8 beds for our garden next year.
It will all be fine but I'm so angry I HAD to vent before my head popped.