Back in February I wrote a blurb about our neighbor and her frequent calls to my licensing worker etc etc etc (see blog post from feb 29th). We went above and beyond what we were asked to do by the state-we built a pen for the chickens, our dogs have a separate tie out in a separate yard from where we play, we are working on modifying the fencing that we installed to further isolate our yard from hers. We contacted the sheriff to make sure we werent doing anything wrong, and were told we werent. We contacted the town office to make sure we werent doing anything wrong, and were told we werent. Finally, we thought everything was settling and that life would finally resume the peace and quiet we had hoped for living out in "the country".
Now, it seems, we still have to deal with my neighbor and her continued harassment of both my business and our family. I had another visit from my licensing worker today, after she received another complaint from my neighbor. My licensing worker knew that we had made the changed we had been asked to, she knew that we werent doing anything wrong AND she knew it was the same problematic neighbor making the complaint yet again. Knowing all this, she STILL had to come out and check things out because that is the "policy" when they receive a complaint. So there you have your tax dollars hard at work: a state worker being sent to check a home that has already passed inspection, has already made changes as asked and is known to be following the rules and policies. Your tax dollars were well at work as she was sent out here to waste her time, over an hour of it I am sure since her office is in Portland (though, I will admit it from the start, she was here for only a few minutes) and we are a 40 minute drive from there.
Aside from that issue there is the fact that this woman is being allowed to continuously harass myself and my family. Despite being told by several branches of government that we are not in fact doing anything wrong, the word of this woman is still being taken as a reliable source of information. We are STILL being told that we have to change the tings that we do, just to keep her quiet and make her happy. I have to watch to make sure she is gone before I will let the kids out to play in the yard. We wait in the house before leaving if she is outside until she is gone. I cant even put the trash out without making sure she is not there. This is not how my family deserves to live. My children should be able to play outside whenever they want. My husband should be able to leave for work when he needs to without checking to see if she is out there first to make sure she isnt bothered. He deserves to be able to relax on the weekends after a long work week without having a million projects to work on to "fortify" our section of the property and make sure she is happy.We should be able to plant a garden, ride bikes, keep chickens, and even take out the trash without constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure we arent being watched, harrassed or worrying about doing something that this neighbor might not like that will then cause her to take up her harrassment again. I do not deserve to live like this. Like me or not, I am a good person. I put my kids first before all else, and usually put other peoples kids first as well. I served in the Air Force for a year and a half, which is not much I absolutely admit, but got out to make sure that my children would have someone there to raise them and love them no matter what. I volunteer to run the Odyssey of the Mind program at the schools here. This year that meant stepping up and coaching 2 teams when I couldnt find other people to coach them. I recycle. I cook dinner for my family ALMOST every night. I like to help people when asked, and sometimes even when I am not asked. I have a perfectly clean record because I try my best to follow the rules and be a good person. I deserve to not have to worry about being harrassed by an angry woman with a misplaced vendetta.
I am still interested in finding a home to rent here in Raymond that will allow us to continue to live our life the way we do now, minus the harrassment from the neighbor. However, I DO NOT think that it is right that we are being driven from our home by an angry neighbor with no cause or right. We love our house, we love our yard, we love our location. We DO NOT love the constant, unprovoked harrassment. I have consistently turned the other cheek with this woman and tried to appease her and IT HASNT WORKED. I am hoping that someone reading this will be able to offer some sort of advice as to what our options are when dealing with this woman and protect our family from further harrasment. Or maybe someone reading this will know of a property available for a long term rental in Raymond that can accomodate our family and pets and business. Maybe you have some advice on speeding up the credit repair process so that we can qualify for a home loan faster. If you do, you can email me at: ItsOurHome294@yahoo.com
Thank you for bearing with me through that long rant, and I am sure this is a long shot. But maybe someone SOMEWHERE has the key advice we need to hear to help deal with this lady.
I think you should file a protection from harassment order. You can easily do this for free at the courthouse where a lawyer is available most of the time to help for free. Also Pinetree Legal is a good option to assist you with this and there website has the paperwork you would need to file.
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