'So we got petty': Homeowners get repeatedly reported when their grass is longer than 6", then they decide to fight back against their nitpicky neighbors with 20 pink lawn flamingos on the property line

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 18, 2024 7:00 AM EDT

This young couple got swift revenge on their type A neighbors after they repeatedly reported them to the city for having their lawn 'insufficiently mowed'. 

Sorry buddy, not all of us are retired grass enthusiasts who wait on bated breath for the blades to grow another quarter-inch so that they can be snipped with a pair of personal grooming scissors.

Lawns are pretty silly if you think about it. Big Suburbia would have people thinking that a nice lawn is the only way to truly become a highly-ranked member of the community, but in 2024, younger homeowners are starting to take a different approach to their yards. But while non-native grasses and lawnmowers become obsolete, the HOA Karens start to feel their powers waning, waging war against defectors in the form of snitching. 

Read on for a story of vengeance in the form of tacky lawn decorations that gave power back to the people as this couple got petty revenge on the snitching neighbors who detested their non-conformity. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10404974080
    via Jupiterimages - Photo Images via Canva
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    Petty revenge on the neighborhood lawn police My husband (53M) and I (52F) bought our first house 13 years ago and quickly realized we were the black sheep of the neighborhood.
    via SeaUtopia
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    We are in a quiet culdesac in the middle of town, a neighborhood we never really knew existed until we started looking for homes to buy. Our neighbors are about 10-20 years older than us and keep their yards to an unsustainable perfection unless you either hire a
    via SeaUtopia
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    lawn service or are retired and have nothing better to do than yard work 24/7 rain or shine. The neighbors to our sides and across the street are the latter. One neighbor will use a leaf vacuum to remove leaves from his yard and the street in front of his house multiple times a day. If it's
    via SeaUtopia
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    storming, he'll stand in his garage with the door open and will rush out during breaks in the rain to remove every last leaf. Dude has serious OCD about his lawn. He doesn't own one tree and to other neighbors about the sycamore tree in our front yard
    via SeaUtopia
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    because it not only peels it's bark year round but also drops it's leaves really early into the season. We don't rake our leaves because it's a great natural fertilizer, but we do pick up large branches and bark before we mow.
    via SeaUtopia
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    Not long after we purchased the house, I became disabled and could no longer do heavy yardwork. My husband kept it up until he became disabled during the p ndemic and couldn't do the heavy lifting either. We now have
    via SeaUtopia
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    very limited funds, so we hired a kid to mow and whatnot for us very cheap. When the schools stopped online classes once the p ndemic was under control, he stopped working and we had to rely on family to help. They are
    via SeaUtopia
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    only able to help a couple times a month at the most and this is apparently unacceptable to our neighbors. If our grass is a smidge over 6 inches, they call the city code enforcement office and report us.
    via SeaUtopia
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    I've gotten to know the woman fielding the calls very well over the past couple years. She agrees that the reports are excessive but is still required to follow-up and contact us about the complaints. Many of their complaints are a civil issue (such as tree too close to a
    via SeaUtopia
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    fence) but grass height is the one that we have to abide. If we've had a good rain, like this year it rained a lot, then sure our lawn is going to grow faster and our family may not be able to come into town immediately and help. They have
    via SeaUtopia
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    never once spoken to us about it. Never once asked why the sudden change in lawn care. In fact we've never even spoke to any of the "problem" neighbors in over 5 years. Instead, they report us and report us and report us.... Again,
    via SeaUtopia
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    the city understands and gives us a month to get it taken care of. And we do. Every time. It's absolutely ridiculous. So, one day we decided that we were done with trying to be a nice neighbor and fit in with the golf course lawn crowd, so we got
    via SeaUtopia
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    petty. We called the city to get the property line tagged and asked for a copy of the city code about what you can and can't put on your lawn. Pink flamingos are not on that list. We now have 20 large pink flamingos a few inches on our
    via SeaUtopia
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    side of the property line and along our side of the sidewalk. There's not a thing they can do about it and it most definitely gave the city official a good laugh! We still gotta keep the grass under 6 inches, but it just feels different now.
    via SeaUtopia
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    maintenanceslave514 Somebody continually calls the city whenever I work on my house. To date I have had 12 stop work orders. 10 of which are for non-permit required issues. Ripped up my yard. Found out what native plants attract butterfly's. Planted them and got my yards certified as a sanctuary for the butterfly's. City showed
    via maintenanceslave514
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    up once! Gave them the state cert and copy of the state rules. They have only been back once. Still that Nieghbor. But I now have pretty butterfly's in my yard. That makes me happy!
    via maintenanceslave514
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    Odd-Outcome450 That is the right amount of petty cluehq The wrong amount of petty is making a seed bomb with a little potting clay and using bamboo seeds. If you've got a good throwing arm you probably don't even need to leave your property.
    via Odd-Outcome450
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    linecrabbing Line them up in a row facing their to your neighboor. Or spell FU with them on your lawn... Too many good choices.
    via linecrabbing
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    MissMurderpants Some states want people to set up native grass / pollen shot garden/yards. Look into that. Talk about never having to mow again.
    via MissMurderpants
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    akairborne Can we do a go fund me for a few dozen more pink flamingos? I think I could find it in my heart and wallet to put a couple more into your flock
    via akairborne

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lawn flamingos hoa neighbors lawn revenge petty revenge petty lawnmower reddit thread Bad Neighbor Reddit payback funny neighbor homeowners
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