Neighbor Leo parks on man’s lawn for shade during southwest US summer heat, offers and gets upset when refused: ‘Next day there's a 5 dollar bill taped to my front door with a note that says this week’s shade rent’

A neighbor starts parking his car on the edge of a shared sidewalk under a big shade tree, leaving tire tracks on the lawn and sparking a feud over who gets to use nature's cooling.

The tree isn't just a decoration. It's a lifeline in a place where summer means 110 degrees and shade is as rare as rain. The neighbor, whose own driveway bakes all day, sees the patch of cool grass as a public resource, like sunlight or rainfall. He parks there, leaves tire marks, sometimes blocks bins or the mailbox, and when asked to stop, argues that shade is a community good. When offered "tree rent," it's meant as a joke, but it doesn't change the fact that the car is still on the lawn.

via Mike Von
AITJ for not letting my neighbor park on my lawn to use my trees shade

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The tension isn’t the money or a five-dollar bill taped to the door. It’s the boundaries. The tree grows on private property, and the shade it casts isn’t a public amenity. The neighbor’s argument is that nature’s gifts should be shared, but sharing doesn’t mean trespassing. The lawn isn’t a parking lot, and the mailbox isn’t a toll booth. The line between generosity and entitlement is thin, but it’s real.
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via Vladimir Razguliaev

^{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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The wife’s post on the neighborhood board adds another layer, turning a personal disagreement into a public debate about selfishness and community spirit. The truth is, some people will always see their needs as more urgent than someone else’s rules. The real issue isn’t the heat or the shade. It’s the expectation that everyone else should bend to make life easier for them.
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Natural resources ceased to be up for grabs when civilization started allowing private property, and I’m pretty sure the neighbor’s parking habits aren’t part of bringing humanity back to its hunter-gatherer roots. Even when the sun is blazing, someone’s property is someone’s property. Some people will always try to claim what isn’t theirs, and some will always say no. The real test isn’t the weather. It’s who gets to decide what’s fair.
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