Approximately six years ago my wife and I purchased our home in Albert Lea. We had started remodeling it as soon as we could. We took pride in our home, and we had four trees removed that were dead or dying. After hauling off numerous 55-gallon garbage bags of leaves we sowed grass.

It took us a while, but the yard started to look great until the next-door neighbor decided to use it for his personal driveway. To make a long story short, we used the money we were saving for our back porch to have the property surveyed and a privacy fence put up.

Almost on a daily basis I go out and pick up trash that has been thrown in our yard, only to look out one hour or so later and see more has been deposited. A few weeks ago some kind soul felt the need to deposit a cast iron drain cover in our yard.

I am a cancer patient and have been since November of last year. My treatment hasn’t gone very well with allergic reactions to a lot of chemo medications. On July 24 we went to the garage to set out our garbage for pickup. We noticed that someone had broken glass in the alleyway in about seven to nine different spots. I was dehydrated and had my chemo appointment later. After two bags of fluids I came home and cleaned the glass from the alleyway the best I could. While looking out the window or our kitchen later that evening I noticed someone had removed the drain cover from our sump pump.

People walk their dogs around our home with no sign of a doggie bag. They allow their dogs to crap in our yard and leave the mess for us to step in when we go out to mow or water our flowers. I don’t ask for much, I just want to be left alone to enjoy what time I may have. I am a Vietnam War veteran. I retired from the old Southern Railway in Knoxville, Tenn. My wife and I are senior citizens.

Is it too much to ask to find some other street to throw out your garbage? I saw a woman driving on the right side of the road come all the way over to the left next to our property and throw her garbage in my yard. Is it too much to ask to be left alone?

 

Michael Lemons

Albert Lea