When Margaret\u2019s entitled neighbor Brian filled in her beloved pond while she was away, he had no idea of the fierce, determined response he\u2019d provoke. Margaret, who seemed like a lonely older woman, devised a plan that turned Brian\u2019s life upside down. Let me tell you, at 74 years old, I\u2019ve seen my fair share of drama. But nothing could have prepared me for the hullabaloo that unfolded right in my own backyard.\n
I\u2019m Margaret, and I\u2019ve been living in this cozy little house for two decades now. It\u2019s been my slice of heaven, where I\u2019ve watched my three kids grow up and now welcome my seven grandkids for summer splashes and weekend barbecues. There\u2019s always someone dropping by, filling the place with laughter and love.The crown jewel of my property? A beautiful pond that my dear old granddaddy dug himself. It\u2019s been the heart of our family gatherings for years.The grandkids love splashing around in it, and I swear, sometimes I think they love the pond more than they love me!\n
Everything was peachy keen until Brian moved in next door about five years ago. From day one, that man had a bee in his bonnet about my pond. \u201cMargaret!\u201d he\u2019d holler over the fence. \u201cThose frogs are keeping me up all night! Can\u2019t you do something about them?\u201d I\u2019d just smile and say, \u201cOh, Brian, they\u2019re just singing you a lullaby. Free of charge!\u201d But he wasn\u2019t having any of it. \u201cAnd the mosquitoes! Your pond is breeding them like crazy!\u201d \u201cNow, Brian,\u201d I\u2019d reply, \u201cI keep that pond cleaner than a whistle. Those mosquitoes are probably coming from that heap of junk in your yard.\u201d He\u2019d huff and puff, but I\u2019d just go about my business. I figured he\u2019d get used to it eventually, but I was wrong. One fine day, I decided to visit my sister in the next state over. I was looking forward to a couple of days of gossip and gin rummy. Little did I know that I\u2019d come back to a sight that would make my blood run cold. As I pulled into my driveway, I noticed something was off. The usual shimmer of water that greeted me was gone. In its place was\u2026 dirt. My heart sank to my toes as I scrambled out of the car.\n
My neighbor from across the street, sweet old Mrs. Johnson, came hurrying over. \u201cOh, Margaret! I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re back. I tried to stop them, but they said they had orders!\u201d \u201cStop who? What orders?\u201d I was in a daze, staring at the muddy patch where my beloved pond used to be. \u201cA crew came by yesterday. Said some company hired them to drain and fill the pond,\u201d Mrs. Johnson said. \u201cI told them you weren\u2019t home, but they had paperwork and everything!\u201d I felt like I\u2019d been sucker-punched. Twenty years of memories were gone in a day. And I knew exactly who was behind it. \u201cBrian,\u201d I muttered, my hands clenching into fists. \u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d Mrs. Johnson asked, worry etched on her face. I squared my shoulders. \u201cOh, I\u2019ll tell you what I\u2019m going to do. That man thinks he can push around a sweet old lady? He\u2019s about to learn why you don\u2019t cross a woman like Margaret!\u201d First things first, I called my family. My daughter Lisa was outraged. \u201cMom, this is criminal! We need to call the police!\u201d \u201cHold your horses, sweetie,\u201d I said.\u201cWe need proof first.\u201d That\u2019s when my granddaughter Jessie piped up. \u201cGrandma! Remember that bird camera we set up in the oak tree? It might have caught something!\u201d Well, wouldn\u2019t you know it, that little camera turned out to be our secret weapon. We reviewed the footage, and there was Brian, clear as day, directing a crew to fill in my pond.\n
He looked like a kid who\u2019d just gotten away with stealing cookies from the jar. \u201cGotcha,\u201d I said, a grin spreading across my face. It seemed like Brian thought I would just let it slide because I am old and live alone. Little did he know that I had a few tricks up my sleeve. The first thing I did was call the local environmental agency. \u201cHello,\u201d I said sweetly. \u201cI\u2019d like to report the destruction of a protected habitat.\u201d The man on the other end sounded confused. \u201cProtected habitat, ma\u2019am?\u201d \u201cOh yes,\u201d I replied. \u201cYou see, my pond was home to a rare species of fish. I registered it with your agency years ago. And someone just filled it in without permission.\u201dWell, let me tell you, those agency folks don\u2019t mess around when it comes to protected species. Within days, they were knocking on Brian\u2019s door with a fine that would make your eyes water. \u201cSir, we\u2019re from the Environmental Protection Agency,\u201d one of the officials said. \u201cWe\u2019re here regarding the illegal destruction of a protected habitat on your neighbor\u2019s property.\u201d Brian\u2019s face paled. \u201cWhat? Protected habitat? It was just a pond!\u201d\n
\u201cA pond that was home to a registered rare species of fish, Mr. Thompson. We have evidence that you ordered its destruction without proper authorization.\u201d\u201cThis is ridiculous!\u201d Brian sputtered, his voice rising. \u201cThat old lady\u2019s pond was a nuisance! I was doing the neighborhood a favor!\u201d\u201cWell, sir, that \u2018favor\u2019 comes with a fine of $50,000 for violating environmental protection laws.\u201d Brian\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cFifty thou\u2014 You can\u2019t be serious! This is all a misunderstanding. That pond was\u2014\u201d I couldn\u2019t help but smile when I secretly heard their conversation. But I wasn\u2019t done yet. My grandson Ethan, bless his heart, is a hotshot lawyer in the city. I gave him a ring. \u201cEthan, dear,\u201d I said. \u201cHow would you like to help your grandma stick it to a neighborhood bully?\u201d Ethan was all too happy to help. Before Brian could say \u201cfrivolous lawsuit,\u201d he was served with papers for property damage and emotional distress. Now, I could have left it at that, but I had one more card to play. Brian\u2019s wife, Karen, had always seemed like a decent sort. One evening, I saw her coming home from work and decided it was time for a little chat.\n
\u201cEvening, Karen,\u201d I called out. \u201cGot a minute?\u201d She looked tired but managed to smile. \u201cOf course, Margaret. What\u2019s on your mind?\u201dI invited her over for a cup of tea and spilled the beans about the pond. I told her about my grandfather digging it, about the kids learning to swim in it, about the fish and the frogs, and the summer nights spent around it. Karen\u2019s face went from confused to horrified as I spoke. \u201cMargaret, I had no idea,\u201d she gasped. \u201cBrian told me the city ordered the pond filled for safety reasons!\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d I said, patting her hand. \u201cNow you know the truth.\u201d The next few days were quiet. Brian\u2019s car disappeared, and the neighborhood gossip mill went into overdrive. Word was that Karen had asked Brian to leave after learning what he had done. Then, one morning, I woke up to the rumble of machinery. I peeked out my window and nearly fell over in shock.\n
There was a crew in my yard, and they were digging! I hurried outside to find Karen overseeing the whole operation. When she saw me, she smiled. \u201cMorning, Margaret. I hope you don\u2019t mind, but I thought it was time to set things right.\u201d Turns out, Karen had hired a crew to restore my pond. As we watched them work, she confided in me. \u201cBrian\u2019s been mixed up in some shady business deals,\u201d she said, her voice low. \u201cThis whole pond thing was just him lashing out because of his own problems.\u201dWell, with the pond being restored, the environmental agency dropped its charges. Meanwhile, Ethan also convinced me not to go ahead with the lawsuit. That boy always has a way with words. As for Brian, he skulked off to another state, his tail between his legs. Karen, on the other hand, became a regular visitor. She even started helping me maintain the pond, saying it was the least she could do. One evening, as we sat by the newly restored pond, watching the sunset reflect off the water, Karen turned to me with a twinkle in her eye. \u201cYou know, Margaret,\u201d she said, \u201cI never thought I\u2019d say this, but I\u2019m glad Brian messed with your pond.\u201d I raised an eyebrow.\n
\u201cOh? And why\u2019s that?\u201d She smiled. \u201cBecause if he hadn\u2019t, I might never have known what a wonderful neighbor I had right next door.\u201d We clinked our iced tea glasses and laughed. Who would have thought that a little pond could cause so much trouble and bring about so much good? So, here I am, 74 years young, with a restored pond, a new friend, and a story that\u2019ll be told at family gatherings for years to come. Life sure has a way of surprising you, doesn\u2019t it?And let me tell you, if there\u2019s one lesson to be learned from all this, it\u2019s that you should never, ever underestimate a grandmother with a grudge and a good lawyer in the family!\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Entitled Neighbor Buried My Pond \u2013 I Showed Him Why You Don\u2019t Cross an Older Woman When Margaret\u2019s entitled neighbor Brian filled in her beloved pond while she was away, he had no idea of the fierce, determined response he\u2019d provoke. Margaret, who seemed like a lonely older woman, devised a plan that turned Brian\u2019s\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":83785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-83782","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/132.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}