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My neighbours cannot have an original idea between them. Whatever the other neighbours do, be it certain plants or colour groupings in their gardens, to Christmas decorations, it doesn't matter - whatever your do they MUST top you. It's no longer flattery, no longer just 'oh look, what a great idea, we should try that sometime!' it's every freakin' thing!!!!

So I went to Michaels a few days ago for the end of summer sale (in July? Are they kidding me? There's at least 2 months left!) and found some fun, "whimsical" little spinners to add some interest to my otherwise drab yard. Now keep in mind I've got my place up for sale...

Hanging spinner:


Garden spiked spinners:


Come home today to find next-door-neighbour has also gone to an end of summer sale and is now proudly showing how much better their display is:


Is nothing sacred to these people? I realize it's 'only' spinners but fer fucks sake, it's everything, all the fucking time with the other neighbours too!

AARGH!!!

I hate copy cats.

I had a "friend" in grade school who copy everything I did from wearing a watch on my left wrist, to rolling up my sleeves on my denim shirt to getting my hair cut.

Annoying as hell. I can totally understand your frustration.

BTW, their spinners are ugly. Too many of them. You have just enough. Not over the top at all. I can't say the same for theirs.

I am so sorry you have to deal with Copy cat neighbors
TG we never had that problem here.
BTW, I hope your house sells, Fiona, It looks like a very nice house indeed

How annoying! -- does she sing "Everything you can do, I can do better" when she hangs up that stuff?

I vote you set her spinners on fire. Just saying.

There are too many on their house. It looks like a like a souvenir shop.

Your home looks nice, the other looks ridiculous. Less is more.

You should get a bunch of windsocks and pink flamingos, put them out and see what happens.

bellis_coldwine Wrote:I vote you set her spinners on fire. Just saying.

I smoke outside. Trust me, every time I light up I think, "so if I lean back really really really far, I wonder if their spinner will 'accidentally' touch my filthy, smelly cigarette?"

Oh yeah. I've already thought about it.

I know I sound like a petulant child, but < stomps foot > I am fed up with these trailer trash neighbours!

I like Lindsay's suggestion. Get a bunch of super tacky flamingos and windsocks and whatever else you can, plaster them all over your house and wait for your neighbors to one up you. Then take all of yours down. If your neighbors ask you can tell them you made your house look tacky as a joke for a friend or something.
Or you could be really mean and tell them you're going to paint your house fluorescent yellow so it stands out and watch them paint their house the ugliest color while you stand from your pretty house and gawk

I also think that the one-up man-ship on the outrageous scale may be in order.
How about blow-up sex dolls on the lawn doing what comes natural?
Or condoms as balloons?
Or other risque outdoor displays?

Put up a big sign in your yard that says "I am a copycat". See if they dare to copy THAT!

I would be flattered if I were you.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

MHO.

Jo Wrote:I would be flattered if I were you.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

MHO.

Jo, I'd be flattered if they copied me within limitations, but not only is it everything, it's leaps and bounds over the top everything!

For example, I've started riding my bike in the evening (to build up so I can ride to work after I move) next thing you know, the male neighbour starts riding up and down the complex.

I put out some nice decorative LED/Moonlights along the path to my door, THEY now have LED/Moonlights along their path, looping around the flower bed, along the flower bed in the backyard, and along the edging under the back windows (I'll take at pic tonight when they're on.) I took mine out and when they asked why, I said I didn't want them included in the sale of my house.

Don't even get me started about Christmas decorations...suffice it to say, it looks like a wal-mart threw up on their front yard.

When it first started happening, I asked the other neighbours about it, thinking I was being selfish, or whatever, and they just rolled their eyes and said they copy everyone but go a few steps further.

I've already decided when I DO sell and they ask who bought it, I'm going to say something like, "two very nice young men, I think they just got married and want to buy their first home together." I know SHE is narrow minded and homophobic so that will keep her "spinning" for a while!

I love the idea of pink flamingos in the yard. Better would be those god awful wooden women bent over showing their undies. So incredibly tacky. They'd eat that up.

I used to have a friend who was a copy cat. I guess looking back on it, it was flattering that she thought I had such good taste, but it would get annoying when she would come into class with the exact same Trapper Keeper as I had, lol (not to mention a whole host of other things).

I was the first house on my block to put those little solar powered lights in my walkway. Not long after that, a few of my neighbors decided to do the exact same thing. I guess it was flattering being considered the "trendsetter", but there was also the other side of the coin where it was frickin' annoying being copied.

But I don't have to worry about those lights anymore since the city installed a street light on my block, lol.