Fireworks, freedoms, and hay

[altivo]

Next door neighbors had a party last night. That's fine. They were shooting off fireworks. Not just firecrackers, but skyrockets and roman candle stuff. That's not fine. For one thing, it's illegal here. And before anyone takes off an a tangent about how such laws are an infringement of their freedom to blow their hand off, blind themselves, or set fire to their house, let me point out what might have happened here.

First of all, my horses are not happy with things that sound like whips cracking or gunshots. I anticipated that there would be fireworks when I saw the number of vehicles arriving next door, and brought Tess in from the pasture. Good thing, too. Even in the barn with the doors shut, she was too nervous from the noise to settle. She paced, shied, and whinnied at each explosion. But the real kicker is that when I went out this morning to check, I found her pasture littered with the remains of those skyrockets and things. A good many of them fell on my land, with grass as dry as a desert and ready to ignite at the least spark. We are way short of the normal amount of rain this year. I have no doubt that had my horse been out there during the illicit display, she would have been in the line of fire. And if they had managed to set fire to my pasture, they wouldn't even have apologized.

This is why we have laws about fireworks, liquor sales and consumption, guns, and so forth. It's to protect others from the potential damage done by abusers. I should have a right to security and quiet within the bounds of my own property, but more and more it seems that you need hundreds of acres and a 14 foot high fence to come anywhere near to assuring that.

On another subject, we just finished moving 72 bales of hay left from last year, cleaning the hay storage area, and unloading and stacking 150 bales of new hay that arrived this week. Pushed the hay wagon back out of the barn and lined it up where our supplier can pick it up, called him to say it was ready. Now I'd hoped we could relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend, but... He says he'll have another load ready for us tomorrow. We have to accept it. If this drought continues, prices will skyrocket and there will still be no hay to be had. We'd like to have at least 400 bales going into winter, so no rest in sight for the moment.

Comments

[chrissawyer.livejournal.com]

On my Aunt's farm, we would have assholes from Stockton, or even Sacramento come out, and try and shoot guns, and set off big fireworks.

There were horse scaring, and brush fire issues at our place also.

But we would get a bunch of guys into our pickup, give them an AK-47 rifle, (courtesy my Dad) and go inform the intruders they needed to leave. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, these people were not on my land. They were on their own property, but shooting their fireworks into the air OVER my land.

I could have called the county sheriff, sure. Maybe they even would have sent someone out to follow up on it. And maybe next week I'd find my sweet horse dead from having eaten yew branches or something similar that had somehow been tossed into her field.

[kistaro]

Heh. There are scorch marks on the siding of my parents' house (where I am, right now, as they haul me off campus for the weekends) from the neighbors aiming their fireworks at us, as they do every year.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's a sad thing about America how in spite of all the noise that is made about "freedom" and "equality", our culture still encourages severe intolerance of anyone who is "different", whether in appearance, nationality, religion, or just intelligence. Anti-intellectualism is rampant here, and frankly, helped to put and keep the present administration in control.

Of course, the same attitudes and behaviors are practiced against Jews, Muslims, atheists, gays, Mexicans, Native Americans, blacks, etc. Almost everyone, in the right situation, can become a target. And the arrows fired can be very real.

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

While not as susceptable to damage as you are, I am spending the next two nights in the basement, on the internet, with Otto at my feet, or in my lap, as he hates fireworks. I don't see why even municipalities need to put on displays. We can celebrate without it. My thoughts are with you and those you look out for.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Fortunately, our present dogs don't much care about fireworks. But years ago when we lived in Chicago we had two who were extremely fearful. The female golden would try to climb as high as she could, which often meant to the attic entrance of our 3 story Victorian. The male bearded collie went in the opposite direction, trying to tunnel his way to safety, right through the floor. They were inconsolable for at least a week around this time of year, sometimes longer. In Chicago the illicit fireworks are so constant that it is like being immersed in a severe thunderstorm for hours at a time. I have never been so delighted as I was the year a real thunderstorm arrived and drenched the celebrants with hard, cold rain for a couple of hours. Blessed silence.

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

I'm dealing with that tonight. The neighbors over the hill are shooting off fireworks and Yukon isn't particulary happy. I'm glad to say, though, he's mellowed out about gunshots and fireworks, so it amounts to only a minor irritation.

I have a hard time with this....I still think if people want to set off firecrackers and whatnot for Independence Day,I think they should be able to do so...but to a point. I really don't want to be one of these people that calls the police on them, but these people are shooting off Class A mortar shells. Hey, if they want to blow themselves up fine, but you know...how about limiting it to an hour....sheesh....enough is enough. Shooting off a few fireworks is one thing, making an artillery range out of your field is another.

I'd be a LOT more upset if I had a field full of dry hay, and fortunatelyat least Yukon doesn't seem to be overly freaked out.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It would help if I believed they really were thinking about history and independence and the meaning of the holiday. But they aren't. It's an excuse to get drunk and make a lot of noise. The fact that the explosives are illegal just adds to the fun. I'm sure most of them don't even remember what the Declaration of Independence is, let alone what it says (or doesn't say) or just what it meant in history.

[lobowolf.livejournal.com]

Oh, you can be sure that the only thing they're thinking about is "Cool...fireworks go boom!!!" I doubt the Declaration of Independence even enters their minds, and if they've been paying attention to recent events, I think they'd be holding a funeral for it instead of a celebration.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Ya know, I like you. We think alike. ;)

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

I know you are concerned about retaliation, but it is effectively like you are protecting your neighbours from the law because you are afraid of them. Are your neighbours so bad that they would really kill a horse over a $20 or $30 ticket? (I'm not sure what the fine is for setting off fireworks.)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The fine varies depending on the type of fireworks, the quantity in possession, etc. It can be quite steep. (Hundreds or even thousands, or jail time.) But enforcement is extremely lax. If in fact the neighbor or his wife happen to be members of the regular Republican organization in the county, then (the sheriff and prosecutor also being Republicans) chances are there would be no charges and instead I would be put under scrutiny for some minor thing they could harrass me with.

As for the chance of my horse being poisoned, that's probably a little over the top but it is just possible. It would depend on who got mad. I don't know whether the party was planned by the teenagers or the adults, to start with. The teenagers wouldn't know how to poison the horse, but they would pester her with a pellet gun or a paint gun when I wasn't watching.

The adults, I don't know about. It's not so much the two who live there as their friends, a rowdy, hard-drinking biker group, that make me nervous. Though I suppose finding the air let out of my tires or something like that would be more likely.

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

Well certainly you know your neighbours better than I know your neighbours. And I guess a fireworks offense is on the same level as a firearms offense. It'd be really easy for the police to enforce this law if they wanted to. All they would have to do is drive around just after dark on one day of the year with a video camera and look for the obvious. It's unusual for police to turn down such an easy way to make revenue from fines and make easy convictions, so obviously they just don't want to. So, I'm sorry you have to put up with neighbours like these... it must be frustrating. :-/