Growing up here in the 1960s, we were a small county where everyone knew everyone. My friends and I considered the hills and streams our personal playground and we were out nearly year round fishing, hunting or just letting off energy. We hardly ever had any trouble as people knew us and our parents. We generally were respectful of people and property. I have tried to be understanding because I was treated well in my youth by so many.
But, those days are gone.
With a mile of state road frontage and county road frontage, I feel where KY. Hills is coming from. Nobody even seems to try and pick up the trash and it is dangerous for me to try it. I have been bitten by neighbor's dogs more than once while on my own property. I shot one once when it was bothering some cows with new calves and it became a headline story in the local paper. Out of respect they did not mention my name but it was sure hard on my blood pressure.
Our home is on a hill above an old school house property. People moved in there that just trashed the place with scattered junk and mess. When the old school caught on fire they moved out. I purchased the property and cleaned it up with a bulldozer. It contains 1 1/2 acres but I just mow it about 3 times a year so I can see up and down the road when we pull out of our drive.
Every electric utility or road crew uses it to park vehicles when working in the area. I do not mind but even they no longer show much respect for private property on which I pay taxes. We can hear parked vehicles revving their motors down there at all hours of the night.
Sorry for the rant but I now feel a little better.
