A person shared his story about a neighboring backyard that had gradually stopped looking like a garden at all. What began as a few leftover cardboard boxes and black rubbish bags eventually became a sprawling pile of household belongings, bedframes, and assorted clutter. From the windows overlooking the garden, he could watch the collection grow…
A person shared his story about living beside a house occupied by four or five adults who had developed a reputation for being extraordinarily loud. The neighbors regularly hosted parties, played music at disruptive volumes, and had even threatened to climb over the garden fence and damage the homeowner’s property after he politely asked them…
A person shared his story about having a new neighbor move into the house beside his property and quickly discovering that their relationship was going to be anything but peaceful. The problem started with something that should have been simple: the neighbor kept throwing his compost into the homeowner’s garden. The homeowner also noticed that…
A person shared his story about living in a condominium community surrounded by the kind of nature many people would dream of having outside their windows. The property sits along a mountainside, with trees, gardens, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even the occasional bear becoming part of everyday life. For most residents, that wildlife was simply…
A person shared his story about trying to help a neighbor who claimed that constant noise from another resident was affecting her health and making it difficult for her to sleep. The homeowner had his own problem at the time because his cat was seriously ill and receiving treatment at an animal hospital. Hoping to…
A person shared his story about buying his first home, a small two-bedroom semi-detached house on a brand-new estate. The development had been built on the site of an old tuberculosis isolation hospital, which already gave the neighborhood an unusually eerie backstory. Before the houses were completed, builders even discovered a set of stairs leading…
A person shared his story about bringing home a kitten at just six weeks old, expecting the usual mixture of cuddles, chaos, and the occasional knocked-over object. Instead, the kitten arrived with an endless supply of energy and a talent for turning every room into an obstacle course. The first challenge was fleas, which were…
A person shared his story about inheriting a quiet suburban property from his late father, along with a garden that had been maintained almost obsessively for decades. The yard contained mature fruit trees, raised vegetable beds, climbing roses, and a glass greenhouse that his father had built himself. At first, the garden felt less like…
A woman and her boyfriend had been living together for two years when they moved to the same city as his family. She had a complicated medical history, but she was an independent adult who had spent years learning how to manage her own life. His relatives knew only the basics, and she preferred keeping…
A newly hired horticulture agent began visiting homeowners shortly before the world was turned upside down by the pandemic. His job was to connect gardeners, farmers, and homeowners with university research so they could solve problems using practical and affordable methods. Most of his days revolved around plants, lawns, insects, vegetables, and especially trees. Because…