Dear Aunt Sister - March '03

When I wrote for the now defunct Foothill Sentinel, I was the ghost writer for the Dear Aunt Sister advice column. When writing the column, I channel my beloved aunt, born in 1913, known affectionately to her five brothers and all their offspring as "Sister." She handled everything with charm, fantastic wit and always a twinkle in her eye.

Dear Aunt Sister,

I have a neighbor who picks flowers from my yard. She never asks if she can have them. Sometimes she even pulls up a whole plant.

Other than this, we are on good terms. I don’t really want to confront her, but I do want her to stop.

Bloomin’ Mad


Dear Bloom,

This is a problem in our fair city. I have even heard our merchants complain of people taking entire plants! Once, I had a neighbor put a small coffee can in her front garden with a sign reading “Flowers $1.00.” Her problem did diminish but never quite went away.

It is a frustrating problem. The one who expends the time, effort and money to maintain a garden should be the one to enjoy the garden. With this in mind, why don’t you start watering your garden with your neighbor’s hose? You will only have to do this a few times before she gets the message.

***********

Dear Aunt Sister

My neighbor has the saddest dog you'd ever want to see. He gets feed regularly but that's about it. They don't play with him or pay any attention to him. Why do people have animals if they don't care about them?

Sad


Dear Sad,

I would suggest that you learn the dog’s name. Talk to him through the fence using his name every chance you get. If you know your neighbors, ask if you can walk him. And if you get the sense that they really don’t want the animal, maybe you could take him in or offer to find him a good home.

Considering that people raise their children the same way these days, what do you expect? We live in a time where everyone is so busy and self-centered. They race around all day and yet want some sort of family life when they get home. They adopt animals without thinking about what kind of life the poor creatures will have. But you can make a difference in this dog’s life if you take action.