Merry Christmas, indeed.

So I go out to my mailbox today, all a-twitter with the thought of more Christmas cards. Instead I find a plain white envelope, typed, addressed to "Residents".

It reads as follows:

Dear Resident,

Several of your neighbors have met recently to discuss the daily problem of barking by your dogs. This barking is extremely annoying to the people living around you and for many blocks in each direction. You are in violation of the city of Seward nuisance code. More than that you are not being a good neighbor. Please consider this fact, and take care of this matter as soon as possible in that it need not become a legal issue. We are simply asking for the same rights to peace and quiet and neighborly consideration as you might expect yourselves. You have neighbors that work at night and try to sleep during the day. How would you like us to come to your home, every night, park in your driveway and honk the horn.

It is very unfortunate and really pathetic that someone must even ask for this courtesy. Your dogs bark every, single day.

Maybe next year, you might consider buying just a few Christmas lights to celebrate the season with your neighbors, instead of buying dog food for a couple of $2 mutts that daily annoy everyone living around you.

If you really can't come to terms with this I would strongly encourage you to take a look at some nice properties for sale or rent in Ulysses, NE. You all might fight there perfectly.

Merry Christmas!


Wow. Just...Wow. A call to the City Police Department confirms my suspicion that no formal complaint has been filed and that this has not been handled in an appropriate fashion. Moreover, the department was shocked and upset at the rudeness in this letter and has promised me if something comes in, they will come out and talk to me personally and we'll handle this the right way.

So now that my day has been ruined, I'd just like to very sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, wish my neighbors a very Merry Christmas. I hope that in this next year they find better ways of occupying their time and maybe, just maybe, a little peace and compassion in their hearts.