Okay, that's it. I'm done.

[MorningGlow]

I am going to ground for the rest of this Mercury retrograde, and I'm not coming out!! You think I'm kidding? I'm not kidding! Not after the day I just had! Ready for this?

Sigh. Okay. It has to do with our neighbors. Long story, but there's been some tension and Mr. MG and the neighbor had a blow up on Friday night. (I've posted in the Lounge a couple of times: about a week ago http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=8127170 and, from Friday, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8141178 .) The Friday evening encounter ended without police being called (thank goodness). Tentative truce. Mr. MG and neighbor went their separate ways.

Then, this evening, there was a knock on the door. Neighbor. He informed us that his cat got "ripped up" today--literally--gashed so deeply in the abdomen that he could see the intestines.

He wanted to know if Mr. MG did it out of revenge.

Interestingly enough, Mr. MG was more understanding about him asking that, based on the timing--just after their argument. I, however, was livid. We are both dedicated animal lovers and have three cats of our own. The thought that Mr. MG would...what...grab the cat, flip it upside down, and gouge its belly?...was horrifying.

But then I was more horrified, because neighbor said that he didn't have the money to take the cat to a vet and all he could do was let his daughter put a gauze pad on the cut. WHAT?! So the cat could die a long, slow, painful death from an infected wound?!

After he left, I lost it. Broke down in tears at the thought of the cat suffering. Mr. MG said forget it--there's nothing you can do. I couldn't bear it. So a few minutes later I threw on my shoes and went over there, animosity or not. I begged him to take the cat to the vet and give me the bill and I would pay it. We don't have any money either, but I couldn't live with myself knowing that a cat had died because the neighbor couldn't pay a vet bill.

So...ready for this?...No you're not--trust me. Wait for it...










Wait...











Neighbor said he figured I was coming over, offering to pay the bill, because Mr. MG HAD done it and I felt guilty and wanted to make amends.

:wtf:

And THAT, my dear friends of the ASAH forum, is what you get when you try to communicate during Merc Ret. GAAAAAaaahhhhhh...
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :nuke:

[davsand]

1. Send him your love. Seriously.

It isn't much fun to "turn the other cheek," but fighting with the neighbor is not fun either. Distasteful as it might sound to you, can you maybe try sending him and his kids some love and warmth?

From what you describe, those kids and that dad are (and have been) going thru some stuff--including divorce and all the pain that brings. Maybe those kids need to be cultivated and turned into pals, and maybe Dad just needs some support right now.

I dunno--I am usually not the best at diplomacy, but it really sounds to me like there's not one in the bunch that isn't in pain and acting out right now.

If nice doesn't work you can always write them all off as assholes and install razor wire around your house.


:shrug:



Laura

[MorningGlow]

3. Would you believe I have been?

I've been sending good vibes and pink light nextdoor. I've been having imaginary conversations where everything works out well and sending that over the fence as well. Today I even offered to sit down and talk with the middle child who seems to be reacting the most negatively--in real life, I mean, when I talked to the neighbor. And I will continue to do all of those things in the hope that maybe after Merc Ret is over, and/or a better astrological aspect emerges, things will get better.

The divorce thing is weird--his ex wife is over all the time--they apparently have a very good relationship. She was there today and helped get the cat to take to a vet, who is a friend of her current boyfriend. He said today that they've been divorced a very long time. Of course, getting over a divorce, especially for kids, can take ages. And maybe it's a bit confusing having mom there all the time, but mom and dad aren't together--I don't know.

The more influential aspects of that family dynamic is that dad is a magnificent pothead and an overgrown adolescent. Emotionally, he stopped at around 17. He's also--and I don't say this lightly--not bright. We talked about his kids' behavior, and he is clueless about how to discipline them. He kept insisting that they know the rules (that they're not supposed to come into our yard, let alone vandalize it and all the other stuff they've been doing) so...what...that means that because he told them what not to do, they automatically don't do those things? Hardly. Quite the opposite, in fact.

LOL about the razor wire--that's what Mr. MG begged for when we put up the stockade fence. I asked him what kind of design he wanted, and he said "razor wire--and chunks of broken glass--at the top."
:rofl:

[I Have A Dream]

2. MG, do any of your cats go outside?

I hate to think that this would happen, but I couldn't help thinking that, if they truly believe that you did this to their cat, they could possibly retaliate by hurting one of yours. I hope that this wouldn't happen, but this is really getting bad at this point.

I'm going to send more light your way. I've been visualizing your home surrounded by a tube of protective light with protective angels on the perimeter. I'll continue with this. :(

:hug:

[MorningGlow]

4. Thank the Goddess, no--they're indoor kittehs

As I just posted to Davsand, the neighbor is a magnificent pothead--he's very out to lunch and, as far as I can tell, not violent. As far as I know. So far it's been our property that's been getting the brunt of all this (from the kids, who ARE getting violent, and he's not seeing it).

There's also the added leverage that Mr. MG is about a head and a half taller than neighbor and outweighs him by a fair amount. Plus, David Banner-like, he gets really scary when he's angry. To paraprhase, "Dude wouldn't like him when he's angry." He doesn't turn green, though.
:rofl:

Thank you so much for the additional light and angels. I have been putting up a shield as well. I smudged a while ago, but I feel the need to do the perimeter of the yard again. :hug:

[rumpel]

5. MG

When I was reading your very first post, I had this - kind of electricity, can't explain it well, but I get this surge inside of me when I..have fleeting flashes - I am sorry I have not been around much to post or read and I have not gone to your linked threads.
I don't know anything about the kids - but the injured cat...I think it is his own kid. Is that a boy 10 or 11?
Be careful...

:grouphug:

[MorningGlow]

9. I understand, Rumpel

It's quite possible. The three kids are girl, about 12--she's kind of out of the picture because puberty has hit, and she's all about her friends and soccer and boys; another girl, 10--the one who's been acting out the most; and a boy, about 8. The blowup happened on Friday night because Mr. MG saw the boy intentionally throwing stuff at our house--no mistake. After DH and neighbor had argued for a while, the boy finally admitted that he had, in fact, thrown stuff at our house. He was very remorseful and cried, which made DH feel bad.

As far as I can tell, the middle child (girl) is more devious, but the boy does whatever she does. The girl has poisoned my tomato plants, thrown cherry tomatoes at my house, thrown MY OWN green tomatoes and some seedling pots (theirs) at our garage, etc. And he goes along.

However, that doesn't mean he's not capable of doing something to the cat. I think it's entirely possible.

These people are very strange. :scared:

[rumpel]

14. I will send light

to your family and theirs.
I truly hope the children will get the help they need to deal with their emotional turmoil.

[FirstLight]

6. Yikes! MG & Family...my prayers are with you too!

..that is seriously not fun or happy stuff to deal with. I am lucky to have never had psycho neighbors, but it isn't easy with all this fear and anger energy running around either. People are nutz right now the polarity factor is wreaking havoc.
is there any way you can find a mediator? maybe a little old lady from the nieghborhood? and maybe you and the dude can sit down and have a talksy? find some common ground?
Gosh...whats so sad is that it sounds like those kids are just full of pain and lashing out is the only way to get dad's atention. If I thought it would help, i would say to offer the olive branch to them, maybe find a project that they can hep with ( a border garden between the properties?

sorry, I am such a pacifist when it comes to stuff like this...either that or I would get totally territorial and wave my broom at them anytime thy so much as looked my dierction!!

do you rent? Is this YOUR house? shit, maybe a bigger fence is in order!

love & hugs to you...

[MorningGlow]

10. You have pegged it, JG

This is all about the kids being starved for attention. Their father and mother completely ignore them. They're hardly ever in the house, even in bad weather in winter--they just get tossed out. "Go play." The father is out to lunch, and 90 percent of the time, when I've seen the mother, she has a cell phone clamped to her ear, yakking away. (Who can come up with that much to talk about?!)

The little boy is pathetic--if a neighbor (any one) is nice to him, he'll follow them around for the rest of the day. Once early on a summer morning on the weekend, Mr. MG saw him go out to the middle of the road (luckily a side road without much traffic), lie down in the middle of it, and shout, "I'm killing myself!" He did it as a joke, but that's a pretty twisted "joke". And lucky he survived--while there's not much traffic on that road, if someone had come around the corner from our own, busier road, he would have been a flat kid.

We own. Mr. MG wants to move. I don't want to be pushed out of my house by weird neighbors. (Not to mention our house is in the middle of major renovations, so even if the market were normal, we wouldn't be ready to put it up for sale.) Neighbor...owns, I think. Well, it's his childhood home. He said he bought it from his mother, but who knows--she might just let him live there rent free. Whatever the case, He's not going anywhere. We got the highest fence allowed for our zoning, alas. I think this is karmic--we're gonna have to deal with this. Unfortunately.

Thanks for the love and hugs! Back atcha! :hug:

[Shallah Kali]

30. this is not good :(

I knew a family like that when I was a teen. I played a game with the little kids once, hugged them goodbye and any time after that if I ran into them the kids would run to me and beg me to take them home for a visit like their grandmother would do every so often. It looked to me that was the only time they got attention and affection. They moved away and years later I saw a tv drama episode with a child character with reactive attachement disorder and I realized this is probably what those kids had. And now when I first read of your neighbors kids I instantly thought of that family I knew and how miserable those kids were. Even without physical or other abuse emotional neglect leaves deep scars and makes the kid an easy target future abuse. At times like this I wish every human being was born their their respective tubes tied so they had to have make a concious effort and choice to produce children :(

I wish I had some advice or suggestions that would help you and them in this situation. I don't know..... I wonder if there is some way to hurry up the arrival of anyone who owes or agreed to help those kids or that will get the attention of someone with authority and ability to get them good help will finally see something that lets them take action.

be careful assuming this is certain kind of karma. sometimes it is a different sort of lesson than one would immeditely think the situation calls for and sometimes stuff just happens.

[MorningGlow]

31. Yes, Shallah, it's just like that

I see abuse here, not the least of which is the subtle one of neglect. It breaks my heart to see these dysfunctions perpetuated from generation (scary grandma) to generation (pothead dad) to generation (screwed up, neglected kids).

No, I'm not willingly taking this situation on as a kind of inevitable karma. But I am also not shying away from any influence I might have to have on the situation. What I mean is, I could have "let it go" and stayed in my house on Sunday, as Mr. MG advised, and avoided getting involved, but Spirit was pushing me toward the neighbor's house. For whatever reason. So I'm just staying open to guidance from the Universe as to what I have to do in this situation--could even just be one word, one gesture, that I'm supposed to say or do. I don't know. I'll just have to see what my role is.

[BanzaiBonnie]

7. Light and love to you and yours MorningGlow

and to your neighbor.

I know, it's hard to be unjustly accused of something. That was one of the most hurtful things I ever had happen with a neighbor. It made me really sad, then really mad.

Then when I looked for the lesson --- I learned I'm a really good mirror for people. I reflect back what they project really, really well.

I've learned a lot since then.

[MorningGlow]

11. Thank you, Bonnie

I understand about the mirror--I do that as well, to an extent, and people get fritzy when they experience it. I found it horribly sad that this person was incapable of comprehending that I was offering to pay the vet bill out of compassion for the cat, and I was willing to overlook our differences to do it. The only train of thought he could follow was to believe I had offered out of guilt because my husband was evil and vindictive and so had hurt the cat. What's it like to live like that--always expecting only the worst of people?

[Eurobabe]

8. Oh that is just awful.

Hope things improve, poor kitty. :cry:

Mercury is ripping me a new backside too, more in the emotional department. Transiting my Moon in Libra, it's ugly. :hug:

[MorningGlow]

12. I'm going to keep an eye out for neighbor today

I don't want to talk to him, not really, but I want to find out how the kitty fared at the vet. Oh, I HOPE they didn't put him to sleep instead of giving him a few stitches. He wasn't THAT bad off.

Sending you light to help you get through the rest of the retrograde. :hug:

[Eurobabe]

13. thanks, you too...

hang in there. Sending vibes to the kitty.

[oceanspirit]

15. Holy cow girl!!

My gosh I don't talk to you in a while, and I come on the boards to see what's going on outside my little dull nonsexist world and I see this post. I know those neighbors are bad, but do you think that the kid (boy) really hurt his kitty intentionally? Oh god I would hate to think that. And as far as Mr. MG having anything to do with that, Yea whatever. Mr. MG couldn't hurt a flea.
What are you going to do if their still there when MG jr. grows up a little more and socializes with neighborhood kids? Hopefully they'll be gone by then. Oh dear. I even hate to think of that. I really think you should move out to 315 land dear. LOL Only you and Mr. MG know that area. We don't have horrible trouble like that. LOL
Hey I'll send some light your way and also for these neighbors who are clueless. You wonder though how they manage to get through the day?

Oceanspirit

[MorningGlow]

16. I know, right?

But don't gimme any of your "315 land is peaceful" malarkey! Besides that Route 104 deathtrap and your 315 Labatts-drinkin' flannel-wearin' pot-field-growin' redneck contingent, your neck of the woods is FULL of guys just like my neighbor!
:rofl:

If Mr. MG had his way, we'd be outta here like a shot, of course. But he can't have his way this time--not with the state of our house (still ripped up, but making progress--slowly) and the state of the economy.

I've been trying to smooth things over--saw the two younger kids outside yesterday and asked how the cat was. (They didn't know yet.) Trying to play peacemaker!

Hey, call me when you're home tomorrow--I saw Ms. L in town! :crazy:

[oceanspirit]

32. MG? Your point about my 315 land is what??????

Ha, You'd love it out here, and you know. HEY, you calling me a Labatt drinking, flannel wearing pot field growin redneck?????? Hey, I resent that. Ha! I don't wear Flannel.
I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to call. It's a Currents week.

I commend you for trying to be the peace maker. How's that workin for ya. HA!

Oceanspirit

[MorningGlow]

34. You do so wear flannel!

I've seen you! Just because it's pink doesn't mean it doesn't count!
:rofl:

No worries about calling. I've been really busy too (Jr's teacher has nailed me as an official field trip mommy!! Whee! In fact, we're heading to the firehouse today! Yippee.)

[northernlights]

17. one or both of his kids did it

That was my immediate, gut reaction.

I can understand your being livid about his reaction. Has this bonehead ever considered that as an alternative to offering to pay the vet bill, you *could* have turned him into the state for neglecting that poor cat?

Healing light to the poor kitty, whom I hope finds a new, safe home.

Good thing your cats are indoor types, or they would clearly be at risk.

[MorningGlow]

19. You and Rumpel got the same hit, then

Interesting. I believe they are capable of that, unfortunately.

You know, I never even considered turning him in--dummy me. I need to learn to be more ruthless.

The good news is MG Jr. and I think we saw the kitty scooting across the street on his usual hunt today, so perhaps he's already on the mend--likely from all the good feline vibes from this forum!

[lildreamer316]

18. MG, I've been turning back to my wicca roots lately.

Putting people on ice; salting the entryways; etc.
Is there anything of this sort that may help? Or have you already gone there?
Just wondering.

[MorningGlow]

20. I tried a spell nearly a year ago

The usual drill--find them something great so they'd move away, winning the lottery or what have you. But no dice. I usually keep any "visual aids/poppets" I use when I do a spell until the spell comes to fruition, then I burn it or bury it. But even before all this happened, I got the feeling I should burn the poppet I made for this. Unusual, but there it is. Perhaps I should follow my nose on that.

I have put people on ice before and I may have to do it again...depends on what develops. I'll post an update in a reply to this thread--stuff has been happening, good and bad, the past couple of days.

[MorningGlow]

21. The latest updates to the neighbor drama

Hi all,

Thanks SO MUCH for all you sympathy, vibes, and advice. Just wanted to share the latest developments.

I didn't see any of the neighbors on Sunday, after I spoke to the father. I was hoping they took the cat directly to the vet like they were planning--when I finished talking with him, his ex-wife was putting the cat in a carrier, so I figured I'd get out of their way and let them get help for kitty.

On Monday afternoon, I didn't see any kids hanging around outside the house like they usually do after school, but a little while later I opened the door to get the mail and saw the younger girl and her brother walking past our house on the way back to theirs, probably from their friends' house up the street. I called to them and asked how the cat was doing. The girl looked petrified, but the boy answered--said they were taking the cat to the vet that day. I was pretty pissed that they let the cat suffer for 24 hours! :grr: But I stayed cheerful and said I hoped the kitty would be okay.

Tuesday afternoon--again, no sign of the kids, but again, later in the afternoon, they walked down the street back to their house. Curious. Same thing today--no kids. (MG Jr. and I left the house before the time we've seen them walking home.)

I started to wonder if maybe their father actually did read them the riot act about vandalizing our house and is making them go play somewhere else during their "lawless time", between 2:30 and 4:30. But I didn't dare hope for something that drastic--could just be that the father is working and they're hanging with friends till he gets home. I don't know his work schedule.

The bad news: Our town is small, so there's only one school (well, one of each--elementary, middle, and high school--all on the same campus). MG Jr. is in kindergarten, and he doesn't ride the bus yet--I pick him up each day--and the littler kids need to be signed out each day. This school is security crazy. So each day two uber-responsible fifth-graders have the job of walking a line of kindergarten kids to the office so they don't wander off.

The two girls who do this LOVE my kid. They always go out of their way to give him stickers for being good (not breaking ranks or acting out in the line), and they always make sure they hug him goodbye. I always chat with them, and they're both very articulate and polite. One of them turned out to be a friend of the neighbor girl (the bad seed), which I found surprising--they're so different. Still, in the middle of the time all this vandalism was going on, when the good girl was visiting the neighbor girl, she made a point of coming over to us in our yard to say hello. Like I said, very polite.

HOWEVER. Since the cat incident, this little girl runs away from me. She won't look at me; she won't talk to me. Today she hid behind a magazine in the office waiting area and refused to catch my eye. So apparently even though Mr. MG didn't harm the cat, the neighbor girl told her friends that he did, and now we're EEEEEEVIL. Or something.

I'm insanely hurt by this. I know "it's only a bunch of fifth graders", but it's the principle of the thing. There's nothing we can do to clear our names, and people are now hearing stories of horrible things about us that aren't true. I don't like to think about all the bad energy being directed toward us by people who don't even know us. Like I said, this is a small town, so word is going to travel fast (or likely already has).

...When is Mercury retrograde over, again? :( :( :( :(

[Why Syzygy]

22. Did you see the cat?

You didn't give them any money, right? I think maybe he lied about the cat injury, or exaggerated. If a cat's intestines are exposed, that is going to be one loud cat. I had the unfortunate experience of staying the night with a friend when her cat was dying. He cried loudly all night. She made him suffer that night due to her own selfishness.

If you've offered responsibility for the vet bill, and somewhat taken the blame it seems, I think you have the authority to inquire as to the status of the cat!

They're acting guilty.

Maybe the trickster is playing that number.

[MorningGlow]

23. Yes, I did see the cat

Hi VSM,

Good to see you here! :hug:

I did see the cat when the guy's ex-wife brought it out of its hiding place somewhere in the neighborhood and put it in the cage to take to the vet--that was on Sunday evening, about half an hour after he knocked on our door to ask about his cat. He had said that the cut on its belly was so deep he could see the cat's organs, but I noticed that the ex was carrying it in a blanket and it wasn't meowing in pain or anything. I also didn't see any blood (but again, it was a pretty large blanket or towel). So at that point I figured that the injuries weren't as bad as he said. Another factor, however, is that this cat is tough as nails--spends most of his time outside and gets into fights almost every night (under our windows, thanks very much.

I do regret not asking them to show me the cat's injury on Sunday--alas, hindsight and all that.

He wouldn't accept any money (and couldn't fathom why anyone would offer to pay a vet bill if they weren't guilty of injuring the animal--compassion is a foreign term to this guy). But he did say that if Mr. MG had hurt the cat (with proof or my admission of his guilt), then he would have taken the money. At least he admitted that he couldn't prove Mr. MG did it--I only wish that he had reinforced that with his kids who are now badmouthing us to others.

It was yesterday afternoon that we saw the cat scooting across the street looking none the worse for wear. (And this guy is so callous--and the cat so tough--he's on his 8th life and then some--that I wasn't surprised that he booted it out of the house this soon, whereas we cat lovers would have coddled and pampered a kitty with stitches for at least a week.) Caveat: There is another cat in the neighborhood who resembles the neighbor's cat, but I'm 99 percent sure it was his cat we saw yesterday.

[midnight]

24. I'm so glad that you are putting this innocent cat about this nonsense.

All I can say is here is a big hug for you.

[MorningGlow]

25. Thanks, Midnight

Back atcha. :hug:

I couldn't help it--I just couldn't bear the thought of the cat suffering without medical care.

However, just this morning I saw the guy in our backyard with a can of cat food in his hand. I went outside to put a few last items in the recycling bin before trash pickup, and he walked out of the neighbor's yard on our other side, muttering about the damned cat. I asked him how the cat was doing--he said the vet stitched it up yesterday and it wasn't supposed to be out of the house, but he had opened the door and it snuck out, and now he was trying to coax it back inside. (He gave up and let the cat stay outside.)

He's such a liar. That cat was tooling around the neighborhood yesterday too--in the rain--fresh stitches and all! Don't gimme any of that malarkey about trying to keep it inside. He isn't trying.

If that cat tears his stitches, I don't wanna hear about it... :grr: :nuke:

[ricochetastroman]

26. MG, it ain't Mercury Rx

Certainly, Mercury Rx is "responsible" communication screw ups etc, yes. But the VENOM is from several planets in Scorpio and mostly from the tightening opposition of Saturn and Uranus (Nov. 4). and the collective (recent New Moon opp. Eris and Pluto entering Capricorn) has everyone stirring at their bases looking for someone to blame.

Best of luck to the cat and I hope it all calms down for you. Neighbor fights really stink.

I'll send you light too.

[MorningGlow]

27. Wow, thanks for that extra information, Rick

It's interesting to see that it's affecting more than just my crazy neighbor. So we've got another month of this? or longer? :scared:

Thanks for your good wishes and light; yes, neighbor fights are terrible. Here's hoping things calm down ASAP. :hi:

[ricochetastroman]

28. You see...

Mercury is the "trickster", he's not malicious. You have to separate the energies, which isn't easy to do.
Other planetary combination such as I stated early can get nasty. We're in new territory now, no one knows how long "this will last." Hopefully, it'll be over after we have a president. I dunno.
Take care.

[MorningGlow]

29. I can see how it would be confusing

Mercury does standard tricks, and we get irritated, especially when some electronic doohickey we need to work suddenly decides not to.

Sigh. Astrology is such an art...AND a science...and downright complicated! Thank goodness we've got you astro experts to explain it all to us. Phew!

[ricochetastroman]

33. The more you do it,

the more you get the FEEL for these characters (planets, signs, houses, etc). Keep at it.