I have observed that private personal property is regarded by your neighbors in <I>inverse</I> proportion to how you regard it yourself. If you try to keep it immaculate, your neighbors will go quite a bit out of their way to make sure their animals are focused upon your yard with their needs. If you try to keep the neighborhood children out of your yard, their parents will make a point of looking the other way while their kids tear up your landscaping, playing in your yard. <I>Especially</I> when you aren't at home to come out and chase them off yourself. <P>It is useless to try to get help from the police until the actual damge is done, and then it is obviously too late.</P> If you let nature take its course, if you become preoccupied with matters other than your yard care, the neighbors hypocritically invoke any city ordinance they can find to take you to task for your horrible crime of yard "neglect".<P> In general, people suck.</P> My next move will be to the fortress of solitude.