Did I ever tell you about.... the buzzards???

Once upon a time in a land not so far way.  Actually a neighborhood that was pretty exclusive and gated and had million dollar homes in it.....

There was a neighbor who didn't live there all the time but when he was there he was a bit strange.  First he decided to buy a smallish bulldozer and dig holes and ditches in his backyard of his million dollar house.  Then he made sure, very sure that the trees were growing healthy and well when trees were planted between his house and his neighbor's house.  The trees grew healthy and began to make a natural barrier.  Then there were large birds that landed on his roof.  He was away a lot so his neighbors thought something had died in his backyard and the buzzards had found it.  No real concern.  Then there was a smell, a stink that the neighbors could smell and it seemed to be coming from his backyard.  Again, no big concern but just weirdness.  Then the birds came more frequently. Then the neighbors heard he was going to fix up his house and move back in. There was some roof work done, but no other real signs of work.  Sometimes he would fire up the bulldozer and ride it around in his backyard making more ditches and holes.

The birds kept coming.  Finally one of his neighbors moved out, not because of him but because they were moving.  The new neighbors moved in and the very first weekend saw the birds and smelled the stink and got curious. More curious than other neighbors.  They peered over the back fence that separated his yard from theirs and saw a few dead deer.  A few.  They called the police and the police called the animal control and the game warden.  They finally got in touch with the man who owned the house that had the dead deer in the backyard and the buzzards that landed on his roof.  He calmly explained that he was trying to create a buzzard sanctuary for the large birds and took great pleasure in watching them pull at the dead carcasses and eat the dead deer.  He was hunting the deer somewhere else and bringing them to his house and putting them in the ditches he dug and then watched the buzzards swoop in and eat the deer.

The police left, the game warden left, and the animal control guy left.  You know why??? Because the neighborhood was private property owned by the homeowners association and the man had broken no laws.

Yes this story is true.  It was my parents' neighbor. (my parents are the ones that thankfully moved) I had snapped this photo just before they moved. from their back porch.