Hoodlums

I've written before about my neighborhood.  There are times of great peace and happiness and then there are extreme moments of anger.  I watch over the El Presidio gardens.  I care for them.  Yet there are people who would damage the plants or rip out birdseed feeders and spill them onto the ground. Can you believe that someone took our hummingbird feeder and smashed it onto the ground? 

Cloudy with a good chance for arrest

Needless to say, anytime we have new homeowners/renters move into this 16 unit condo, we have what I like to call "a transition" period.  The homeowners learn how destructive their friends can be. And sometimes it's not the homeowners BUT street riffraff! We've had a combo of issues.  The worst offenders are the ones who smoke and throw their cigarrette butts on the ground.  And then there is the pot smoking!  Lately, we've had a guy cut across our gated community and cut into the children's academy on the other side of the fence.  I went over to the daycare and we both filed a report with the Miramonte police force. (Yes, our neighborhood has its own squad:) It's definitely a work in progress, but when I drive up to our place, I feel a great sense of pride as do many people.  There is a beautiful canopy above our homes with birds flying around the property in the middle of our downtown desert retreat. 

Looking out from El Presidio Gardens.  The crimes have been happening around the front gates.  Several cacti lost the battle as several pads were snapped in half from someone climbing the wall.

So it angers me when careless and thoughtless people jump our fences and vandalize our property!  After contacting the police and homeowners, most of the issues have disappeared. Several homeowners filed reports and the police are now involved.  The information seems to have spread to the right people because we're not seeing as many issues even though a Jose Cuervo tequila bottle was recently smashed onto our parking lot.  The glass punctured a homeowners tire.  I am coming to an end with these gardens.  In 2 or 3 years, I'll be finding a company to care for our grounds again.  It doesn't mean I'll stop caring about the gardens but my work will be finished and I'll be free to let this chapter close.  The unfortunate part will be that our landscape fee will shoot waaaaay up!  I think it will be double the cost now.   The HOA cares for the wellbeing and safety of the homeowners and their property.  There have been issues in the past and if they are not dealt with,  things get a lot worse. There has been prostitution near "The Wall", a police raid that spilled onto our courtyard, 2 units broken into(one 5 years ago and another 3 years ago) and a meth bust over the past years.  And it all started with these "little" issues. Usually summer is the high time for all this stuff to happen as school is out and kids have lots of free time on their hands.  With it all wrapping up, things should quiet down a bit. Why did I choose this place to live?  It was a challenge for me to fix up the dying property with a potential to make it as a winter home down the road.  Things are coming together and more homeowners are stepping up to the plate which has been exciting to witness.  Coming up this month, I will talk through the process of renovating the gardens here at El Presidio and also share with you and the homeowners several of the plans for each of the areas around the property.  I know people love the bird, travel, critter, and flower posts, and I won't stop posting those BUT I need to do a little focus back on what we're doing around here.  I have been documenting these meetings, purchases, and prepping for the various changes that will be forthcoming.  But my final message here to homeowners/renters who follow the happenings on the grounds here, keep an eye open for hoodlums; two whenever possible:) Then contact the police and their non emergency hotline...unless of course, it's an emergency.  Then dial 911. More tomorrow....