Just for the record the cedar trees weren't that guy's only jerk move. One time the neighbor's son (who was also an antisocial jerk) was sitting in his driveway thrashing the engine in his truck for a longish time after midnight, and my predecessor went over with a shotgun and held him at gunpoint for half an hour lecturing him about manners. Another time he decided to treat the weeds along the fence line by pouring gasoline along the base of the fence, on both sides. I heard so many stories about that guy.
The neighbor's son still occasionally races his engine in the driveway when he has too much to drink, but the neighbor doesn't let him do it late at night. Kid must be in his 50's now. Luckily I don't have a shotgun.
The wife and I had the initiation of inconsiderate dinkwads. Our first house was in town. We got along great with all the neighborly home owners. My plan was to remodel our home from top to bottom, maybe do an addition, until I met the azzhole renters next door. I experienced too much foolishness from the whole family, then their friends joined in, in the disrespect.
I was in my early 40's, and the pushed me too far. One morning I got in my van that I parked on the street in front of the house. There was a shoe print on my windshield? Really? (It was a Summers day, Saturday) I got out, climbed up on the front bumper, the shoe prints went full length across the top...to the back. I was boiling by then. I went inside the house, knowing who (presumably) did it.
My thoughts continued to boil...I knew I couldn't prove anything. A couple hours went by. The neighbors kids and boyfriends (legally adults) were all outside, joking, laughing, kinda poking at me.
Then a light came on in my head.
I went outside, down the sidewalk and on the porch next door. Their front door was open. All them teenagers (all over 18) were inside sitting, laughing.
I commented about the shoe prints on my vehicle and accused them of putting them there. They denied it...told me to call the cops. I did one better. I walked it that house and one by one, wrestled them and ripped a shoe off their feet, then left. It was comparison time. It was time to compare shoe to shoe prints on my van.
Comparing, well, whatdoyaknow, one matches!! Ding Ding Ding!!
I calmly walked back to return the shoes. I got to the door, stopped, and threw the shoes inside on the floor, and left after a few words. Eff with me, my property, or my family again, I'll personally break your fawking legs....for "this" particular situation...and py back what's owed when you decided to fawk with me after the fact you were caught.......then I left.
There was another time I asked nicely that they turn the music down. It was 2am. My two month old son (and the whole neighborhood) was trying to sleep. The neighbors/daughters/boyfriend turned it up.
I calmly went inside, grabbed my 10ga Ithaca shotgun and went out the front door.
Again, I asked politely that they turn down the music. He told me...call the cops.
I moved the shotgun from pointing at the ground...to slightly raised...and said, turn the effing music off, or I'll make it stop. He turned it off, I went inside my house.
10 minutes later there was a knock on my door. A cop...smiling at me. Whom was a friend as well...who knew of the issues the neighbors caused...and he knew I was being nice while trying to deal with the neighbors.
We never had another problem with those neighbors. Six years later, we moved.