An Indiana woman has been winning plaudits for the creative way in which she has addressed her neighbors’ complaints about the large walnut tree outside her home.
Retiree Laura Brikmanis has lived in her little purple house in Bloomington for eight years now in a neighborhood filled with large mature trees. “The trees offer great habitat for all sorts of wildlife, especially birds and wonderful shade, which keeps my utility costs low, too,” Brikmanis told Newsweek.
However, it is the walnut tree that hangs over her house at well over 100 feet tall that has been getting attention of late.
“Around this time of year, the walnut bombing begins. I have a metal roof, and they sound like gunshots when they fall, and they ricochet off my roof at surprising and dangerous angles,” Brikmanis said.
The walnuts have been known to cause a little bit of chaos in the neighborhood as well as a fairly substantial bit of damage, too. “My windshield and my neighbors’ windshield were both sacrificed,” Brikmanis added.
“As an added bonus, the squirrels take the nuts back up into the tree and gnaw them apart, raining down walnut bits that stain everything and dry into sharp, hurtful pieces.”
According to 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Homes.com, 36 percent of people have become embroiled in disputes with neighbors that have escalated into full-blown arguments. Some 25 percent even engaged in long-running feuds with someone next door.
Brikmanis said that her walnut tree has been a source of some displeasure with her next-door neighbors, but nothing too serious.
“Several of my neighbors have been good-naturedly urging me to remove the tree,” she added. “I did have someone come out, but he barely took a branch down before he realized the job was too complicated. There are a lot of power and cable lines, and the tree is super close to my house and my neighbors.”
Brikmanis said she considered getting it chopped down but, after obtaining a quote, she quickly realized it would cost too much to do. “I don’t have anywhere near that amount of money,” she added.
So Brikmanis decided, in what she describes as a kind of “let’s make lemonade from lemons” way, to make a sign to warn people and “hopefully make them smile.”
“Beware of falling walnuts,” it reads, adding: “Also, free walnuts.”
“So far, I have had positive feedback, although no one seems to be collecting free walnuts yet.” she said.
Brikmanis shared a picture of the sign to Reddit, saying that her neighbors had been “complaining” about the sign. It got quite the response with 14,000 upvotes and counting, as well as a few requests for walnuts.
“I’m planning on sending a box to a lady in North Carolina who saw my post and expressed interest,” Brikmanis said. Though her methods may be unorthodox, she has few regrets about keeping the tree intact.
“This beautiful tree has been here for probably a century. Sure, she is big and overbearing, but the benefits to the wildlife and environment outweigh the nuisance of falling walnuts,” Brikmanis said.
“And have you seen the cost of walnuts these days? They are a pain to process but pretty cool that they just fall into my lap.”
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