[graciegirl]

I have Sweetie and Helene.
And Mikey, Harry and...well you know, our TWO cats.

I'm good.

[jbdlfan]

Originally Posted by Mack184

You're kidding right?? Landscape companies and many other "service" companies tend pay low wages, their business is seasonal and people come and go all the time. Often an employer cannot even count on the hired man even showing up that day. Landscape companies have been pretty much known for hiring anybody who will show up which includes felons & illegals. Landscapers, contractors and the like are not known for hiring MIT or seminary graduates. Actually I'm surprised that more of this doesn't happen on a regular basis.

Right on the money! I have spoken to many employers in the area with that problem. People leave for break or lunch and never come back. This place was built with employees like this.

[paulandjean]

Right on, If they are a Tier III ,their kids could go to the villages school

[jmm2760jmm]

We are snowflakes right now and I do worry about the house being broken into. Any good ideas of how to secure a cascading slider so it is not easily broker into? I do think Gracie's idea of security cameras and also having motion lights outside lanai would help deter would be intruders. Just a fact of the times I guess, sad to say.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jmm2760jmm

We are snowflakes right now and I do worry about the house being broken into. Any good ideas of how to secure a cascading slider so it is not easily broker into? I do think Gracie's idea of security cameras and also having motion lights outside lanai would help deter would be intruders. Just a fact of the times I guess, sad to say.

Lot of ideas here..............
Google

[gerryann]

The day I have to worry about keeping my doors locked...security cameras, or if I just don't feel safe...that's the day I move. I moved here because of the security. If I lose that, I won't stay.

[Mikeod]

Originally Posted by jmm2760jmm

We are snowflakes right now and I do worry about the house being broken into. Any good ideas of how to secure a cascading slider so it is not easily broker into? I do think Gracie's idea of security cameras and also having motion lights outside lanai would help deter would be intruders. Just a fact of the times I guess, sad to say.

This incident is noteworthy because it happens fairly rarely. The fact that the homeowner left a door unlocked is germane. I know there are many folks here that came from areas where they could leave their home unlocked without worry, but that is not the case here. Where I lived before, you locked your home before leaving (including a gated fence that accessed the back yard. You always locked your car when not in your garage, even in your own driveway. And we did not live in a high crime area.

From everything I have read about this type of crime in TV, I suspect the vast majority are crimes of opportunity. An unlocked door, someone hired to do work and left unsupervised, or similar. Anything you can do to make it difficult for someone to break in will discourage most of these types.

[downeaster]

Originally Posted by mikeod

This incident is noteworthy because it happens fairly rarely. The fact that the homeowner left a door unlocked is germane. I know there are many folks here that came from areas where they could leave their home unlocked without worry, but that is not the case here. Where I lived before, you locked your home before leaving (including a gated fence that accessed the back yard. You always locked your car when not in your garage, even in your own driveway. And we did not live in a high crime area.

From everything I have read about this type of crime in TV, I suspect the vast majority are crimes of opportunity. An unlocked door, someone hired to do work and left unsupervised, or similar. Anything you can do to make it difficult for someone to break in will discourage most of these types.

Well said mikeod. It was also noteworthy as the perpetrator was caught and part of the stolen articles were recovered.

We never leave doors unlocked. I may trust my yard crew but I don't trust my neighbors yard crews. These people are swarming all over our neighborhoods and see many opportunities. I am surprised there aren't more incidents.

[senior citizen]

It is unsettling when large contractors hire ex cons or felons to do manual labor, however, even though I'm aware that can happen and does happen...........

Our experience here has been that each time we had a major landscaping project, in our town in Vermont, our carpenters and/or plumbers (often both) would work along with our local landscapers, those who did our lawn maintenance and their "friends"....who all were nice decent home grown boys that we just happened to know (as well as their entire families) since they were born.......went to our church, went to our kids' schools, etc..........so we never had to fear any type of criminal activity from them.

The kids that are not college bound end up at the Career Developement Center part of our town's high school.........Horticulture just seems to be a popular course.

Thus, they all end up as landscapers.

When our original guy got old, we hired the little boy (now recently married and a dad) who used to build a tree house next door to our other home in town. I held him in my arms as a baby. Entire family is the salt of the earth, going back to the grandparents and great grandparents.

Ditto for our plumbers..........our original plumber's sons are now doing the work and they also have backhoes......when we need it..........and friends in the landscaping business when we need to "move earth" up on the hill........or "dig".......they all went through horticulture school and we know all their families.......for at least 40 + years.

I can honestly say that not all landscapers hire felons.....at least from our experience.

O.K. so one might say, "Well, Vermont is not Florida"......which is true.

However, our nephew, now 29.......in northern New Jersey....a wonderful boy from a wonderful family who wanted him to go to college........but he chose the Career Developement path as well and took Horticulture in high school......... has his own business. He has the same "crew" he began with ten years ago........they do seem to be sons of recent immigrants.......but they are loyal to him. He's spent the past decade building his business...........and learned to do pavers as well as cement work along with the lawn maintenance and also snow removal/plowing in winter.
For a "kid" labeled as A.D.H.D. at age nine...........he's done o.k. and is saving for his million dollar home at the Jersey shore.

The difference is that again, his clients live in his town and neighboring town, and know him, his parents, his sister and probably go to his church where he hangs his business informational bulletins and such.

I wish people would post here who they feel is the MOST RELIABLE and TRUSTWORTHY landscaping or lawn maintenance guys in The Villages. Maybe a poll and tally it up to see which business gets the most votes.......that would truly be helpful to "newbies".

Our town also has two major landscapers (who began young and are now senior citizens) with very large crews..........we've never heard of any problems with them. They also do "country stone walls" and "country ponds" and all the frills people moving up to Vermont want in their newly constructed homesites.....

They have all the "big boy toys" such as big vacuums for the leaves in the fall, big "blowers" to blow the seed mixed with the fertilizer onto the topsoil on new home lawns........state of the art landscaping , high tech type equipment. We also know them and their immediate families..........so, in a small town, one can feel pretty safe...............although times are changing all over, in many different ways, but that's another topic.

Ditto for the swimming pool installers and maintenance..........they are also all home grown boys......and that also stands for the carpenters in this town.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

It is unsettling when large contractors hire ex cons or felons to do manual labor, however, even though I'm aware that can happen and does happen...........

Our experience here has been that each time we had a major landscaping project, in our town in Vermont, our carpenters and/or plumbers (often both) would work along with our local landscapers, those who did our lawn maintenance and their "friends"....who all were nice decent home grown boys that we just happened to know (as well as their entire families) since they were born.......went to our church, went to our kids' schools, etc..........so we never had to fear any type of criminal activity from them.

The kids that are not college bound end up at the Career Developement Center part of our town's high school.........Horticulture just seems to be a popular course.

Thus, they all end up as landscapers.

When our original guy got old, we hired the little boy (now recently married and a dad) who used to build a tree house next door to our other home in town. I held him in my arms as a baby. Entire family is the salt of the earth, going back to the grandparents and great grandparents.

Ditto for our plumbers..........our original plumber's sons are now doing the work and they also have backhoes......when we need it..........and friends in the landscaping business when we need to "move earth" up on the hill........or "dig".......they all went through horticulture school and we know all their families.......for at least 40 + years.

I can honestly say that not all landscapers hire felons.....at least from our experience.

O.K. so one might say, "Well, Vermont is not Florida"......which is true.

However, our nephew, now 29.......in northern New Jersey....a wonderful boy from a wonderful family who wanted him to go to college........but he chose the Career Developement path as well and took Horticulture in high school......... has his own business. He has the same "crew" he began with ten years ago........they do seem to be sons of recent immigrants.......but they are loyal to him. He's spent the past decade building his business...........and learned to do pavers as well as cement work along with the lawn maintenance and also snow removal/plowing in winter.
For a "kid" labeled as A.D.H.D. at age nine...........he's done o.k. and is saving for his million dollar home at the Jersey shore.

The difference is that again, his clients live in his town and neighboring town, and know him, his parents, his sister and probably go to his church where he hangs his business informational bulletins and such.

I wish people would post here who they feel is the MOST RELIABLE and TRUSTWORTHY landscaping or lawn maintenance guys in The Villages. Maybe a poll and tally it up to see which business gets the most votes.......that would truly be helpful to "newbies".

Our town also has two major landscapers (who began young and are now senior citizens) with very large crews..........we've never heard of any problems with them. They also do "country stone walls" and "country ponds" and all the frills people moving up to Vermont want in their newly constructed homesites.....

They have all the "big boy toys" such as big vacuums for the leaves in the fall, big "blowers" to blow the seed mixed with the fertilizer onto the topsoil on new home lawns........state of the art landscaping , high tech type equipment. We also know them and their immediate families..........so, in a small town, one can feel pretty safe...............although times are changing all over, in many different ways, but that's another topic.

Ditto for the swimming pool installers and maintenance..........they are also all home grown boys......and that also stands for the carpenters in this town.

Senior, you are worrying about something that happens so rarely here as to be noteworthy;a breakin. There are hundreds maybe more of constantly changing men and woman working for many, many, many, landscapers and lawn maintainance folks.

We use Mikes Maintainance home division. They are the ones that The Villages use to maintain all of the common area, but does NOT mean that everyone that works for them is a boy scout, but does mean they have been here for as long as Gary Morse has. Sloanes did the landscaping that came with our house and they did GREAT. They also are contractors for the developers. They certainly don't have much in the area of chit chat and happy talk but they can find their way around planting palm trees and stuff beautifully. I notice they use the design style that interior decor people use, rule of three, dark accent color, pop of bright color etc.etc. Most people over landscape. Everything grows so fast here.

Make a few friends here who appear to have good common sense and follow their direction.

And come on down. I want to learn everything you know about cooking and we can argue as to who has the best and nicest and prettiest grandchildren!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Senior, you are worrying about something that happens so rarely here as to be noteworthy;a breakin. There are hundreds maybe more of constantly changing men and woman working for many, many, many, landscapers and lawn maintainance folks.

We use Mikes Maintainance home division. They are the ones that The Villages use to maintain all of the common area, but does NOT mean that everyone that works for them is a boy scout, but does mean they have been here for as long as Gary Morse has. Sloanes did the landscaping that came with our house and they did GREAT. They also are contractors for the developers. They certainly don't have much in the area of chit chat and happy talk but they can find their way around planting palm trees and stuff beautifully. I notice they use the design style that interior decor people use, rule of three, dark accent color, pop of bright color etc.etc. Most people over landscape. Everything grows so fast here.

Make a few friends here who appear to have good common sense and follow their direction.

And come on down. I want to learn everything you know about cooking and we can argue as to who has the best and nicest and prettiest grandchildren!

Did I say I was worried? I was stating the difference between a small town where everyone knows their hired workers.

Well, I'm sure your grandkids are really wonderful but ours are still newborn, baby age, toddler, 8 years, 11 years and one 18. We have a ways to go to catch up with yours.

Hopefully, some day....(p.s. actually quite a few of the landscapers I mentioned were Eagle Scouts in our town and in New Jersey)....just showing the difference.
Not worried. I'm keeping a running list of all the good ones people have happily used and posted.

I was expressing understanding of those who were worried........as we did see the ones working along the roadsides as we drove here and there (mentioned by others in this thread).
They didn't exactly look like our lawn maintenance guys up here.......let's just say that. We wouldn't leave our safes open or our doors unlocked.
Plus hubby would service his own pool. It isn't hard to do. He would chat with the guys who came once a week to vacuum and then he went out and got his own cleaner for the mold under the coping.........and would clean a little each day as he floated around. Type A personality.

[Uptown Girl]

That's a thoughtful post, senior c, (post #39) you describe your hometown environment with affection and pride and it is well deserved, I'm sure.
But you (and all who have grown up there) have come to understand, nurture and appreciate that wonderful environment as it has evolved for you.... over a lifetime.
In a way, it might be considered as a sacred tribe of sorts.


In comparison, a place like ours here is in it's infancy. As friendly as our citizens are and with the desire of community spirit that we endeavor to embrace, still we come together from many different 'tribes' or 'cultures'.
TV has been developed (physically) in the middle of another, existing 'culture' that has been here for generations. So with such diversity, we don't all hold to identical values and ways of doing things like many small communities do.
We hope that we all have a similar code of conduct, but humans do what humans do when they want to be contrary.

Since most of us haven't been here for a very long time, we haven't the luxury of recommending someone because they have stood the test of time.
We can only recommend based on our limited personal experience. Most of us try to be as discerning, then helpful as we can.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

That's a thoughtful post, senior c, (post #39) you describe your hometown environment with affection and pride and it is well deserved, I'm sure.
But you (and all who have grown up there) have come to understand, nurture and appreciate that wonderful environment as it has evolved for you.... over a lifetime.
In a way, it might be considered as a sacred tribe of sorts.


In comparison, a place like ours here is in it's infancy. As friendly as our citizens are and with the desire of community spirit that we endeavor to embrace, still we come together from many different 'tribes' or 'cultures'.
TV has been developed (physically) in the middle of another, existing 'culture' that has been here for generations. So with such diversity, we don't all hold to identical values and ways of doing things like many small communities do.
We hope that we all have a similar code of conduct, but humans do what humans do when they want to be contrary.

Since most of us haven't been here for a very long time, we haven't the luxury of recommending someone because they have stood the test of time.
We can only recommend based on our limited personal experience. Most of us try to be as discerning, then helpful as we can.

I appreciate your post. You are correct. That's exactly what I was trying to portray. Thanks for sharing your outlook on things....I do "get it".
We had to adjust "once upon a time"........imagine coming from "city folks" to "rural folks".........?? It was like landing on Mars.

I actually wore a dress and high heels to the beauty parlor and to church.
Everyone else had on plaid wool hunting jackets. I soon learned I had to keep two wardrobes for my 2 year old daughter and soon to be born son who is a native Vermonter.....one set of clothes to wear in Vermont and another set to travel back to New Jersey in. Day and night. But we adjusted. Now, it's HOME. Longer here than we ever lived in N.J.

So, I do understand how it is for newcomers as "strangers in a strange land"........when we arrived in Vermont in 1970 it was a world apart from where we were lived from 1945 until 1970 in New Jersey. Truly different.

All of the out of staters who migrated to Vermont had to adjust.
But adjust we did. A few times we "fled" to Florida but Vermont always drew us back as a magnet would.

As my sweet old mom would say when she returned from a senior citizen club bus trip, "It was so good to get home again to Vermont.......it is "God's Country"......she had never dreamed she would ever leave New Jersey........but did it , after visiting us once a month by Grehound bus........she finally moved up here with my stepfather and they had a good 30 years of retirement........

Since you seem very open minded with a lot of wisdom, I will tell you a cute story.....when she was a very young woman, she went to a spiritualist which was all the rage and in vogue back in the 1920's/30's.......and this "clairvoyant" told her that "someday you will live in a place that is very very green and has green mountains".........now she lived in a city with cement sidewalks and nothing green, certainly no green mountains.

Her favorite book was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" if you've ever seen the movie. That's how she was raised, but not in Brooklyn.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. She always remembered that and would tell everyone how she did end up in "The Green Mountain State" where she is buried now surrounded by a panoramic view of our Green Mountains and green farmlands and green forests. So, how did that spiritualist know? That's another topic, for sure.

We know Florida as we vacationed there each year, both coasts up and down plus Disney World each April school vacation.........and we lived there twice........plus I still read all the Florida newspapers so I can be well informed. We don't have our heads in the sand, but neither would we live in fear.

All of the folks we met during October and November were extremely nice and friendly and helpful.

But I can see the point some make about the streets being "empty" looking of neighbors.........up here someone is always outside who would spot anything strange going on........when we were in our rental homes, we noticed NO ONE OUT AND ABOUT..........or if so, very rare, for a walk in the morning.....and then empty sidewalks. It wasn't the heat as the temps were great in November. So, perhaps there is more opportunity for these lawn guys to break in if they think the homeowner is away.

Also, the cleaning ladies up here (not that I have one) are usually girls we know, trying to make extra money for college or whatever......and not unknown factors like down in Florida.

But to clarify, I am not worried. Thanks again for your post. You "get it".
We are looking forward to someday living in TV.

[tv2016]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We use Mikes Maintainance home division. They are the ones that The Villages use to maintain all of the common area, but does NOT mean that everyone that works for them is a boy scout, but does mean they have been here for as long as Gary Morse has. Sloanes did the landscaping that came with our house and they did GREAT. They also are contractors for the developers.

Sounds like a great idea. What is the range of things they do?

Can you share a phone number?

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Did I say I was worried? I was stating the difference between a small town where everyone knows their hired workers.

Well, I'm sure your grandkids are really wonderful but ours are still newborn, baby age, toddler, 8 years, 11 years and one 18. We have a ways to go to catch up with yours.

Hopefully, some day....(p.s. actually quite a few of the landscapers I mentioned were Eagle Scouts in our town and in New Jersey)....just showing the difference.
Not worried. I'm keeping a running list of all the good ones people have happily used and posted.

I was expressing understanding of those who were worried........as we did see the ones working along the roadsides as we drove here and there (mentioned by others in this thread).
They didn't exactly look like our lawn maintenance guys up here.......let's just say that. We wouldn't leave our safes open or our doors unlocked.
Plus hubby would service his own pool. It isn't hard to do. He would chat with the guys who came once a week to vacuum and then he went out and got his own cleaner for the mold under the coping.........and would clean a little each day as he floated around. Type A personality.

I was KIDDING about arguing about the grandkids senior. And I didn't think you were worried, I just think that anyone who doesn't live here has a lot of concepts to absorb about a place with so many new to each other people, just as Uptown Girl said so well.

The world has changed a lot since we were born and is still changing and bad people still lurk everywhere. I feel as safe here as I did in the nice community in Ohio from which we moved, but to completly let down your guard is foolish.