Day 67

 I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I had to do something. As I checked on the land after a round of selective mowing and thistle eradication, I saw an ATV at the edge of the woods on the corner of our property. I was near our barn so there was quite a distance between my current position and the ATV, but I was able to see a figure near the vehicle. I knew I had to confront the individual, despite hating confrontation.

I headed toward the ATV, thinking back on my “killing them with kindness” strategy from my customer service days. Would they be angry? Threatened? Scared? Confused?  A whole gamut of emotions came over me as I traversed my backyard and  approached this developing situation.

Not knowing what I was stepping into, I made sure to announce my presence before I got too close. It might be just my opinion, but I felt the individual in question wasn't expecting anyone to see him and was a bit embarrassed, knowing he wasn't where he was supposed to be. 

I introduced myself and used a more indirect approach to dropping hints that he was on our property. Maybe I should have been more direct, but in the end, I did offer to show him the boundaries of our land so there wouldn't be any more issues or confusion moving forward. He mentioned that he was there to look at a tree stand that his friend used in the past. I can't say I truly believed his story as it did feel a bit contrived, kind of like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I was hoping for an apology but it never came.  However, the conversation was pleasant and I think I made myself clear. My wife was certainly displeased when I recalled the events. We decided to move the deer stand in question to a more centralized spot. This was also a good reminder to more clearly define our boundaries and make sure we kept a close eye on the ins and outs of the farm.

We knew exactly where we wanted to begin.