Help: Am I about to be stabbed over some palm fronds?
Long bit of context: I live on a small block in town. We’ve been here for a few years. When we moved in the 5 huge palm trees already existed.
These trees drop their ‘fronds’ - branches. Because the trees are on the fence line they either fall in our yard or the yard of the person behind us. They crush stuff when they come down. They’re a pain in the ass to deal with. You need a pruning saw to cut them up and put them in the green bin.
Our neighbour behind us does not like these falling in his yard. I don’t know them, but their kids come and ask to get their ball back when it comes over the fence. They’re nice enough. We try and be helpful.
So when one of these fronds fall in their side of the fence, one of the people from the house (I’m assuming it’s the dad) pushes the fronds back into our yard. Sometimes causing damage to the screening tiger grass along the back fence. I get it. They’re our trees and they’re hard to deal with.
Admittedly I haven’t addressed this with them. It’s just the way it’s been for the last few years. They throw them over, I deal with them. It’s fine.
Today I went out and noticed a frond that was halfway pushed over to our side of the fence. Normal. I grab it to put into our bin. But this time I notice there are a pair of scissors stabbed into the end of the thing. That hasn’t happened before.
Is this a passive aggressive threat? Should I be concerned? Report it to the cops? What do you think?
My instinct is to go and talk to them. I get it’s probably worth it either way. But does this read like I should be prepared to get raged at?