ILs mad that I won’t mow massive field on their ‘vacation’ property

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the same family who had the WV RV Thanksgiving?

Please link to this thread. I need a laugh today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A$$ here. Not trying to berate anyone. Giving OP an excused absence and offering a new interest for the kids as they get older. Still question if this is real, tho know the nightmare of “vacation” properties can be.
I’ll just a$$cuse myself. You all carry on sweetly.

Nice gaslighting. You said she sounded like a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For years, my ILs have “hosted” “vacations” at their property in West Virginia. There is a camper on this massive land: that’s it. We don’t even stay there, we stay in a nearby hotel. The “vacation” is really to check that the land is OK. They also insist on “working” the land that has nothing on it. They mow with huge mowers, plant trees (um, after they cut down lots of trees to “clear” the “land”) and generally complain that people clearly use it as something of a hunting grounds when they aren’t around. They live multiple states away, and visit it only 2-3 times a year. There is a freaking outhouse.

All time that isn’t spent working the land is spent sitting around outside the camper, under a makeshift big awning thing, and waiting to eat stuff out of coolers. It’s boring as hell. The kids liked it well enough when they were young enough to think picking cherries, looking at the stream, and catching dragonflies in a net was cool. We are very quickly outgrowing that stage. We bring games and stuff, but really, it’s just boring.

Now that the kids are old enough that it’s not exactly hard for DH to “vacation” with them on his own, I am—for the first time in 12 years (excluding one COVID summer)—skipping this trip to stay behind on my own and have a grand ol’ time going out to dinner with friends and catching up on relaxing and TV.

ILs just called to ask if I would come because MIL is now too infirm to run one of the big mowers, and they were planning on me to mow at least one huge field, as I always have done. I’m like, no, but if you want I’ll send you the names of some landscaping and mowing companies in the area. They are furious and called me “selfish.” I told them not to bother texting me again unless it’s an apology. I’m torn between being mad that they’ve used me for free labor for years and have the audacity to call me “selfish” for taking one year off, and finding the whole thing hilarious.

You're not wrong. If they can't maintain, or pay to do so, it's time to sell. But really, there's zero need to "mow" something that's not being used.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband’s family has a property like this that has been in the family since the Civil War. Their ancestor bought it after he returned from serving in the Confederate Army. DH told his parents they should sell it if they want to enjoy the money, because they should know that if it is passed down to him, he’s going to donate the land to an HBCU. They were furious, but haven’t sold it yet.

Best use of it. Team DH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do they store these mowers?

They could probably pay a guy down the road $250 to mow once per year with his giant tractor & pull mower. Let him keep/sell the grass for feed.

Lololol. “Pull mower.” “Grass.”

[Anonymous]

Would it help if it was reframed from vacation to something to help family? I mean I would be annoyed and not want to go. But my husband drives 3 hours to help his dad with cutting down trees, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it help if it was reframed from vacation to something to help family? I mean I would be annoyed and not want to go. But my husband drives 3 hours to help his dad with cutting down trees, etc.

So, how are you different from OP? Remember, the ILs don't live there right now and everyone needs to stay at a hotel but spends their days doing field work for a potential retirement homestead for aging parents that can't do it themselves? "Reframing" to whom, the kids? Maybe DH will finally stand up to his parents without OP there to make things easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this the same family who had the WV RV Thanksgiving?

Please link to this thread. I need a laugh today.

Is it this one because this one definitely lives rent free in my head.


https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/925750.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do they store these mowers?

They could probably pay a guy down the road $250 to mow once per year with his giant tractor & pull mower. Let him keep/sell the grass for feed.

Lololol. “Pull mower.” “Grass.”

+1 LOL! City girls!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this the same family who had the WV RV Thanksgiving?

Please link to this thread. I need a laugh today.

Is it this one because this one definitely lives rent free in my head.


https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/925750.page

Thanks pp!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a troll.
If your kid is 12 and it’s a mower, not a tractor, they are old enough to mow.
When you’re a few years from driving, a ride-on mower is a thrill.

Who said anything about a 12-year-old?

No one. OP only said that she had been going to the IL's vacation property for 12 years and the kids were finally at the age that her DH could handle them alone.

I don’t know about you, but I dated my husband for a few years before we married, and we were married a few years before we had kids. Declaring that OP has a 12yo makes no sense whatsoever.

Exactly. Pp just wanted an excuse to berate OP and ended up looking like an a$$.

12 sounds about right. Catching dragonflies is not an endless thrill anymore.

The goats and the haying and having a hunter mow in exchange for hunting access all occurred to me as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they’ll disinherit your DH for your awful behavior and you’ll never be able to “vacation” there again. Getting a little teary for you. Sniff.

I’m all set, thanks! They could leave us nothing and it would be absolutely no problem. Perhaps your situation is different, but not all of us are counting on inheritances and cower at the idea of not getting one. -OP

Geez OP I was with you until this post. Wtf?

I’m with OP. How was she supposed to respond to “maybe they’ll disinherit you for your awful behavior”? A+ work here.

DP. With laughter, because it was obviously sarcastic.

Now I’m leaning toward “OP is a snob who thinks they’re too good to hang out in the boonies of West Virginia.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they’ll disinherit your DH for your awful behavior and you’ll never be able to “vacation” there again. Getting a little teary for you. Sniff.

I’m all set, thanks! They could leave us nothing and it would be absolutely no problem. Perhaps your situation is different, but not all of us are counting on inheritances and cower at the idea of not getting one. -OP

Geez OP I was with you until this post. Wtf?

I’m with OP. How was she supposed to respond to “maybe they’ll disinherit you for your awful behavior”? A+ work here.

DP. With laughter, because it was obviously sarcastic.

Now I’m leaning toward “OP is a snob who thinks they’re too good to hang out in the boonies of West Virginia.”

NP. I like going white water rafting in West Virginia, or camping in West Virginia. It’s a beautiful state. But see how those are *activities*? See how something to do = good time in a beautiful place? I’ve stayed at resorts in West Virginia, and hell, I’ve gone to a casino in West Virginia. I’ve gone golfing in West Virginia. If you told me I’m invited to come sit around a tract of land for hours and maybe do some mowing—and pay for a rural Holiday Inn for the privilege of this “vacation”—I’d tell you to go kick rocks. Hey, at least then you’d have something to do.

[Anonymous]

As someone who owns raw land I can say I actually love being there, camping in my camper and doing chores like mowing. I get out on my ATV and zone out while I pull the bushhog. I grew up in Bethesda but I absolutely love the outdoors. So I’d probably enjoy what the OP is balking at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who owns raw land I can say I actually love being there, camping in my camper and doing chores like mowing. I get out on my ATV and zone out while I pull the bushhog. I grew up in Bethesda but I absolutely love the outdoors. So I’d probably enjoy what the OP is balking at.

OK? What's your point?