There are several orange signs with black writing tied to a fence on Succasunna Road in Landing, New Jersey, that read, "To my neighbor who left me a nasty letter about my yard in my mailbox and didn't sign it, my PRIORITY is my 10 YEAR (OLD) GRANDSON who has been in the hospital fighting for HIS young & precious Life...I have been busy caring for his TWIN sister, THEIR HOUSE & pets!! I PRAY that next year all my priorities are as simple as LEAVES & TWIGS."
The signs were posted by a friend of 70-year-old Elise Ryan in her defense, after she received an anonymous letter in her mailbox last Friday complaining about her yard.
The letter read: "Please take some time and clean up your property. If you found the time to put up the Christmas decorations, perhaps you can find the time to take them down. Clean up the leaves and twigs. There is usually trash on your sidewalk or in the road after the animals got through it Sunday night. That is never cleaned up. Show some pride in your property and the property of your neighbors."
But these are the last things on Ryan's mind, as she's been busy with her grandson Matt, who was diagnosed with brain cancer last September.
"I'm sorry they couldn't take five minutes to walk to my door and say, hey, what's going on," Ryan said. "I mean, yes, I still have Christmas things down there, my gingerbread boys. So what, it's my property."
The cavalry arrived Tuesday to help take care of the yard work that has been on the back burner, while Ryan has been focusing on more important things.
Kids help out with yard work after woman receives anonymous letter
"I'm sorry for the person who did this," she said. "Because they must feel very small right now."