What kind of fence is it? Chain-link, wood, vinyl? Are you friendly with the neighbors? If it's chain-link, you can get slat things that insert into the fence and does make them look nicer, or at least recede from view somewhat. If it's wood, maybe you can paint it. Both of those options would require chatting with the neighbors and getting approval. If it's vinyl, I think you might be stuck with it. Although, I suppose there's some paint out there that you can use.

You need to study up the "adverse possession" laws in your jurisdiction. Basically, if your neighbor uses a portion of your property as if it were his own for a specified period of time (which varies by jurisdiction) and you don't do anything to assert your rights to the property, your neighbor CAN gain ownership of that property. However much you may want to be on good terms with your neighbor, you have no choice but to bring up the matter of the fence. Even under the best conditions, there are going to be some costs involved so your neighbor is probably NOT going to be happy but, if he is reasonable, you can work with him to mitigate his expenses and, hopefully, that will go far towards establishing good neighbor relationships. First off, ask your neighbor if he had the property line surveyed before putting up the fence. It sound as if one end of the fence is properly located (the point closest to the road) but that the fence then angles off so that it runs across part of your property. If so, it should only be necessary to have a surveyor locate the marker at the other end of the fence line (farthest from the road) to define where the fence should have been placed. Locating and marking that single point should not be too expensive. A few hundred dollars at most. Show your neighbor the neighborhood plat maps and point out that the property lines don't run perpendicular with the road. Assuming they did would certainly be a rational mistake to make so let him know you're certain that, if there is a mistake, it wasn't done intentionally. Tell the neighbor you want to get a surveyor out to find where the property line between your two properties actually is and ask if he is willing to split the cost of the survey. If he was not willing to split the cost, I would ask whether he would be willing to agree that whoever is in the wrong will pay the entire cost of the survey. I.e., if the fence is on your property, he pays the cost and if the fences in not on your property, you will pay for the survey. Your neighbor's reaction will tell you rather quickly whether it will be possible to maintain good relations with him. If he is not willing to split the cost of the survey OR pay for the survey if his fence turns out to be on your property, you can forget about trying to be neighborly. Have the survey done then immediately tear down any portion of the fence that is on your property and do whatever you want with the fencing materials. They're on your property. You don't have to give them back to him. IF your neighbor is reasonable about sharing the cost of the survey (or paying for it if it shows his fence is on your property), then, once you know where the fence line should be, you can give him time to have the fence moved. You don't need to take the fence down immediately. So long as the neighbor is using the area with your "permission", he cannot gain adverse possession of your property. I would give him a reasonable amount of time to move the fence and would be as neighborly as possible about helping him get it done. You COULD even agree to allow your neighbor to keep the fence where it is until such time as it needs to be repaired or replaced. But, since even a wood fence is likely to last 15 years or longer before needing to be replaced, IF you agree to let him keep the fence where it is (for now), it should be by written agreement that requires him to pay a monthly rent (it can be a nominal amount), specifies the maximum period of time the fence can remain in its current location, and has provisions specifying what happens if either of you decides to sell your property or passes away. The point of the "rent" is to make it clear to all the world that you and he recognize that you are the rightful owner of the property and that he is using it under an agreement with you. The rest of the provisions are so you don't someday find yourself disputing where the proper fence line is with one of his heirs or having a fight over moving the fence so you can sell your property without the encumbrance. I hope it all works out as amicably as possible for you.

Thank you - all of you - for commiserating with me. I think I'm still in shock. I know this has happened to so many other homeowners and it does seem like there isn't much you can do. My husband has surprised me with his somewhat resigned attitude to the whole thing. His comment is that we have a 1 in 3 chance of being selected and maybe this time we'll luck out. And he agrees with all of you who have said that we won't win against the power company, especially since the Federal government has mandated an upgraded transmission line to prevent the rolling blackouts that occured in NY and NJ. Marilyn c - we did ask about a continuing lease arrangement. That way as property values increase the payments would also. But they want a one time settlement. Flamingo - We are worried about the effect the electromagnetic field would have. It means my husband can't erect his 40 foot Ham radio tower - it will ruin his signals. But more importantly we asked them what this would do to a pacemaker and defibrulator and would they guarantee in writing that it would not effect it. They told us to check with the manufacturer and the cardiologist. Neither the cardiologist nor the manufacturer are willing to guarentee that a third party's transmission line would not impact the effectiveness of the heart equipment. And I certainly don't blame them. Gayle. I think we will sell. PPL should make a recommendation to the PUC in August and then there will be 1 year of hearings in Harrisburg. Construction starts in 2010 and will be online in 2012. So we can enjoy it for 2 more years at least. Patti, Azzalea, Duck,Sherrmann, Stargazer - well since you've been through it you already know it's probably a losing battle. Socks - We are working on an environmental study. We found out that we don't actually have to have an endangered or threatened species actually on our property. If we can show that the habitat is suitable and if there are populations of these species near - then our property could be considered as supplemental. Many of the other property owners are fighting this too but most of them probably figure there's not much they can do. So we're praying they pick Plan B or C. And if they go ahead and pick Plan A maybe they'll consider moving the transmission lines off our property and erecting them on the undeveloped property behind us. Thanks again everyone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed -(which of course explains my typos!)

It is perfectly up to you whether you wish to mulch them individually while they're small, or to prepare now for the future. I have only seen these growing but have never been lucky enough to own property large enough or in in a climate where I could grow them myself. So I can't well predict their progress. But I know they will become sizeable. A good strategy would be to mulch them individually this year and observe what they do when they emerge next spring. It would be somewhat an indicator of what to expect. Of course, one has to take into account the concept of "sleep ... creep ... leap!" Many plants do that and are suddenly upon you. Cannot stress the importance of never letting them go dry during their young life. This does not mean keep wet, but to keep on top of soil moisture so they do not dry out. A little extra water usually helps plants grow quickly. Normal fertilizer too. Not extra and not a shortage of.