HOLLY — A Holly man ordered 14 tons of topsoil Monday after discovering his neighbor’s 12-foot Halloween skeleton appeared approximately four inches taller than his own when viewed from the street.
The two decorations are identical models purchased from Home Depot. The discrepancy was traced to the neighbor’s property sitting slightly higher than his.
“I could put mine on some bricks, but that looks tacky,” said the man, watching a dump truck unload onto his front lawn. “We’re trying to keep the neighborhood looking nice.”
The situation began Saturday when the neighbor installed his skeleton, prompting the man to purchase his own within two hours. He maintains the purchase was planned months in advance, although his wife confirmed he had previously described the decorations as “a ridiculous waste of money.”
By Tuesday, the man had removed his sod, relocated three sprinkler heads, and raised his entire front lawn four inches. Contractors were instructed to add another two inches near the skeleton’s feet for drainage purposes.
The neighbor, who has declined to comment on the matter, moved his skeleton onto the roof of his front porch Tuesday afternoon.
The man was last seen measuring the height of his garage roof.