Boiling Points (#405)

Why small annoyances turn into massive blowups--and how to avoid those eruptions

My family used to live in a neighborhood where six different homes had backyards that abutted each other. Our yards joined together like a big open field, with no fences. Though the property boundaries had no physical markers, they were clearly understood by all. This was most apparent when people mowed their lawns.

We never had any issue with these clos…