DEAR ABBY: My wife and I used to have a problem with kids sitting on the stone wall in front of our house and smoking cigarettes. Nothing would dissuade them, and our lawn was continually littered with butts.
Finally, I found a motion-sensor water sprinkler, and whenever the smokers came into the yard the sprinkler would activate. That solved our problem without confrontation.
Thanks for your steady good sense every day. -- TOM IN NUTTING LAKE, MASS.
DEAR TOM: Your solution is intriguing because it has probably discouraged more than smokers. I'll bet those sudden bursts of water also keep your yard free from deposits left by pets running loose in the neighborhood.