To be annoyed about her collecting the stones?

[forestblade]

I thought there was an unwritten rule that if you found a stone someone had painted you would pick it up and hide it somewhere else for someone else to find on their walk etc.

My SM now has a collection of painted stones she's found and leaves on her doorstep. I was round the other day and noticed the collection had grown somewhat and was quite surprised and then annoyed. She doesn't paint stones and leave them for others herself, just collects everyone elses!

AIBU??

Not exactly a huge group or wildly followed for people to be aware of this "rule"

I never find painted rocks

If I did though I would definitely keep it - I'm on TeamSM.

I know what you mean OP, it's one thing to keep the odd one but I wouldn't feel good systematically taking them out of "play" without ever giving back.

If she's going to collect I would much rather keep them on your boundary so others see them and sometimes take one. Just a much nicer vibe.

I assumed that now that it was relatively well known that painting on rocks that are left out in nature isn't great for the environment, local eco systems etc.... that people would have stopped doing them by now. I've seen less locally than I used to.

I didn’t know there was an unwritten rule to re-hide, although I’ve also never found a painted stone anywhere and didn’t known this was something common enough for anybody to accrue a collection of them! That said,I have a friend who paints mini canvases and leaves them around his city for people to find as ‘free art’ to take home and had I ever found a stone I would have assumed they were left out to be found and taken in the same manner.

p.s.
Devon Rocks And Stones
Public group

·
33.6K members

and i am not one :)

but I have spotted several stones over the years.

Well one of my nieces painted a rainbow stone and left it on my Mum's grave and someone took that one which upset my niece.

Step-Mother, presumably.

Who cares?

I suppose, if you're supposed to re-hide them, then doing so outside on your doorstep is technically adhering to this.

Also, where did they get the stones from in the first place? Assuming they just found them and helped themselves, nature purists might consider artificially painting them as 'spoiling' them - so they could also be seen to have done a bad, anti-social thing, depending on your viewpoint.

That is appalling. Under a hedgerow or behind the swings in the park is fair game; but you don't desecrate somebody's grave - ever.

In barmouth we saw someone selling ones that had been hidden in the town, in their shop!

Our local group also says keep or reside- there were a couple in our front garden when we moved in that I assume the kids of the previous owners had found, and my daughter has found and kept one too. I think if you have loads it’s probably nice to leave some for other people but you’re really overreacting here

That's awful. I can't imagine the person who did that thought it was part of the game. They were just a horrible person. Your poor niece

@forestblade The keep or hide is a beautiful sentiment and respects freedom of choice. Please don’t ruin it with judging others harshly for choosing to keep. Anyone who visits her will
see these painted rocks and perhaps share in the joy.

As much as I like the sentiments around painting rocks and putting them around spaces I also don't like it. It feels like another unnecessary way in which humans alter the environment for their needs and not consider nature. Sure its not great for nature? But am an evil spoilsport so off before am pitchforked😘

Never heard of this or ever seen a stone, and am in my 50s. It’s amazing and quite nice, the number of hobbies and communities there are in the world that you’re unaware of!

It seems that the ethics of the game are keep or replace, so don’t think your SM can be criticised really.

“aghast” lol

I like the sound of your artist friend, @MolkosTeenageAngst. Someone placed a few 'fairy houses' around my town, and then it stopped. Perhaps there's a travelling crafter distributing them around the country!

I can understand the enthusiasm for stone-painting, though I've never found one myself. I don't like them; stones are supposed to look like stones, imo. They probably make a cheerful display on your SM's step, leave her be!

Aghast lol
You sound utterly insufferable your poor step mother

Thats just her local one

Alot of places have local ones
Then there is one main national one called ‘Love on the rocks’ which has over 150K members

I wonder if there is one poor rock painter who keeps putting them in the same place and your SM just ambles along and takes them all 😂

You buy them from building merchants normally
So they are big

These ones travelled from Washington USA

I'm with @TheCoffeeNebula on this one: People can't just make up rules and then be offended that other people don't follow them. SIL didn't agree with the rules of the game or to play the game at all

I absolutely hate it when other people decide that because I have done one thing I am honour bound to do another specific thing. Just because in their head it is "First A then follows B" it doesn't mean that it is obvious for other people. Especially, when you then think "Oh, that was why he was so eager for me to do that/ go there. He knew I didn't want to do B and now he thinks that he can make me".

My DH and I once found an old lady with Alzheimer's who had wandered off from her nursing home and escorted her home. The staff then expected us to start visiting her. We were both studying really heavy subjects and didn't have time to see our own families! But in their heads because we had voluntarily given a bit more than an hour once we were now honour bound to continue to donate our time.