Dealing with the non-logical...

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I figured out my neighbor... She doesn't listen to logic...

I told her I was getting a bird bath for my balcony, and she said "Theyre probably not allowed here, the water would spill out and rot the wood"

My response was "one of the other neighbors has a bird bath, plus it rains on the balconies, they are weather-resistant"

Her response was "that's not true, trust me, bird bath water would make the balcony rot!"

Ummmm.... I really, really don't know how to respond to this...

Don't respond. Just go ahead and get your bird bath.

Honestly, some people don't have the ability to be logical. Doesn't meant they are worse - or better - than you. Just different.

You seek the evidence; this other person doesn't.

Who would I believe more?

She could have a bit of a point, depending on the design of the bird bath.
If it's like the one we had when I was a child, fairly large and flat bottomed, it could trap water underneath it. A solution to that possible issue would be to elevate the birdbath in one way or another, thus allowing airflow to dry the wood out.
That said, I'd guess the wood is preassure treated, so really shouldn't be an issue.

/Mats

Sounds like she has experience and has observed some kinds of bird baths causing rot. Whether she knows why, or not. And Mohsart's flat bottom trapping water theory sounds right to me.

So it maybe irrational for you to dismiss what she says as being irrational.

Logically, I'd assume that she does not want birds around, clean or otherwise, but does not want to say so. What reaction do you get to a bird feeder? How about wind chimes? People are so often illogical that it never surprises me now.

Your neighbor may not be illogical. If you had inquired further of her she may have articulated her concerns in greater detail (such as flat bottom, etc.). If she had reasons for her concerns, she could still be logical.

Logical reasons may not be available for a person to articulate. For example if your neighbor had a cat and was fearful that the cat might be attracted to a concentration of birds and potentially fall off the balcony, she might not be able to specifically detail her concerns and it might just come out as "I don't like it".

Okay she really wierded me out today... She was trying to convince me that the boxed milk you get at food banks (we both got some today) was pig's milk... When I'm like "no" she got defensive and more insistant...

I wish you could meet people more your speed, Angnix.

It's a hassle to get milk from a pig----why would people go through all the trouble????

All female mammals produce milk.

I got you!