Ok....I know that one day I will be old.....

...but dang it, old people are REALLY getting on my nerves!!!!!!!!!


I believe in respecting your elders and all that, but there are just some things old people should not do. Or assume they have the right to do. It's so frustrating.


For instance, last week I got a visit from our old lady neighbor. You see....we live on a cul-de-sac. There are only 5 houses on our "street." And we are the middle house....#3 of the 5 houses. (literally...we are stuck in the middle!) Anyways, on one corner we have an old couple (the hubby is 79, so she's probably close to that.) Well, the husband is nice, but I barely even know the wife at all. She was sick w/ shingles on her face when we moved here....so I stayed away. Didn't want her to feel self-conscious or whatever. Figured I'd meet her later. Well, I have only seen/talked to this woman twice. Once, when I went to her door to get her daughters phone # for Ike......tv news related errand. Was there like 4 minutes to get number and get it to Ike quickly. The second was just a month ago on Halloween night. We even took a pic w/ their granddaughter. It was nice, but casual. And again, about 5 minutes. (and we were with the old neighbor who moved away, but came back to let her son trick-or-treat with my son... and that was the main reason for the pictures,etc...not that I even know their granddaughter.)


On the other corner, we have another older couple. Probably in their late 50's to low 60 years old. They are nice enough, but they are super-douper chain smokers. Like....I went to their door once and opened the storm door to knock on their front door and the ciggy smoke smell was disgustingly overwhelming...wafting onto the front porch. And they weren't even home smoking at the time. This was lingering smoke. Gross.


In addition, the wife is the biggest busybody you have ever met in your life. She knows OUR EVERY MOVE. Actually, EVERYONE'S EVERY MOVE!!!! Like once when Ike went out of town on business, he took an airport shuttle. And within 30 min. after he left, I went out to check the mail and she was running out to ask me where my hubs was going and when he'd be back. And why was he going? And were we staying alone? And what would I be doing?
Just..... N.O.S.E.Y!!!!!!!!


She is also obsessed w/ the neighbor who lives between me and her. (my good friend Kelly) She wants to know what's going on with her divorce? Why isn't it done yet? When's he moving out? Doesn't she see how bad he is? He hates me. I think he's in infant. I'm scared of him. He's rude. He's got an anger problem. We don't trust him. We think he's mean. ...... ON and ON and ON and ON! Just because one time they had a disagreement with Kelly's husband like almost 3 years ago. (can you say grudge?!?!)


Then, it's onto the house on the other side of me. It's going into foreclosure. The owners are trying to sell it For Sale By Owner. So, she wants to know. "How can they sell that house when it's not theirs. Ya know, it was in the paper that Countrywide has foreclosed on it. And if they hadn't been so greedy w/ their house and the other rental houses they bought, they wouldn't be in this mess. And they deserve it, they are not good people."
(well, first of all......I feel sorry for anyone in this situation. Secondly, how does she know anything about their financial situation?! SHE DOES NOT!!!! And Third, I know these people. Although, they have never lived here since I have.....the wife teaches swim lessons and I was at her house about 4 times a week for and entire month this summer!!! So....I got to know her and I like her. The husband is a fireman......a hero. Seriously, so what's so bad about them?!)
Anyway, she just showed how shallow and mean she really is.


So.....she's on my nerves bad. I am just nice enough to her to keep her close enough to
watch her. But, dang it, woman........Mind your own business!!
(Kelly and I call her Mrs. Kravitz........the nosy neighbor from Bewitched!)


NOW.....the two old ladies, who are one on each corner and their houses are directly across from each other.......are good friends. One set has lived here 25 years. The other 17 years.
They BELIEVE they own the place. WHAT-EVER!!!!!!!


So, last week on the day it hit a big 19 degrees........my doorbell rings. I go to the door and it's the shingles lady.....the one who has never really even talked to me. And certainly never made an effort to come meet me or anything.

I open the door and she blurts out, " I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure, come on in. What can I do for you?" I respond.

She says no.

So.....we stand there.....her in the cold, me getting cold and letting all my very expensive heat out the front door! And me, trying to keep Marinne from running outside w/ my legs.


So, she basically lays into me (although, under the guise of me doing her a "favor") about our trash cans. You see, this was Wednesday morning. About 9am. And our trash day is Monday. She was upset because our trash day is Monday and our trash cans are at the curb on Wednesday morning.

(in my defense, I had told Jensen to bring them up the afternoon before, but he did not do it. And at 9am, I had not been out, so I had not noticed yet that he did not do his chore.)

She continues on that we need to be mindful of property values, etc. And if I would just do her a favor and bring in the cans on Monday, rather than not. Because, it really makes the neighborhood look bad. And, really, there is no reason it shouldn't be done on Monday. And they've lived here 25 years and they expect our street to look nice. And she doesn't appreciate looking out her window to see our trashcans. On and On and On.


Then she says.....well, we had to say something to Kelly about her trashcans and she's doing much better now. (like it's their job to police all of us.....)


Now, mind you.....during this entire episode she won't look at my face, she is standing sideways looking at the foreclosure house. Which irritated me, as well.
If you're gonna bitch me out, at least look me in the eye.


So, then, she says, " How does Dan think he's gonna sell that house. It's not even theirs. You know that Countrywide is foreclosing on them. They've wintered the house and changed the locks."

Well.....this really pissed me off.

Hateful, judgemental, busybody, know-it-all old lady!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, I went off.

I said, "Well, that house is their's until the foreclosure is final. And I hope, for them, they can sell it. It's so awful that foreclosure is happening to so many hard-working people these days. And I feel sorry for them. And you should, too."


To this, she replies.....

"well....just do me that favor and bring the trash cans up....."


So, at this point, I am pissed!


So, I blurt out, "If it bothers you so much, you are welcome to roll them up the driveway any time you'd like to.......!!!!!!!!"

And I shut the door.....

WHATEVER!!!!!!


I sure don't need to be told what to do by a woman I don't even know!!!


NOW....I did make Jensen bring the trash cans up, because I had asked him to the day before and he didn't. And I grounded him, as well. (and I hated that it made it look like we did it just to please her, but that was not the case. I made him do it because he needs to be accountable....so it was a simple parenting decision.)

So, I called Kelly and told her what happened. She thought it was completely ridiculous. And she said they had NEVER asked her to do anything with her trash cans that she knew of.
(so I asked her hubby......who was angry she came over and said all that to me....and he immediately drug out his trash can to the curb in support of me. For the record, they never said anything to him, either.....so she lied to me.....whatever.....)


But, when I told Big Daddy what had happened, he was FURIOUS!!!!
And, it was everything I could do to keep him from going right over there and taking their heads off. He really was angry. And it's really a miracle he didn't go over there.

He does not take kindly to being told what to do at his own home.

So, as soon as he came home that night, he drug those trash cans right back to the street.
To send his message.



Ok....now, I know that large trash cans aren't the most beautiful thing to look at, but if you've ever heard me whine about my husbands insane work schedule....you'd know why the trash cans sometimes get missed!! (technically, all things trash related are the hubs responsibility....
although I help frequently....) So, anyway....whatever!!


But, in the grand scheme of things......are trash cans reallllllly THAT important?!?!

I mean.....find a serious complaint OR better yet, go find a serious problem in the world and do something to help with it.....

So.....you can see why they are bugging me......


Then, I had to take G to the pediatrician. And the office is 1/2 mile from our house. And in that short drive....I had 2 different old people (one man, one woman) almost hit us. Ok, if you can't see.....DON'T DRIVE!!!! Pretty simple concept......

Ok....rant over.