My Crazy Old Neighbour

I feel way older than my years.

When I was growing up, the neighbours two doors down were an older couple. The wife was pretty nice but I thought the husband was a total jackass (God rest his soul). He patrolled his lawn like he was a general in the army. Unfortunately for him, there were about 7 of us (children) on the block and we all used to play together after school and all day during the summer. We did regular kid stuff- riding our bikes up and down the sidewalk, street hockey, street football and so on. He really had nothing to worry about. I mean if he was alive today, he would appreciate us as kids like I appreciate him now as the old guy on the street.

He used to yell at us constantly. These are the things that drove him nuts:

- stepping on or near his lawn
- if one of our bikes was laid down on or even near his lawn
- if we stepped on his property at all
- if one of our toys, balls, hockey pucks etc landed on his lawn
- if we were in his eyesight, earshot when he was outside

I wish he was alive so I could talk to him now. I have become him. I would apologize for causing him so much grief. Don't get me wrong, he was a little crazy and could have definitely benefited from lightening up a bit. But sometimes I purposely do something to make him yell, just because I knew it would ruin his day.

I am now him and I think it will only get worse. I have no patience for the 16 year old to say ... 25 year old person. The older I get, the more I seem to be annoyed by people younger than me. I can't stand it when my neighbours kid walk on my lawn or use my yard to cut across to the other street. I guess I am old fashioned. When I was a kid, I was made by my mom to go across the street and ask the neighbour if I could cut through their yard to get to school. And if my memory serves me correctly, I had to ask every year even though they were the same neighbours.

I really don't know how to stop the progression of this and I am not even sure when it started but I should really just stock up on heart and high blood pressure medication now. Sorry Mr. D.