Auditions Open for Idaho’s Latest Neighborhood Grouch

I simply snapped.  New neighbors were moving in and I found myself yelling at them.  I don’t think I’ve done anything like this in 30 years.  I’m an out of shape white-haired guy and there were three of them unloading a moving truck.  It was parked at an angle and difficult to get around.  I was coming home from shopping, where I had issues with a self-checkout.  The week had been a busy one.  It’s a feeling of being inconvenienced at every turn. 

My view at home right now is comprised of temporary fencing, piles of dirt and warning signs.  Dozens of parking spaces have vanished during construction.  I’ve got an assigned space under a roof but over the last few weeks I’ve encountered other people “borrowing” the spot.  One afternoon it was a construction worker looking to eat his lunch under the shade.  Another day it was an empty car and after an hour or so it was gone.  People have been parking in such a manner there have been some mornings I’ve thought I’ll be blocked in. In fact there were a couple of mornings where I barely squeezed through tight fits.  I’m not sure going door-to-door at 2:45 in the morning would be a solution.  Most people wouldn’t answer at that hour and most wouldn’t want to come out and move a car.

When I managed to get around the moving truck, there was a pickup in my assigned parking.  I stopped, got out and shouted at two people unloading.  A third person showed up and apologized.  He was there to help friends and didn’t know the rules.  I should’ve said I was sorry for being a hot-head.  “It’s my assigned space!” is all I could muster.  He moved the truck while I made a couple of trips with my groceries.

I’ve become my dad.  While he had some fine qualities he also had moments when he erupted.  As I say, for me it appears to happen once every 30 years.  For him, it was at least once every week.  He was known as the neighborhood grouch.  People I’ve known for much of my life still laugh with me about his outbursts.  It’s just that they weren’t funny at the time.  I’ll try and do better.