Old People Are Funny

The community where Donna and I live has about 300 housing units and about 450 to 500 people. All homes are considered "independent living." Most of us are still pretty fit and remain quite active. There are a few who receive some type of nursing care, but those are the rare few.

I enjoy our little community. And I enjoy watching how some of our older neighbors conduct themselves.

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I walk quit a bit, often early in the morning. Most days, the local paper has been delivered by the time I hit the streets, but sometimes the carrier is running late and I have to dodge him as he careens about the neighborhood, throwing papers and causing general havoc. I think the scamp has thrown a paper or two at me.

When he is running late and I see him make his rounds, almost immediately after he delivers a paper, I'll often see a porch light come on or a slowly moving figure appear holding a flashlight. The holder will hobble out, flashlight panning the driveway in search of the paper. After a moment, the paper is scooped up and the homeowner returns inside to read that paper.

Our mail is usually delivered sometime between noon and 2:00 PM. If I happen to be outside when the carrier makes his rounds, the street looks like a meerkat village. The very moment the carrier drives away from a group of mailboxes, here come the meerkats to collect the mail.

Old folks have their routines, and they don't like them disrupted at all. They expect their mail and paper to be delivered at the same time every day, and when they aren't, they get a bit antsy.

I'm glad Donna and I aren't like that!