Neighborhood distress

One of the things I've come to realize since being laid off is that there are, in my immediate neighborhood, quite a lot of children, who play outside quite a lot of the time. Objectively, I would think of this as a good thing: they're not planted in front of the TV or computer, isolated and sedentary, but are outside, running and biking and playing with others. Good for them, right? Good for their parents, right?

A lot of the time, I'm finding that I'm not really capable of maintaining objectivity, because I'm a pretty quiet person, and they are frequently loud. Really loud. They yell back and forth, skid their bike tires, argue, all under my windows at top volume. There have been times, like when I had a headache, that I had to fight with myself not to yell back at them, "Shut up!" I'm home a lot more than when I was working, obviously, and somehow I find it bothers me more than it did when I was out all day. Maybe I was just so happy to be home, outside noises didn't intrude as much?

And on the other hand, as I tell myself, at least there is a bright side to their noise, societally speaking, which I can't say when my neighbor across the street is working in his yard again, mowing or weed-wacking or doing whatever-the-hell today's task is. (He's retired, and clearly loves his yard. Oy.)

Anyway, tonight, I was lying on the bed, reading and hanging out with Pan, and there's a group of the kids outside making loud retching noises. And by loud, I mean that with all the windows closed, it sounds like someone being sick next to my bed. I started to feel queasy, and had to leave the room. And no matter how much good it does to the future of humanity to have kids playing outside instead of inside, that's just nasty.

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts or insights? I'm sure it goes to show that I'm getting ever-closer to Old Fart status.

Hopefully, the corn on the cob that I'm having for dinner will comfort me. I stopped in at Wilson's today, and they still had "our own" corn, so I couldn't resist. In fact, it's time to get the pot boiling. What are you having for dinner? What can't you resist at your local farm or favorite store?