I work the 3-11 shift tonight. I'm actually looking forward to the shift, not sure if I'm on alone or not, but either way it's a Sunday and sunny, so people coming by the store will be either leaving Cape Cod after a nice weekend playing in the sand, or locals who are ready for another week of work after a few days of break.

Grumpy from next door called the house and yelled at all the kids in the yard... again... I told him I was more than willing to designate *quiet times* so he could have two hour blocks during the day with no kids in my yard (that is not to say that kids in neighboring yards wouldn't be around, but I have no control over that...) I thought I was being more than reasonable, seeing as there is no law against kids playing in a yard. But Grumpy just blew up on me, in his drunken stupor, and requested that the entire day be quiet-time. So, I told him to get back to me when he was sober and reasonable, and then I further told him that if he keeps harrassing me and the kids with his booze-induced grumpiness that I was going to call the cops on him. Found out that both of his other neighbors on either side of his house have also been having problems with Grumpy calling and demanding complete silence. This guy needs to look into retirement communities that don't allow children instead of coming to Cape Cod each summer and spending 3 months yelling and complaining at the 3 houses that surround him where year-round residents with kids are trying to enjoy the summer time with water sprinklers, pools and trampolines. Nothing bothers this guy more than 4 kids laughing in a pool at noon time. Much as you want to accomodate the guy and give him some peace, he isn't flexible at all... I've left for entire days with the kids, and last week was gone for at least 3 days out of the week, so one would think he'd be pretty content. Or maybe on those days the noise-of-living from the other two houses got his wrath. Thank gosh my dad was here yesterday so I could ask him what he thought of the noise level the guy was calling about... my father said the guy was in the wrong, that the noise level was not at all loud, and he told me that if the guy called again or yelled over the fence at me or the kids I should just call the cops. And that is what I'll be doing. I'd tried to avoid it, because I don't want to cause the guy any problems, but he seems drunker and crankier every year, and knowing other neighbors are having the same issues with him makes me feel the guy needs to be told to go ride out his booze-buzz in the comfort of his house instead of coming outside to relieve himself of his misery all over the neighbors.

It's been this way for the past 5 years... the guy is old, though, so one day he'll kick the bucket and I sometimes wonder if he knows the legacy he will be leaving behind as I'm sure my kids will recall decades from now "The drunk, grumpy old man that used to yell all summer long..."