Neighbors Just Don't Understand

It's a lovely Saturday here. Not too hot, with a gentle breeze. Partly cloudy, with a chance of rain in the evening. It was a great morning for the kids to spend plenty of time playing outside before the rain sets in around dinner time. They played hard, they got dirty, and they wore themselves out. When naptime rolled around, there was no argument from the Little Miss - she was so ready to snuggle up with her blanket for a few hours. There was considerably less argument from the Little Sir than usual, which was quite pleasant from my perspective.

With my kids safely tucked in for their naps, I crept quietly down the stairs to eat a late lunch and finish up the grocery list. I was gearing up for a kid-free shopping trip - woo hoo! About that time, one of my neighbors was gearing up for an afternoon of lawnmower blade sharpening. I kid you not. If you don't know what this sounds like, imagine chainsawing through a piece of metal - a healthy-sized chunk.

You know, I see the UPS man less often that I see my neighbor, but he remembers that I have small children. When he drops off a package, he knocks lightly on the front door - he never rings the doorbell. I really appreciate that about the UPS man. He probably put a note in his little computer/scanner thingy - "Lady with napping kids lives here - knock on door - don't ring doorbell." I mean, he may not have committed it to his personal memory, but he has a note to remind him. Awesome.

I don't expect that my neighbor will never sharpen his lawnmower blades. My husband has sharpened the blades on our mower before. I know that lawnmower blades need to be sharpened. I was just kind of cringing that my kids might wake up and miss their naps - ugh. And, I needed to vent. Thanks for "listening."

By the way - the kids didn't wake up (I waited to be sure....). I did get to shop alone, and I spent about $160 on groceries. All of that food will be gone in about 20 minutes, so I'm glad my husband likes his job.