A Fellow Acusee

 So after I reminded our lawn guy that he could no longer use his gas powered leaf blowers, on account of the stupid Village of Pinecrest prohibition against them and the threatening letter I received -- he's disappeared. Wifey is kind of happy -- she wasn't a fan of their work, anyway, and if they don't visit by the time we return from next week's Maine trip, she'll look for a new company.

I received both a certified letter AND regular one, warning me that if we were cited for allowing this awful activity, it would be a $250 fine the first time, and $500 thereafter. It sure scared me straight, but also opened a can of annoyance.

It seems everyone else's guys still use the gas powered machines, including our Mayor's house. The other day, I drove past a Village clean up crew removing branches from Ludlam Road, and THEY had one roaring away, too.

I assumed I had been targeted -- probably by my weird ass neighbor Riva, who was angry at me for telling her to quit harassing me about signing her stupid petition about a bike path. Such are the problems in Pinecrest.

But this am I ran into Frank, my affable neighbor, and it turns out HE Got the two dreaded letters, too. Frank's in his 70s, and he and Martha (the Ds LOVE their classic Boomer gringo names) have lived in the 'hood a long time -- empty nesters like us. He's a retired Baptist Health exec, and we often chat during our walks about grandkids, sports, etc...

So we're both victims. I didn't think he was Jewish, but asked anyway. "Nope," "standard Christian white guy." There went any anti-semitic cards, or anti-Christian ones.

"Wait," he said, "Maybe there's an anti-monotheism bias?" Frank was onto something, but then I realized it was also anti rich, white guy discrimination. But we realized that described our entire neighborhood, if not the entire Village.

Our search for victimhood was over. It must have been random, as the millennials say -- some stray code enforcement guy was driving past when he saw our houses being serviced.

For now, nothing to do. Tomorrow night Canes have a yuuuge game, as Wifey would say -- they play at FSU. I'm hosting Norman and his boy Benji, and Barry and maybe Josh and Donna, to watch. I plan to bring in DiNapoli -- pizza and stromboli and calzone -- pillars of football watching food.

Sunday we have a Zoom call set for noon -- Wifey, Mike, Loni, Barry, and Donna. We have to decide restaurant reservations and excursions for our NYE cruise -- more happy things to do, though Barry jokes that he LOATHES having to make any more decisions about anything, given the kindergarten-like behavior of the academic doctors he supervises.

And then Monday. Poor Wifey -- she really dislikes early flights, and we have one that leaves MIA at 8:29, on account of there are no nonstops to Maine, and if we left later, we get in too late. Worse, with the government shutdown, and angry TSA agents, we have to leave even earlier! She will endure, I suppose.

I just look MOST forward to being in a place with a temperature that doesn't begin with a 7. Per Kenny, the nights now are in the 50s -- exquisite sleeping weather.

It'll be great to catch up with our dear friends -- Kenny said weather permitting, Monday afternoon may be the final boat ride on the lake of the year. Tuesday and Wednesday we're staying at an Inn in Rockport, and Thursday and Friday at a different Rockport Inn.

Looking MOST forward to it -- and then a return to deal with leafblower-gate.

Such are things in Pinecrest. It could be worse!