Proof Positive

Not that I want to belabor a subject...or perhaps I do...but, I wrote a post about the Snowbird Migration a week or two ago. Two of several issues I mentioned are 1) seniors leaving shopping carts all over tarnation and 2) seniors making left turns from the right lanes or vice versa. Oh - I almost forgot, there's a third 3) the influx of Mercury Grand Marquis (by the boatload). I detected just a hint of cynicism in the comments of my bonny bloggie buddies in regard to just how postworthy and rampant these issues are.

Here's some proof positive.

I was dashing about doing errands, the day after my post, and I snapped the following 2 pictures, within minutes of each other that exemplify the rampanticity of these very issues. I'm just sure rampanticity is a word. Well it is now. Is too.

Specimen A. Shopping cart abandonment. This shopping cart, sitting in the grass, directly in front of my left bumper was abandoned in a parking lot that has no store that offers the convenience of shopping carts. Directly in front of the cart is a grassy area that happens to be the lawn of a residential complex for seniors.

Specimen B: Eclectic turns. I took this picture at the intersection of Nebraska and US 19. I am situated in the left turn lane waiting for the light to change to green. The Grand Marquis containing two women (let's call them Gertie (driver) and Melvina) aged approx. 89 - 100, is sitting in the lane that both arrows and signage clearly define as RIGHT TURN ONLY. There are two lanes of thru traffic between Gert's car and mine. Gertie has decided, on a whim, that she would much prefer to turn left than make that (obviously optional to Gertie) RIGHT TURN ONLY. Gertie has nosed out onto US19 and turned her car to the left. She has blocked all opportunity for the 30 - 70 cars directly behind her to make their right turn. She has flailed her arms in my direction and smiled brightly and pointed towards the left turn signal in an attempt to get my agreement to allow her to:

1. Continue to block the right turn lane

2. Cross in front of two lanes of thru traffic

3 . position her car in front of mine when the left turn arrow turns green

I opted to ignore her. I took a picture of her for you instead. I felt I could not speak for the people behind her, or the two lanes of traffic between us, or the pedestrian who had carelessly decided to cross the street with Gert hanging in limbo over there. The moment the light turned green I was out of there. My main concern was the ensuing gunfire that might erupt from one or more of the cars behind her.

So, I'm just sayin'.

On a lighter note, I had lunch today with son Jason, my friend Heather and her daughters Emma and Drew. Emma, seated to the left in this (very shadowy) picture, is 18 months old. I am seated to the right. When the check came, Emma, already very adept in social etiquette apparently decided pay and grabbed one end of the check. Isn't that sweet. I just couldn't let her do it though, so I grabbed the other end. You see, I had just helped her put all her things back into her little pink Hello Kitty purse. She had a giraffe, a little fishy teething toy, a rattle and a picture of a monkey - but no evidence whatsoever of a credit card or a bank roll. So I held on to my end, she (grinning her little toothy grin) the other until her fingers finally slipped off. I knew I'd win. She gets to eat her corn with her fingers. I had to eat mine with my fork. I had much better traction.