No "ping" or "pop" in the Home

"Whooping It Up"
Remember the crabby old lady on your block that went into launch mode if you rode your bike or skateboarded down "her" sidewalk? She (and it was invariably a woman) would stand on the porch and almost dare you to traverse "her" space. Playing ball in the street? That was certain to get a call off to the police, as was being loud after, say, 7:30 on a hot summer evening. In case you've wondered where those folks have gone today, the answer is simple: they have moved to "adults only" retirement communities, and they STILL have the same mindset of "This is mine,and I can make any rules I want to make."
Movement to these retirement communities began in Sun City, Arizona, quite a while ago, overtook Florida faster than the raping of the Everglades could take place, and has since become a nationwide phenomena. My uncle in Texas loves living in one, and so do ten or fifteen other retirees I know who've begun to use up all the water in florida for the 30 golf courses in The Villages. The life is simple:pickleball in the morning, golf in the afternoon, cocktails and dinner at 6, and in bed by 9 or so, but the rules are somewhat complex...no kids except visits which are strictly regulated, cars or walking since everyone has a golf cart, no painting your house the way you want inside or out, and no distractions like a bright blue planter outside your door. Oh yes, the driveway must be cleaned as well.
All of this has been chronicled in a book entitled Leisureville, written by a reporter for NPR in an attempt to understand what made such places so attractive. As a potential buyer, I checked it out and would rather slash my own throat before moving to such a conformist environment. And now, there is a widespread attempt to ban pickleball!
Our friend Lisa sent us an article from The Wall Street Journal (noted liberal media source) that exposed significant attempts to ban the hottest game for active seniors on the planet: a game that requires minimal athletic ability yet combines the competitiveness and skill of tennis and table tennis. People have gravitated to the game of pickleball for all of these reasons, and now, others in these gated, age-restricted communities are trying to ban this activity as too noisy. Would you believe that some adherents play after 7 p.m. at night! I mean really! And the noise: There's all this pinging and popping all the time as well as whooping it up and EVEN trash talking" among those on the court! How's a body supposed to sleep or get any peace and quiet with all that noise going on. In case you are interested, the

Journal

article describes the noise levels in decibels, and it is significantly lower than that created by vuvuzelas--something I would be blowing if I were living anywhere near those cranky people! Senior citizens being active, getting healthy, having fun...all day every day instead of hanging out at the bars or watching TV, trying not to die so soon. Horrors!~
I've got just the place for those not-so-active seniors who want solitude and a minimum of outside distractions.
It's called the nursing home. Go there.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704689804575536172202963804.html