the story of the shopping cart.

I came home yesterday and there was a shopping cart sitting in front of our neighbors' driveway. Not directly in front, but off to the side. I didn't think much of it other than "huh, wonder how that got there?" A couple of hours later, I was making the bed in our guest room, which looks out onto the street, and I saw our neighbor get out of his car, glower at our front door, and kick the shopping cart into our driveway.

Seriously. Can you say passive-aggressive neighborhood? And I haven't even told you the story of the neighbors across the street and their note... maybe another day...

Tuesday is garbage/recycling day, so when I finished making up the bed, I went outside to put the bins on the curb for early-morning pick up. I grabbed the cart and hauled it up onto the sidewalk so at least it would be out of the street, GLARING at the neighbors' front door the entire time. Then, I fretted. What the heck am I going to do with a shopping cart? I know the neighbor made it MY problem, but it's not my style to just pass the buck and do that to someone else. So, I was awake half the night, somewhere between anger and confusion, thinking about an abandoned Safeway shopping cart. Full of grocery bags. What was in those bags? Body parts? Drugs? My imagination ran wild.

I woke up this morning and it was still there. Staring at me, half on the curb, half in the gutter. I had called the store to see if they would come get it, but I got a "not our problem" response. It took all of my energy not to run next door and ask them to help me put it in their truck and get rid of it. It certainly wasn't going to fit in my Jetta! But I resisted and took the dog to play some fetch and clear my mind.

The happy ending, if you want to call it that, is that as I rounded the corner on my way back from the park, I saw a man walking off, pushing the cart in front of him! I lingered at the corner, letting him take his time. I've never been so grateful for recycling day and the folks who pick the bottles out for the 5 cent return. Hopefully, it will help him collect lots of cans and bottles and he'll get some decent cash.

These are the days that I miss Chicago and its direct (OK, actively aggressive) tone. I am so not cut out for this friendly neighborhood business.