Grandpa,
A co-worker of mine has recently married. He is much less than half my age and has a totally different lifestyle than my wife and I have. I am approaching retirement age and do not wish to be social friends with individuals younger than my own children. I do not dislike the fellow. The only thing we have in common is that we both park in the company parking lot at work. I believe the young man has a problem making friends because he is constantly inviting everyone to his home for cards or dinner or various parties. He asks us to go bowling with him. With the advent of Spring right around the corner, he is already talking about forming a golf outing. I want to tell him to quit bothering me with his offers, invites, and ideas. I have never met his wife and do not care to so do. Give me a good way to brush him off with out coming across as antisocial.
Grandpa says: You obviously have a problem being open and honest with the man. Sounds to me that you do not choose to verbalize the fact that you are of diverse generations and do not care to mingle. I won’t second guess your reasons. May I suggest you cut out this column and give it to him?
Grandpa,
A neighbor of mine has several junk cars in his yard. He claims to be a mechanic. I had an SUV in my driveway with a “For Sale” sign on it. Saturday when I was not home, he climbed through the car to look it over. He opened the hood and fooled around in the engine area. The only way I knew he did it was the smell of cigarettes was in the car. He later came and offered me (one fifth of the asking price) for it. He told me that I will never get it because the car has “a bad cooling system”. I did not sell it to him. Later, another buyer came to look at it and found (Grandpa will not divulge the type of damage done to the vehicle. Grandpa does not chose to glorify this act of cowardice). It is a good thing the engine had not been started since the (damage was done). The man who found the (sabotage) bought it for (10% less than the asking price). I cannot prove that my neighbor put the (foreign substance) into the (engine). He will not admit it. All I want to know is if he put it in to get a lower price or to punish me for not selling it at his offered price. He is not talking.
Grandpa says: Be glad he isn’t. That is the best relationship you can have with him. Protect yourself and your property. Buy a low-cost camera and mount it so you can see who is trespassing on your property. They have cameras for less than $50. You lost more than that just on the one deal of the car. Cameras don’t lie.
Got something stuck in your craw? Ask Grandpa. Address your letters to Ask Grandpa c/o The Voice, PO Box 123, Aurora, IL 60507 or send an E-mail to askgrandpa@thevoice.us.