Some of you may know the translation of today’s title, some may not. For those who don’t I’m leaving it up to you to ask someone who speaks Italian, (that’s IT-alian, and not EYE-talian) and can translate the phrase for you. I don’t want to use one of the title words in this public forum, as Sally had a rule with the children she cared for, for over 40 years, that a certain word, included in the phrase above, is not to be used at Miss Sally’s house As much as I think it, and I feel it, I don’t really want to get a time out, and have to sit at the bottom of the steps leading to our second floor.

As I’ve told many who’ve asked where I get topics for inclusion to this column, I relay to them that many topics come from simple observation. I’m a people-watcher, I keep my eyes open and many ideas come from what I see. I’m also a person who doesn’t eavesdrop, but still having my auditory sense, and being in close proximity to some who say things, I do hear things, and can’t help shaking my head from sideways, amazed at what I heard, and then shaking it up and down, as what was said could be added to a long list of things I’ve heard that would add up to being a pretty interesting (entertaining?) article for this publication.

Anyway, there are some things that we see and hear that sound downright illogical, unbelievable, and another word I’m not saying in today’s piece.

Here are some examples of what I’m talking about. First, Driver’s Education needs to be re-instituted in school districts around the entire country today. I have, too many times, seen so many cars parked in the proximity of the side of the road today. I say proximity because many cars I’ve seen, have been anywhere from 12 to 24 inches away from curbs. Also, quite often, those cars are facing the wrong way, and often times again, are on the wrong side of the street, and often times once more, those cars have been parked directly across from another car parked on the correct side of the road, facing the correct direction, and are less than six inches from the curb. There are also times when people pulled over/parked on the wrong side of the street, facing the wrong way, and far away from the curb, across from another parked car are talking to someone who lives at the house they’re in front of, like that person can’t walk five steps across the street and stand on the correct curb to do their chatting or whatever else they may be doing. I guess there are some things that can’t be fixed.

Another traffic item of being “that word” is people who open car doors into traffic that’s moving in your direction when their car is stopped for whatever reason.

I’ve also seen cars stopped diagonally on streets with the front tire of the car touching the curb, and car’s backend sticking out in the middle of one of the driving lanes on a two-lane street. Many times, the cars have been parked that way and the driver’s already in the house he/she either lives in, or is visiting. And don’t get me started about cars parked on the lawns of properties, a City Ordinance Violation, which really could be disguised by putting an “Al’s Used Cars” sign on the lawn, or hanging from the house roof.

Another example that may fit this narrative is when I see people cross major streets illegally, where within 20 feet there is a crosswalk/traffic light/stop sign, put there for people to legally, and safely, cross the street there, making it far less dangerous to cross there, than in the middle of an unmarked road or street. And that leads to when a person does cross in the wrong place, they take their sweet behind slow time crossing, mostly because they’re busy staring at a small screen in their hand. Some even look up and continue at their own snail’s pace making cars slow down, obviously unintelligent of the fact that the car is probable going to hurt them more than they hurt the car. Again, some things can’t be fixed, I guess.

Let’s see, what else fits this topic? How about not knowing the difference between a parking place for a car and a place to return your shopping cart in a grocery or department store lot? If someone’s eyesight is even at half capacity, one should be able to see that a car/truck parking place is far too big for a shopping cart, and the cart return is way too small for any car or truck drive to fit their vehicle. At least, that’s the way I understand it. (I didn’t even have to try it once to know that either.)

And then there are drivers on the highway, or even on city streets in places, where certain drivers don’t seem to understand that their being in a hurry and haphazardly passing other cars, is dangerous to other people and vehicles on the road. I don’t like slowdowns in traffic, but I’m not going to risk an accident and/or any possible injury to my passengers or my vehicle to try and beat someone to the next traffic light or stop sign. This applies to those driving motorcycles too. In many of our travels we have seen two wheeled vehicles bob and weave through traffic, sometimes riding on the lane marker on a two or three laned highway. I’ve seen many lawn signs asking people to “Watch out for Motorcycles,” and we try to do that, but it loses some of the impact when we see drivers of motorcycles ride like there’s no one else on the road.

One more thing before my poison pen runs out. Those octagonal, red signs at many street corners that have four letters printed across is pronounced letter by letter, S before T, before short O, and then P. The word is stop and it means just that, STOP. I know some might think it says post, or tops, or pots, or opts (thinking they have the option to stop or not) but is really does spell and mean STOP. Something that is “that word” really is easily self- correcting, as are all the items in this list of things that are “that word.” Maybe there is hope after all.

Meanwhile back at home, I didn’t even get to other things I’ve seen/heard that fit this essay, like kids that wear hoodies with hoods up in the heat of spring and fall months going to school, and in the deep freeze of winter are wearing shorts and just hoodies while walking to school. (Thanks, Mrs. Pitts!) Maybe another day, but maybe it won’t be necessary. But, how about it, Sal? Got through this one without saying “the word!” Aren’t you proud of me?