Look out for Granny!

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I try to work out at the YMCA in Canandaigua.
So last Tuesday (August 6th, 2013) I set out for Canandaigua — Routes 5&20.
I turned down a side-road to avoid the infamous Bloomfield speed-trap.
I swear the Village of Bloomfield extended their 35 mph speed-zone out beyond the perceived village-limits to fill their coffers.
Driving east out Bloomfield Village you go down a hill, your car speeds up, and there sits Smoky taking pictures.
A toll-taker! 100 smackaroos!
I have been snared in that speed-trap many times. After the fourth time I said “enough!”
The Village of Bloomfield can do without my presence, They wore out their welcome.
So I found side-roads that go south of Bloomfield village. They eventually merge back into 5&20, which takes me to Canandaigua.
About 200 yards south of 5&20 is the entrance to a trailer-park on the right.
It’s where geezers and empty-nesters live out their lives until the nursing-home.
My 80-year-old aunt would go ballistic if she heard “trailer-park.”
“They’re not trailers,” she’d yell “They’re manufactured homes.”
She lives in one herself.
Well, whatever. They usually lack basements, and are on land the trailer-park owns.
Plop your manufactured-home on the trailer-park’s land, then pay rent for the land.
Although I’ve seen manufactured-homes on basements on land the house-owner owns.
Sometimes the owner roofs his manufactured-home so it looks stick-built.
Many of the houses in my neighborhood are manufactured-homes.
My immediate neighbor to the south is a double-wide manufactured-home.
Another neighbor across the street is a double-wide manufactured-home.
Another neighbor back from the road had a devil of a time getting his double-wide situated. It was on a curvy and bumpy access-road, and now his roof leaks.
My house and my neighbor’s across the street are stick-built. Two steps south of me is also stick-built. My aging neighbor called it “the ship.” It’s large, the only two-story around, and angled vis-a-vis the street. (My house is only one story.)
Double-wide manufactured-homes are usually in halves 10-12 feet wide, the maximum width than can be trailered.
Once in place the halves are bolted together.
My wife considered a manufactured-home for our new house (the house I’m currently in) 23 years ago.
But I was leery of manufactured-homes. I felt they didn’t give much design leeway. My proposed garage was 24 feet wide. That’s as wide as a double-wide.
I turned off 5&20 onto my side-road, and there sat Granny in the trailer-park entrance in her navy-blue Ford Focus. She was signaled to turn left onto my side-road toward 5&20.
I continued, and was about 50 yards from the entrance and suddenly Granny accelerated right in front of me.
Did she even see me at all?
I stopped, thinking I sure was glad I once drove transit bus. Madness like that was always occurring.
“Oh Dora, look. A bus. PULL OUT! PULL OUT!”
If another driver was nearby, expect anything!
And sure enough, there was Granny pulling in front of me.
I threw up my hands as she motored placidly by. But I don’t think she noticed.
I should have blown my horn.

• “5&20” is the main east-west road (a two-lane highway) through my area; State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20, both on the same road. 5&20 is just south of where I live. It used to be the main road across Western New York before the Thruway.
• My beloved wife of over 44 years died of cancer April 17th, 2012. At the time she was 68. I miss her dearly. (I’m now 69.)
• For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY, a public employer, the transit-bus operator in Rochester and environs. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that. I retired on medical-disability. I recovered fairly well.