IPROMISED myself I would never become a grouchy old man. You know, the kind who seems to think he has earned the right to vent about everything, simply because he has been around a long time.

That was then.

Now, as I embrace my "active adulthood," I find that grouchy is good-- at least, within reason. Depending on the subject, it can be downright therapeutic.

It's true that some senior citizens appear to claim a free pass for venting simply because they've "showed up" all these years. But most of us bring a wealth of experience to the table. That's why we've "seen it all before."

So, with a pledge not to allow my grouchiness to sink into cynicism, here are a couple of far-from-inactive-adult vents:

Back in the day, as we like to say, Fredericksburg had a phrase that seemed to sum up its identity (though in somewhat inflated form): "America's Most Historic City."

It must have been true. It was even on the milk bottles that were delivered to your front door.

Now there's a new phrase: "Road Work Ahead," followed by a sub-theme: "Rough Road."

Am I the only one who has found downtown Fredericksburg to be a hotbed of torn-up asphalt over the past few years?

From construction projects to drainage pipes to gas lines, there seem to be a million reasons to tear up the streets. More than a few times recently, I've found three or more blocks sealed off during a routine drive around town. In some cases, they seem to be tearing up the same block multiple times.

The final straw came when someone decided it was a fine idea to begin work not on one bridge across the Rappahannock, but on two.

Now, I realize I haven't done the "journalism" on why each of these annoyances might have been necessary and desirable. But why should I? I'm a grouchy old man.

What I do know is that you'd think from all the road work and traffic bumps downtown that Sandy had made a direct hit on America's Most Historic City.

Speaking of hurricanes, I bumped into many folks from the area this week who were griping as much about media hype as about Sandy itself.

It wasn't that folks were in denial about heavy rain, strong winds and power outages. Folks were steamed by the overstatements that accompanied the TV forecasts that lumped this area in with predictions for places farther north.

That grumpiness has been dissipated, I would guess, by the heartbreaking pictures that prove that Sandy did more than live up to its monster billing in the Northeast.

A tragedy of this scope can jar you out of your grouchiness in a heartbeat. It's enough to make you stop the venting and start praying for the communities that lost so much.

All of a sudden, I don't feel so grouchy--just sad.

Ed Jones: 540/374-5401
Email: edjones@freelancestar.com