Don’t get me wrong. I think Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are a good thing. Loads of communities are altering their zoning to permit ADUs so that aging boomers can live in their kids’ backyard. So that’s a good thing, yes??

Hmm, maybe. Questions: Would the ADU go next to the grandkids’ swing-set or in the middle of the dog run? Will it be in the way when Sonny wants to hook up the big camper? Will it have a view of the neighbors’ yards (on three sides)? And speaking of neighbors, how are they going to feel about the new tiny home that’s now part of their backyard view?

That’s just the list of physical placement issues. What about the psychological pitfalls of having Mom and Dad in the backyard? Are they parents or tenants? Babysitters or more like AirBnB travelers?

You would be fooling yourself to believe that an ADU for one or more parents will have little to no effect on your lifestyle. Just the movement of your “guests” in and out of the property will take some getting used to. Will they have a vehicle? If so, where is it going to be parked? Can you picture Dad sideswiping your car trying to get out of the shared driveway?

Lastly, and it’s no small matter, your children have been out on their own for years. They broke free from the family home but here they are, many years later, pulled back into the fold. It may feel like you’ve exchanged roles; you’re more like the child and they are more like the parent. It could be mind altering (not in the good way).

No doubt ADUs will work for many families but I think that having a truly large yard and empathetic neighbors will be prerequisites for those considering this route. That and an endless amount of patience throughout the adjustment phase.

On the plus side (See? It’s not all bad) your offspring can make sure you are physically and mentally stable because they are going to see you every day. The ADU option can facilitate the transition to more intensive assisted living alternatives when the time comes.

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.

Fogyism

Want to feel really out of it? Like an old fogy? Even the word fogy is old school for God’s sake!

But if you really want to feel out of it, check out the New York Times best albums of the year.

There were 25 artists listed in total and I only was familiar with 7 of them (see my list at end). See if you can do any better:

Charli XCX, ‘Brat’ and ‘Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat’

Brittany Howard, ‘What Now’

Vampire Weekend, ‘Only God Was Above Us’

Billie Eilish, ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’

Kali Uchis, ‘Orquídeas Parte 2 (Deluxe)’

Willow, ‘Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen Deluxe)’

Beth Gibbons, ‘Lives Outgrown’

Elucid, ‘Revelator’

The Cure, ‘Songs of a Lost World’

Nala Sinephro, ‘Endlessness’

Arooj Aftab, “Night Reign”

Les Amazones d’Afrique, “Musow Danse (Bonus Edition)”

Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter”

Chat Pile, “Cool World”

Dawes, “Oh Brother”

English Teacher, “This Could Be Texas”

Angélica Garcia, “Gemelo”

Orla Gartland, “Everybody Needs a Hero”

Ka, “The Thief Next to Jesus”

Michael Kiwanuka, “Small Changes”

Kendrick Lamar, “GNX”

Charles Lloyd, “The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow”

Laura Marling, “Patterns in Repeat”

Residente, “Las Letras Ya No Importan”

St. Vincent, “All Born Screaming”

Yes, we had bands with funny names in the 60s and 70s, but I’m not sure they topped Vampire Weekend, Chat Pile, or English Teacher.

It’s all good. They have their music and we have/had ours. We had mix tapes and CDs, they have Spotify and Apple Music. They can follow the lyrics and I’m not sure we ever could (and there was not Internet where we could look them up). On the plus side, the group English Teacher called their album “This Could Be Texas” which I’m hoping is apocryphal (because the real thing is scary enough).

Maybe we should jump on Apple Music and sample some of this music to see if we’re missing anything. Worse case we waste an hour and can go back to our ancient playlists. Best case, we like some songs very much and become new music converts. You never know.

[I knew of Brittany Howard, Billie Eilish, Beyonce, Michael Kiwanuka, Kendrick Lamar, and Charles Lloyd (if he’s the same jazz saxophone musician from my era), and St. Vincent]

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon. But that’s not all. You can also purchase the Best of BoomSpeak on Amazon.