Much Ado about NOTHING

Among the cast of characters I encounter while wandering around the neighborhood, there's a guy I think of as "the bum". I don't think he's actually homeless, but he could be, with his long gray hair, ZZ Topp beard, and ratty clothes, including his omnipresent cut-off jeans (even in cold weather), which are so short you might well call them, in a different era and on a different gender, hot pants. The reason I don't think he's actually homeless is that I occasionally see him coming out of a store with a bag, having obviously purchased something. So he has an income, though it's hard to imagine where he would be employed.

The other reason I don't think he's homeless is that most homeless folk are in pretty bad shape, physically as well as mentally. And this guy has a pair of the most muscular, tanned, toned male legs I've ever seen walking down the streets of Real Life. So no long pants for him! He clearly takes care of himself, which requires the wherewithal to do so and implies the absence of excessive booze, drugs, or dementia -- and, most likely, a roof over one's head. Still, he looks like a bum (or maybe a superannuated hippie?) from the waist up. I once was able to snap a picture of him, though unfortunately from behind and at a distance -- he walks very fast. You can see it here. It was a cold, rainy day in October, but that didn't put the cut-offs back in the bureau.

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Meanwhile....

Brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs