The self-described cranky old folks most readily able to bend my ear are up in arms about the changes at the drive-thru coffee stand at the convenience store at 164th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Eighth Street.

The sign indicates a new name, “Knotty Bodies,” and apparently it has nothing to do with rope. “Bodies” is more prominent in their logo.

Yes, Bellevue already has one bikini barista hut, but it’s in the parking lot of a gun shop, and you have to make an effort to find it. This new one, however, is very visible from Northeast Eighth, and, of most concern, right on the edge of Crossroads Park, heavily used by families and children.

Its presence could cause parents to be asked questions they’d hoped wouldn’t be asked for a few more years yet. Like, “why are they wearing almost no clothes in the middle of winter?” Or, from teenagers, “can I borrow ten bucks for an expresso? Yeah, I wanna leave a tip.”

The Bellevue City Council now has to join the list of government bodies (fully-clothed) having to deal with this knotty issue. Some solutions come dangerously close to legislating morality, which has never been particularly successful. There’s no easy answer, but I think the council can expect to get an earful from the likes of the above-mentioned cranks. Which could lead, of course, to a fact-finding field trip.

Don Riggs, Bellevue