Starlings Cinema Presents

 Last Friday we strung a sheet between the trees, borrowed a projector,

 Moved all the furniture out on the porch, popped popcorn, invited all the neighbors,

And watched a movie.

A neighbor said that from across the street it looked like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting - if there had been home movie projectors then.

Mission accomplished.

I only wish that it got darker earlier in the summer and we could do this all the time.

Organizing

My neighbor and I had decided to finally branch out and get to know our neighbors and to organize them into a neighborhood watch.
She made a cute flyer with a row of different houses on the bottom. I told her it looked great but to be accurate for our neighborhood, they should be the same house repeated.
Here's hoping the dessert potluck meet and greet/neighborhood meeting goes well and that no one gets into a fight with the guy who leaves his hug delivery truck parked on the corner blocking traffic.

Taking Care of Business

Well we are home now. I have spent the morning putting out fires literally and figuratively. I was driving through the neighborhood when I saw smoke coming from a neighbor's yard. I slowed down to see where it was coming from. (We are a little jumpy around here after a house was rendered uninhabitable from an unexplained fire.) I stopped the car and walked toward the house. I still couldn't tell. The smoke was white not like a house fire so I felt a little silly. I had to go into the open back yard of the next house to look over the fence. The yard was full of bark and right next to the house it was burning and flaming and melting a little plastic picnic table. I ran to the door and rang the bell 2 times but the house looked empty so I ran to Ann's house to call the fire department.

As she was talking to the dispatcher it occurred to me that I could probably put out the fire with the hose. It was not dangerous yet. So Jerem helped me get the house out and I sprayed through the fence on the flames. There were a few I couldn't reach and Jerem being much taller was able to put those out.

By the time the firemen arrived the flames were out and they soaked the rest with an extinguisher. They seemed remarkably unconcerned about the cause of the fire but did say it could have been smouldering a long time maybe even since the 4th of July.

I am glad I listened to the spirit on this one.