Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

November, 2011

November, 2011                       Happy Thanksgiving from Eagle Eye!  

  The middle of October brought 3 incidents to our grid and a 4^th within a half mile of our grid.  This is getting too close for us to not pay attention and be active in Watching, and with the holiday season & light displays there will be even more traffic in our neighborhood.  Mobile Patrol has begun making patrols again, but we could use some additional manpower to keep an eye on things. If you can help us make rounds – any time of day or night you are available – please contact Aquarius9721@VERIZON.net.

    A few things we have noticed while on patrol:

(1)  There are a few houses in the grid that don’t have house numbers on them. To enable emergency responders in finding your home in case of an emergency, please place numbers on your house in contrasting color to the house, preferably numbers that are reflective.

(2) The neighborhood is looking pretty well kept, overall. However, litter remains a problem . . . especially on the right-of-ways along Ola and Patbur/Floriland. This is OUR neighborhood . . . all of ours . . . and we are all obligated to help keep the entryways & right-of-ways clean. Please, take an extra plastic bag along while walking your dog or just walking for exercise, and help keep our neighborhood neat & clean. Studies show that when the criminal element sees a neighborhood full of litter & items which are just dumped off, they are more attracted to that neighborhood.                                                                                                                                                                                          

Everybody needs to keep our Eagle Eyes & Ears on          alert!                                                                                                                                                                                     

            Thanksgiving: A Day to Fly Our Flag                                                                                                                                             On Thanksgiving  Day or that weekend, while you’re inside your house or in the back yard hanging out around the grill, or playing horseshoes with the kids to keep them all out from under the feet of the cooks in the kitchen, the bad guys can be casing your street, checking the car doors to see if anybody forgot to lock, and peering in to see what might be worth breaking into the car to steal (lots of out-of-town company who arrived late at night and was too tired to finish unloading the car . . .). SO don’t let your guard down. Send someone out front at unpredictable intervals in time, to just observe – maybe play a little game of catch, or sweep the sidewalk off -- just to be seen for a few minutes -- because when the criminals see people out and around, they know that their chances of being seen are greater. If they see you out front, that means they’ll go elsewhere.

                                        Here’s a Security System for You!!

     How about if everyone gets together with the neighbors on your street and settles on a day for a block party? You can incorporate the party (cookout, dessert party, etc) with putting up your seasonal lights, and help out one another, too! It would look sharp to have the community light up, block by block, for the holidays! What a great way to re-acquaint yourselves with your neighbors . . . or meet the ones you don’t know! Exchange contact information, & there is your security system!

                             This Old Tradition is a Beautiful Sight to Behold

     Everyone interested in obtaining Lumenaria kits for the Christmass holidays, please contact Aquarius9721@VERIZON.net before November 30^th so that any additional orders can be placed to insure delivery in a timely fashion. Additional orders may reflect an increase in price over last year’s prices of 20 cents per bag/candle. There is about a half case left over at last year’s prices. Ten (10) lumenarias is just about the right number to line one side of the sidewalk for the full length of your property line and look good. If you want to line your driveway, 5 on each side is about the right number. If you want to extend lumenarias along the walkway leading up to your house, you’d need to assess how many would look good, based on the length of your walkway. The sight is beautiful. To read how the tradition of lumenarias got started, try this web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminaria_%28vigil_fire%29

Eagle Eye wishes you and your family a wonderful season of Thanks.

    See you on the sidewalk  .  . . . . . . . . . . . .