Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

March 2010 ---Happy St. Patrick's Day !

MARCH 2010

Fortunately not too much has been going on since we held our January NHW meeting. Crime statistics have been really low for our grid, and this is thanks to YOU. Please continue to WATCH the goings on within your block, and continue to BE SEEN while you do so. When the bad guys know there is a chance of them being seen, most likely they won’t return to commit a crime. And if you have any doubt as to a suspicious person/suspicious car’s intent, don’t hesitate to call TPD and report ANY suspicious activity for the police to check out. The home you save could very well turn out to be yours. We will gladly add you to our e-mail list to receive The Morning Report from TPD when you notify us to begin forwarding it to you.

Spring will be here in 21 days (although there’s no guarantee the weather will reflect that) and officially the start of spring is the start of a great magnitude of outdoor activities: lawn clean-up, landscaping, painting, re-paving walkways, etc. After this winter’s lingering cold weather spells and watching the downhill skiing competition in Vancouver, it will be nice to see our neighbors out and about again in the fresh air and sunshine. (Although I REALLY miss those Christmass lighting displays! They really brightened up things.) This season of the year is a good time to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with your neighbors, and maybe lend them a hand with a project; also to update your phone numbers and e-mail addresses for keeping in contact – you never know who might know of a good plumber or electrician when you need one, or when somebody might need to contact you at work for an emergency.

It’s also a good time to make plans to “GO GREEN”: start a compost bin, landscape water-wisely, learn about the use of micro irrigation and rain barrels to collect rain water and keep your plants thriving without increasing your water bill or incurring a fine for watering on a day other than the one day a week it is permitted. Remember, the watering regulations change AGAIN on March 14^th.

How, you ask? Well, the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service has a web site hyperlinked to our web site that contains a lot of good material explaining how to go about doing these things, and offers classes to get you started on some (you get to take home a free rain barrel, compost bin and micro irrigation kit when you attend the classes for each – ya can’t beat free!  PLUS you save money putting them to use, AND you help the environment to boot!) Some of these classes fill up way in advance, so check their class schedule soon to reserve your seat. Don’t wait until the drought is in full swing and you can’t water your tomato plants on a regular basis.

Check the neighborhood schools’ calendars – lots of good activities going on there!

Spring will bring Senior-itis and more truants. Please report truants to the non-emergency number (231-6130), to help keep them – as well as you – safe.

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