Eagle Eyes (Forest Hills Grid 18)

September, 2009

September 2009

Time to pack away the white dress shoes until Memorial Day! LOL!! In a state where color-coordinated flip flops are worn to church as dress sandals, I doubt if anyone follows the “no-white” rule anymore. (I wonder if leisure suits will ever make a comeback?!) Seriously, though, it IS time to put out that last dose of lawn food and bug killer before the grasses begin to go dormant. Not that they go very dormant in this zone, but they do need a winterizing dose of supplements. In addition ---- here come the oak leaves. Well, I’d rather rake leaves than shovel snow and fight icy roads. Remember to use environmentally friendly applications when you can, so as to not pollute our water supply.

Hurricane season is in full swing. It doesn’t end until December 1st. Have a plan in place for how to handle an emergency for your household, including enough surplus food & water for at least three days survival, just in case we lose power &/or can’t get to the grocery store. This plan should involve contact with your neighbors, as well. We must look out for one another.

Also time to drag out the autumn holiday decorations, and start stuffing those old jeans & flannel shirts to make that scarecrow. Around here hay is kind of expensive and difficult to come by for stuffing, but old plastic grocery bags work well – and you can take them in for recycling after you take down & unstuff Mr. Scarecrow. Be sure to check the light-up decorations for frayed wires, etc. to insure electrical safety.

Ahhhhhhh ----- cooler & drier air! Can’t wait to see the neighbors out of summer hibernation and about as they turn off the a/c to exchange those inside germs for some nice, fresh outside germs, and start enjoying the outdoors again. But please – don’t become complacent and leave your doors unlocked or windows open while you are on the opposite side of the house working in the yard or painting. The bad guys aren’t going to be enjoying the change of season --- they’re going to be looking for opportunities to make you a victim. Don’t let it happen!

Don’t let your shrubbery get overgrown while you are busy with your families & friends hitting the now-uncrowded tourist spots and enjoying the great fall temperatures – we don’t need a place for criminals to hide from your view or from law enforcement.

Remember, with school back in session, traffic is increased to our neighborhood, especially for fall sports spectators. But don’t get caught with your guard down, thinking that those people are just wandering around because of school activities. If you see someone suspicious, or a suspicious vehicle, call in a report to TPD 231-6130 and let the police decide if the suspects are up to no good or just cruising around looking for a place to park & watch the game. Also, let’s make a concerted effort to keep the litter picked up in our neighborhood. I know the overgrown right-of-way is a catch-all for litter, but it doesn’t cost anything to keep it picked up, and if we leave it on the ground that just encourages people to add to it. If we don’t respect our own neighborhood, the visitors that come through won’t, either. Let’s pay especially close attention to the right-of-ways along Ola and Floriland/Patbur, where the most traffic passes through.

Speaking of fall spectator sports, if you go to the community links section you can click on the hotlink for Chamberlain’s web site, and view the schedule for swim meets, football games, band contest, etc. There is also an alumni page where you might be able to find out what your ole classmates are up to these days & re-establish contact; I just submitted a memorial to one of my sisters, who graduated with the first class from CHS in 1958. Back then Ola didn’t connect from the practice field to Linebaugh!

Remember that Chamberlain isn’t the only happening place: Adams & Forest Hills Elementary have a lot of activities going on now that school is back in session. Their web sites are hotlinked into our web site also. Let’s support our neighborhood schools, and help shape the future of our community!

There was a drive-by shooting a few blocks north of Linebaugh, over in Grid 10 (Linebaugh Estates). Not a lot of details available to us about it at this time, because it happened the same time as the officer was killed down in Sulphur Springs, and it was so hectic over at TPD that public relations is still trying to play catch-up. We hope to have more info about the drive-by soon.

Speaking of officers being killed in the line of duty, The Tampa Police Memorial Run is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, 2009 in the Gaslight District of Downtown Tampa . Once again there will be an award for the Neighborhood Watch group with the most participation in the run/walk. Entry fee is only $10 in advance. If you would like entry forms, please contact the web master. Spread the word!

There is finally a solution - an alternative to flashing crossing lights - about to be implemented to address the crosswalk situation on Linebaugh, in front of Forest Hills Presbyterian Church. There is also a solution being implemented and under study for improvement to smooth out the traffic situation associated with Forest Hills Elementary (a big "Thank You" to our Mobile Patrol Volunteers who have taken part in this endeavor). Both of these situations affect our grid as well as the school’s grid (Grid 10) both traffic and safety-wise, but mainly they affect the safety of all students.

Remember, not everybody has a computer to review this web site or get email updates, so please remember to walk over to your neighbor and be sure they are aware of what’s happening around our area. Thank you in advance for doing this.

As we wrap up the “Patriotic Season”, have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Those of you who fly our flag on patriotic holidays might want to leave your flag up for a few more days – this year marks the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.