#665 Neighborhood Watch.

We were late leaving church after the Halloween festivities.

Once we were home, Jim and Mal called and said, “get your walkin’ shoes on!”

We took a walk down 6th Avenue and right onto 7th Street to take a look at our cozy new house. We sat on the porch for a long time, listening to the crickets and trying to pinpoint the origin of the white noise we could hear in the distance. The highway? Masonite? The train? It’s just a barely there “shhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” like a plane taking off far away that you can hear under the whippoorwills and frogs. That white noise is always there in town. I never heard it growing up in the county, which makes it exotic and exciting.

2 teenage boys on skateboards skidded past on the street, waving and smiling at us on the porch. Sugar went ballistic. A few minutes later, a family of 5 were headed home down our sidewalk. Sugar went ballistic. She’s become quite the guard dog for Jim and Mal. We assured the nice family that she was only a baby, not to worry.

On our walk back home, we found a raccoon climbing to the top of a light pole. The boys threw rocks at it. Then I threw one too. It ran away, and we were terrified it was coming for us.

Past the museum, we stepped inside the unlocked doors of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Jim and Mallorie had never been inside, and we were in awe of the hushed silence. It smells like wood polish and history.

We all agreed that it’s nice that they leave their doors open at all times for people in search of solitude and prayer.

We continued on past the pumpkins and theatre marquee, past the coffee shop and home again.

We all agreed that we’re lucky to live in such a very lovely town.