Neighbors head south

Have you ever written a letter or check and put the wrong year on it? You know, write 2007 instead of 2008? Well, the new year is here now and it's time to set our minds as well as our calendars. Our new year has started off pretty cold and some of our Fish Springs neighbors are heading south in search of a warmer climate. It's mostly retired friends who have the leisure time to take off and go RV-ing.

Hey, that sounds like us. We've got a new heater in our house so we wouldn't have to worry about the water pipes freezing while we're gone. Our hens will stay inside the chicken coop when it's cold outside and we also keep a nightlight going for them. Their feathers will keep them warm too and we don't need anyone to collect their eggs for us because this is the time of the year when they don't lay any.

But what about Clyde? He's our large lap-cat and the older he gets, the more like an indoor cat he becomes. He spends most of the day just sleeping on the motorcycle seat out in the garage. We can leave him out there with lots of food and water bowls and litter boxes, but he wants to be held and petted every couple days. Our daughter takes care of that for us. Thanks Lisa.

So far, so good. It's looking like we can take off for warmer places. We're lucky to live in a neighborhood with such good friends too. Our vigilant neighborhood watch keeps an eye out for anyone or anything that looks suspicious. If something looks fishy - like a strange car cruising slowly around the house or kids hanging out near an unoccupied house - our neighbors will call the sheriff's department. If we report the license number and a description of the people, they'll check it out. If we all look out for each other, Fish Springs will continue to be the safe haven that we've always known and loved.

Lost pictures: Do you know anyone whose last name is Phelps-Contreras, or perhaps Tanya Siemens Phelps? If so, I may have a wonderful surprise for them. Apparently some old family photographs were lost and now they have been found. A lot of beautiful family pictures were found next to the Fish Springs mail boxes near the volunteer fire station. It may have happened around the time of the fire department's annual spaghetti dinner-dance. There are a lot of photos but only one of them has a name on it. Call me at 782-5802 if you think the pictures belong to you.

Amaryllis: We received two gorgeous amaryllis belladonna lily plants at Christmas and what beautiful gifts they are. One plant has two giant flowers and each flower measures 9 inches across. The smaller plant has four flowers which started to bloom on Christmas Eve. These fragrant flowers are a rosy pink and white color and they sit on top of 2- to 3-foot tall bare stalks that kind of look like very long pieces of green celery. These large bulbs are magnificent.

-- Linda Monohan may be reached at 782-5802.