Neighborhood Watch

or "How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?

Right about eight in the AM I got a call from my neighbors D&L.

"Have you got a controlled burn going or something?"

"No. Why?"

"Because there's smoke rising from the area of the meadow, between [Landlady's] and [S&L's] places, that's why!"

"Um...Are you sure you're not looking at the cabin's chimney?"

"No, it's definitely coming from [Landlady's property.]"

"Okay, thanks for the heads-up. I'll go look right now."

The boys were more than ready to go outside anyway, so I put on my coat and headed for the Jeep. As we entered the wash, I saw a column of smoke from the Lair's chimney that rose to the level of the ridge and then spread out. I had a feeling I wasn't going to find any fire at Landlady's but wouldn't I feel bad if I were wrong? So off we went.

Standing with the boys on the ridge overlooking the Meadow House, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Looking back between my new location and D&L's, there was a haze of woodsmoke. I dug out my cell phone.

"I'm [standing where I was standing] and not seeing anything wrong. Are you sure you couldn't be looking at my chimney smoke?"

"I dunno - lots of smoke."

"I think it's just gonna be part of the landscape for the rest of the winter."

"Okay, well, we'll get used to it, then."

Too much vigilance is better than not enough.