By Cindy Toopes, Courier Staff Writer
March 23, 2008 11:44 pm
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OTTUMWA — Magic happened Thursday in broad daylight on the parking in front of my house.
At midday I went home for lunch and saw “Tree Limb Mountain” was gone. The pile of branches had been a blind spot on the property since December.
This good “magic” was the success of Ottumwa’s leaders in obtaining funds from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) for cleaning up the debris from winter ice storms.
The magic has eased my tense memories of the “rifle shots” — the sound of tree branches cracking — and my fears of the trees around the house all coming down.
From the federal officials to the city crews collecting the debris, my heartfelt thanks goes to each and every person who made that mountain disappear.
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Is there a down side to kinder weather? Unfortunately, yes. It’s called burglary. As soon as thieves can walk around at night and not be cold, then they start to hunt for things to steal and sell.
Burglaries can happen any time, anywhere. I’m here to testify. About 10 days ago, someone attempted to break in one evening while I was home.
I was at my kitchen table when I heard an odd noise. I turned around to see if the cat was in the bathroom window, which was about a dozen steps away.
I wasn’t sure what the noise was but what I saw was the storm window falling outward from the bathroom window casing. The cat ran toward the bathroom and I yelled at him to get away from what was now an open inside window. I shut and locked it.
Then it hit me. If the window fell out, why didn’t I hear a crash? Besides, that storm window was a tight fit and I had tape along the bottom of it.
I peeked out and couldn’t see anything moving. I opened the door, stepped out and saw my storm window on its side. Someone had propped the half-broken window against the house. The sound I heard must have been the tape coming off.
Knowing someone could stand beneath the glow of my yard light and take out a window while my car is in the driveway and there are other lights on is a bad feeling. I’ve often heard the average thief doesn’t want to hurt people but I’d rather not test that rumor.
This occurred before city crews picked up the debris from the front parking. That pile blocked the view of half my backyard. Removing what obstructs a police officer’s view from the street is another reason I’m thrilled the city and FEMA teamed up.
• • •
Ugly is my yard. The snow is gone, bits of trash are everywhere and everything needs raked, bagged or washed. Meanwhile, I haven’t been able to coordinate my schedule with the weather, which hasn’t totally cooperated with outside cleaning activities.
Make Ottumwa Shine’s big week is only about a month away and it’s OK to start now if you want to clean an area on the city’s list or just your own neighborhood. If you need a cleanup kit, contact Janice Bain at (641) 683-0685 or visit the Recycling Center, 2415 S. Emma St.
For those who fling sacks of fast-food trash out their car windows, your careless actions and your license plate number can be reported to 1-888-NOLITTR (1-888-665-4887) and you’ll soon hear from a law officer. The number is maintained by Keep Iowa Beautiful, a state organization, and it can also be used for reporting illegal dumping.
Plastic bags come in all sizes, folks. Put at least one in the car, put trash in it and leave the bag in an appropriate receptacle. Please?
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com.
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