Neighborhood Watch

This isn't a new phenomenon, this watching out for others, which I wrote about in my January 30th blog.  Decades ago, in 1975, a neighbor out for a ski,  reported to our caretaker Roger, that smoke was coming from the chimney at Squabetty. He knew we weren't in residence. The next morning, in the very early morning darkness, Roger snowshoed up to the house through the woods. He crept in, found chopped up furniture by the fireplace, the place definitely “lived in.” . He crept up the stairs (What was he thinking?), and found blankets hanging in doorways. He pulled the addition living room blanket aside and saw (and perhaps heard) a guy sleeping on the couch. A shotgun lay nearby. Roger made a hasty retreat, snowshoed home and called the State Police. The story goes that Roger guided the police to the room, tiptoed in and with a gun’s muzzle nudged the guy in the chin and said it was time to wake up. Grateful for neighbors. Was then, still are now!