Online Forum Launched

We've been operating the blog for 2 months now and some of the comment sections are becoming long and hard to follow. We want our neighbors to have the chance to create their own topics and discussions as well, so we created a community forum here (a link on the sidebar has also been added).

Feel free to create an account, familiarize yourself with the site, and join the discussion! We'll continue to maintain and update this blog, but we're hoping to move the discussion part to the forum. It should be much easier to follow. Don't forget to bookmark both sites!

Vacant Reich Houses - Yard Work

Reich has stopped maintaining the yards of their vacant houses (obviously). Last time they came out, they left heaps of lawn clippings all over the street and sidewalks. Homeowners have gotten the run-around when they've inquired about the upkeep, or lack thereof.

We're wondering if anyone would like to volunteer their time to help clean up some of these eyesores. The lawns are going to seed and weeds are 2-3 feet tall in the flower beds. We know people are busy enough with their own homes, but if anyone wants to volunteer an hour to mow a lawn or pull some weeds, we're sure the people on the Reich street would be grateful!

Motorcycle Ride

Karen and Tori just moved into the neighborhood (next to the park) and are interested in setting up a community motorcycle ride. If you own a bike and are interested in putting something together, let them know! Post your name and contact info on here so they can get in touch with you.

Forum in the Works

I'm looking into creating a forum/message board to attach to the blog. We continue to receive feedback (which is great) but sometimes it's added to posts that are a couple months old. A message board will allow users to create their own topics, and the feedback will be easier to keep track of.

A couple of other things.. an anonymous person asked why we don't create a newsletter instead. Jen and I aren't creating a newsletter because we're not interested in doing that. However, Jim E has distributed a couple of informative newsletters that parallel issues raised on the blog. If you haven't received them, email us (grandfirs@hotmail.com) and we'll have one delivered to you.

Also, any negative comments left by anonymous people will be deleted. We appreciate the feedback, but we've had to delete a few comments lately from anonymous posters that don't belong on here.

And lastly, I'm asking for parents to remind their kids about bicycle safety. I watched a kid come within a couple feet of being hit by a car tonight (after dark, in front of my house). Thankfully the driver was already going slow and was able to hit the brakes when the kid darted in front of the car.

Thanks, everyone! -Mandy :)

BBQ A Success!

Thanks to everyone who helped make our first neighborhood BBQ a huge success! I didn't count the amount of heads but it looked like we had about 30-40 people show up. Could we have asked for nicer weather? We'll have to put a date on the calendar for this summer and do it again. To those of you who missed out, hopefully you can make it next time! Thanks again, everyone!

BBQ REMINDER - May 16

Reminder that the BBQ is this weekend (Saturday, 2pm in the park). It's potluck-style, so please leave a comment with the item(s) you wish to bring. As of Friday morning, the head-count is at 26.

A couple items we still need...

• Beverages
• Grill - this is kind of important. Ours isn't very portable. Does anyone have something we can use?

When leaving your comment, please also indicate how many people you plan on bringing so everyone knows how much food to prepare. Thanks :)

Grand Firs Want Ads...

I just thought it would be a great idea to post a sort of "want ad" section to the blog. This will be a great forum for posting anything you may want to advertise for in the neighborhood. Selling a lawnmower? Hosting a Tupperware party? This is a great way to inform your neighbors of any services you might need, or any that you might be able to provide! Don't forget to leave your contact name and number with your posts...and have fun!

Reminder: Backflow Irrigation Test

Brad and his wife Julie will be in the neighborhood this Friday (5/8) to do backflow irrigation tests. They received phone calls from three homeowners and are looking for a couple more. If they can get two more, they will give each homeowner a $20 discount.

The water district has been sending notices out, and state law requires the test to be completed annually. So give Brad and Julie a call at 253-854-0714 by Thursday night to schedule your test.

You don't have to be home on Friday (mid-morning/early afternoon). Julie will type up a report with the data and they'll send it to you.