Well, it's been a while since I reported from W. 8th Street in Davenport, Iowa so I thought I'd sit down and throw out a few words!
As I've mentioned before, people here on the block and in the neighborhood just basically hunker down when it gets cold out. You don't see very many citizens out on the street cept' for the kids coming home from school and the adults leaving and coming home from work.
In the last few weeks, since about the 18th of February, we've suffered a major ice storm, power outages, thunder snow and blizzard like conditions.
We here on West 18th Street take it all in stride, going about out business and just looking forward to some warmer weather.
Today through this coming Tuesday we just might get our wish. The weather peeps are calling for "above normal" temperatures through out the period with the warmest day to be on Tuesday, up into the mid 60 degree range.
My North facing home still has lots of snow on the lawn since it sits in the shadows but if it gets into the 60's then I'm sure it will melt away pretty quickly.
You can look on the trees and see the tiny buds starting to swell a little although nothing yet in the form of a leaf has appeared.
I have yet to see my first robin but I'm sure that I will spy one soon with the warmer temps.
Yesterday we had a pretty good rain and that helped wash down the salt covered streets in the neighborhood, and they needed the cleaning pretty badly.
About 3 weeks ago, a block South and a block East we had a tragedy where a man was saying he was going to commit suicide. The police were called and as they talked to him, with a knife in his hand, he charged towards the officers. Unfortunately, they had to defend themselves with deadly force and the man was killed.
We here in the neighborhood of course hate to seen something like this take place so close to home but it was understandable what the Davenport Police did. Our hearts go out to those this poor soul left behind!
Events like this are thankfully few and far between in the neighborhood. Since I've been on West 8th Street, (about 9 years) there have been 3 killings in all. The one I just mentioned, another one a couple of houses down where a man was trying to break into another mans home and then there was a body discovered on the church property about a block away to the East.
But for now, all is well here on West 8th Street and life goes on for most of us.