This weekend will mark the one year anniversary of us moving in to our (that's the bf and myself, thank you...) new home. We closed in the end of May, stayed in our apartment for the month of June and moved in to a tent in the backyard for the month of July. I remember, in terrifying detail, that first weekend that we spent sleeping in our new backyard listening to our new neighborhood's sounds and praying that the unrelenting fireworks wouldn't burn our home down before we were able to move in...
our home for the month of July 2007
You see, our backyard extends up the side of a large hill of overgrown bushes, trees with dead branches and dried out grass. The large property is great for pretending we live on a farm, but come 4th of July, the back-end (away from view) seems to be a favorite spot for neighborhood kids to shoot off fireworks. And when I say fireworks I don't mean the sparklers I had as a kid. I mean class-4 boom-booms. While it could have been an opportunity to enjoy a free fireworks display, the lights and screeching kept us wide-eyed and terrified all night long.
Unfortunately for us, the 4th of July 'round these parts, includes the week before and the week after...at least. So with the 4th looming and with wildfires still burning around us, we need your thoughts or ideas! Maybe it's paranoia, but we have several lengths of hoses hooked up just in case...
images: top photo by Squid!
bribe the kids with cigarettes, beer, and lotto tickets and they'll leave your property alone.
i am, of course, joking.
maybe someone else will have some good advice. i'd be afraid asking the kids nicely would just make them hate you and you'd end up with a firework through the window, or a few eggs against your walls. who knows. when i was that age anything a neighbor said to me meant they were "totally and asshole," no matter how nice they were about it.
view closertotheocean's profile
Get some sprinklers and get your backyard nicely damp
chances are it won't be super hot in sf anyways...maybe not the most eco-friendly but certainly better than a fire.
If you are really concerned talk to your neighbors and see what they say.
view sf julia's profile
I agree that this might be one time watering down the backyard isn't a bad idea.
view BetterBombshell's profile
yes, we'll be breaking out the hoses. watering down the backyard is a good idea, but ours goes back about 400 feet up into the hillside....we'll water down the immediate area and i guess keep our fingers crossed for the upper area!
closertotheocean- i'm so not opposed to bribes, but i'll leave out the cigarettes (pesky wildfire hazards). ha.
-shayna
view shayna r's profile
Shayna, you're probably a little too urban for most of this, but the clearing tips might be helpful...
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_251_,00.html
view liseah's profile