CSI: Minnetonka

Met all my neighbo(u)rs this evening at the newly formed Neighborhood Watch group at Nancy's house. They were all very nice, and there were cookies. The police liaison officer was also called Nancy, which made it easy for me. She lived close by the "County Workhouse". Apparently, there is also a borstal nearby, from which a young lad absconded the other day and car-jacked a woman in her drive-way.

There is a number you can call if you go on holiday, and a nice police-man (who is actually a retiree) will come round once a day and check the house. Unfortunately, although one of the Nancies asked, they do not also feed the dog and water the flowers.

Although I had problems in Geneva following conversations in French, I sometimes suffer the same affliction here with American. Nancy-the-Liasiiaiason-Person was talking about the problem of solicitors coming to your door, and what approach you needed. It took me a few minutes to realise that this was not actually lawyers looking for work.

You can call 911 here even if you don't have an emergency, even if you just knock down a deer - "although in that case, it may take as long as 30 minutes for a policeman to swing by".

We have a bit a coyote problem here, and they sometimes get into your garden causing havoc with the aspidistra (again, I was a bit lost, as I thought this woman was talking about the local football team supporters). She was upset to call this in, as a policeman turned up with a rifle from the appropriately named "Dispatch".

Which brings us nicely to the Deer Management Program which exists in Minnetonka. Although Bridgjo had a good attempt the other night when he came across a herd on the local side-street, they do have an official way to, as they call it, "harvest" them. Twice a year they will cull, and give the venison to the local poor. How very Good King Wencelas Last. Although the Johnsons on the corner were a bit miffed, as they are not supposed to do this in residential areas, yet the DMP put out bait in their drive, sat in a car at the end of it, then left a nice pool (presumably without the chalk-outline) where they normally park their car.

I suggested it might be a nice idea if we knew when there was going to be any shooting in the street.