Fast forward to Sunday, August 11 (apologies to the hardware TV ad we've been seeing lately):
She: I'm leaving to go shopping.
He (engrossed in TV): Yup.
She: I'll probably be gone all afternoon.
He (engrossed in TV): Yup.
She: I'll be at the Fire Department's huge yard sale of tools at the Edgecomb Flea Market on Route 27.
He (no longer engrossed in TV): Hey, we'd better take the SUV!

Yes, guys, on Sunday, August 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Edgecomb Fire Department is making available a great selection of tools, not only modern, but from yesteryear. Proceeds from all sales will be donated to the New Fire Station Fund.

Our Edgecomb firemen are having an educational summer. First to Portland to learn about medical advances in Emergency Medical Service, then, Tuesday, Aug. 13, to join Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor Fire Departments for a Thermal Imaging Camera class.

The recent serious car crash at Mason Road and Rte. 27 should remind us all to drive carefully. The recent Route 27 study charettes have shown us that Edgecomb's stretch of 27 has a number of these Y-shaped intersections, which are very dangerous, with limited visibility, and awkward, particularly for left turns onto the highway.

And speaking of driving hazards: The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department will be sending patrol cars down the Mill Road to check on speeders, and shortly, signs will be in place advising drivers to go slow. There are plenty of households with young children who are apt to be playing near the road. I worry about my own stretch of the River Road, which has a blind hill cresting on not one but two driveways, and a deep dip passing two other houses. Chief Deputy Sheriff Dan Bradford advises that any citizen can call the Sheriff's Department at 882-7332 to report speeding problems. You should also call the Edgecomb Town Office, 633-7018, to request that signs be posted for the problem area.

Okay, listen up! Ye Giant Crosse Pointe Road Five Mile Yard Sale is 'rarin' to go, Saturday, August 10, rain date August 17. Mozey on over and watch them all shuffle the contents of their respective attics! Dive in and help them unload! What's one man's cryptic Christmas-gift gizmo may be another man's just-the-thing-I-need!

Bravo, bravo! To Will and Merry Clifford of the Eddy Road! They both ran the 5th annual People's Beach to Beacon race on Saturday, in times within the 1 hour12 minutes to 1 hour15 minutes time frame.

Edgecomb writer Lea Wait will be reading from her new mystery novel, "Shadows at the Fair, " at the Bath Antiques Show Tuesday, August 13 at 9 a.m. and Wednesday, August 14 at 10 a.m. Come and enjoy the adventures of Maggie Summer, dealer in antique prints and amateur detective. Also available, Lea's juvenile, "Stopping to Home," a tale of 1805 Wiscasset.

Come to a Midsummer Star Party at Greig Perkins' Telescope Park, 299 McKay Road. For more information, contact Max Arnold 586.5111, Colin Cassie 549.3338 or the Central Maine Astronomical Society's website, www.clary.gwi.net/cmas. An exciting outing for your children, with an opportunity for everyone to learn about our fellow planets and star systems.

The Friends of Fort Edgecomb will be holding a business meeting at 5 p.m. during the Saturday of their August 10-11 encampment at the Fort. If you plan to come, please let Fred, 882-7777, or Sara, 829-5753, know so they can plan their communal meal.

Also on Saturday, Aug. 17, the Boothbay Region Land Trust invites you all to a kayak/canoe trip up the Sheepscot. You will need to provide your own boats, lunches and snacks. Meet at the Knickerkane landing in Boothbay by 9 a.m. The trip is expected to take around 4 hours. 633- 4818 for information.

Meanwhile, I dip my paddle at 234 River Road, 633-2978, bonesukl@midcoast.com. This column appears in The Boothbay Register, The Lincoln County News, The Wiscasset Newspaper, and at www.Edgecomb.org.