Our costume contest winners (and one tissue box)

Hi neighbor,

Thank you to every neighbor who spent October 24 with us at the park. Our little ghosts and goblins showed up way too sweet to be scary, so we skipped Spookiest and handed out double the cute. Now the mornings are cooler and the heater is about to go back to work, so this issue is mostly about the furnace, the fireplace, and the gas line. We also want you to meet a family-run builder from right here in 92831.

Paws, Claws & Little Ghosts winners.

Pets: Yani as Yoda (Cutest), Maui as a bumblebee (also Cutest), and Sue as the Chick-fil-A cows (Most Creative).

Kids: Luna as an angel (Cutest), Nova as Stitch (also Cutest), and Alice as Tish the tissue box (Most Creative).

Watch the costume parade

Coming in December. Santa photos and a toy drive are in the works. Watch your inbox for the date and sign-up.

This month at your house. Three checks to do before the first cold night.

Book your no-cost SoCalGas visit. SoCalGas will relight your furnace pilot at no cost, and the tech can do a furnace safety check on the same visit. Book through My Account or call 1-877-238-0092, and go early to beat the winter rush. That visit covers the furnace, not every gas line in the house. If you ever smell gas or want the whole system checked, call a licensed plumber. Tiffany here: last month a buyer of mine had the gas shut off for fumigation. When SoCalGas came to turn it back on, the tech found a leak, and move-in day turned into a hunt for a plumber.

Get the fireplace ready, and check before you burn. Have the chimney inspected and swept before the first fire, and make sure the damper opens and closes freely. From November through February, the South Coast AQMD calls mandatory No-Burn days for fireplaces and fire pits when the air is forecast to be unhealthy. Sign up at AirAlerts.org for a heads-up.

Test your carbon monoxide alarms. The clocks fell back on November 1, so this is a good week to press the test button on every carbon monoxide alarm in the house.

Neighbor worth knowing: JR Elite Builders. Rosie Carrillo is a neighbor who runs JR Elite Builders with her husband, and she was kind enough to let us introduce them. They're a family-owned general building contractor based in Fullerton, and they take on kitchen and bath remodels, room additions, ADUs, concrete and stone work, hardscape, and custom pools. One customer praised a bathroom remodel for the tile work and for finishing on time. If a backyard or an ADU is on your list for spring, the slower winter months are a good time to collect a couple of bids.

JR Elite Builders · (714) 604-7656 · jrelitebuilders.com

We don't receive referral fees for any recommendation. Please get a couple of bids and check licenses at cslb.ca.gov.

One small thing. Know a neighbor with a specialty or a small business? Refer them in our Neighbor Resource Guide so everyone around the park can find them.

See you at the park, Amy & Tiffany

P.S. From Tiffany: fireplace ashes can stay hot for days. Scoop them into a metal can with a lid and keep it outside, away from the house.