At 1am, something woke me from a heavy sleep. I’m used to being woken up. I don’t think I’ve slept through the night in almost nine years. The latest disruption usually comes from Rose, my three year old. She’s been staying in her own bed, but requests I join her around 2:30am most days.
But this 1am disruption is not anyone calling my name. “What is that?” I say out loud, not sure if this sound is a dream or real life. My husband hears it too. He rolls over me to peer out the window. I sit up to peer too.
Are those spotlights in the front yard of the house behind ours? Is that a chainsaw that woke us up? What is going on?
“Maybe a tree fell on their house or their car?” My husband speculates.
“Why couldn’t they wait until the morning for that?” Not buying his theories. “It has to be a covert operation. I think they’re bad guys,” I insist.
“With all that noise and a spotlight?” My husband asks. I shrug. “See what the Stratford Ladies say,” he suggests.
I laugh. The Stratford Ladies is a Facebook group that is horrendous and lovely. They’re women from our town, all ages, who love to lift each other up…but often tear each other apart. I’m a spectator…often turning to the group for a landscaper recommendation or reminders about town events. I am occasionally entertained by the drama surrounding fireworks, strange noises heard around town, and endless complaining about just about anything.
As the noise outside continued, Arnauld once again suggests I see if the ladies are talking about the noise. So, I grab my phone only to find the ladies are all sleeping. No one is talking about our neighborhood happenings.
I go back to looking out the window, trying to figure out what is going on. There were now dump trucks and diggers.
When it doesn’t seem like the excitement will end, I put a pillow over my head and finally go back to sleep.
The next morning, sure enough, there was a post on Stratford Ladies that mentioned the middle of the night disturbance. It wasn’t a fallen tree or a covert operation…but a main line break!
Love them or hate them, the Stratford Ladies always come through…
Where There's Joy 
Stratford Ladies always a source of information — whether you want it or not, whether it’s valid or not — glad they came through this time. Sorry about the lack of sleep — although, after nine years, you are an expert at seizing every day, every moment despite the lack of shut eye!
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Funny, I think those ladies live in my city too!
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Love your ending – perfect. Such a lovely snapshot – I could hear and see the two of you perfectly. Thank you for this lovely slice – it brought a smile to my face.
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Love the simplicity of this slice. Hope you were able to sleep after that.
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The Stratford Ladies reminds me a bit of the group in Friends and Strangers, which is a novel by J. Courtney Sullivan. Have you read it?
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Loved this slice of real life we all can relate to. We have a group called the real housewives of …
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Trumbull has a group of ladies too. What a crazy event. I would have been sure something bad was going on next door!
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