Summer in our neighborhood was usually a rather boring affair. I was a teacher, and although I didn't teach summer classes, I did hold a high position in my union and so I was at conventions or tech classes. My husband usually took his vacation the week of convention to be home with our four kids. This meant that a lot of the summer was spent cooped up at home for the kids.

This wasn't a huge issue, as they had basketball in the front yard (as well as the only trees on the entire street). They had a swingset with gymnastic attachments and a four-foot-deep above-ground pool. Inside were televisions in both bedrooms, as well as in the living room, and video game systems in every room, as well. Add to this a computer and cell phones for each child, and you would think they would have plenty to do.

One day, the kids were in the pool and when we went out to check on them they said their was something squishy in the bottom of the pool. It turned out to be a plum. Quite curious, since there were no plum trees anywhere around. I suppose maybe a bird or a squirrel, or even an owl or a bat could have carried and dropped it, but still – odd.

A couple of days later, there were several more plums in the pool. Now we had a mystery to solve. We talked that night and weeded out our suspects. My husband and I made sure that the pool was cleaned out well and chemicalized. The next day – more plums.

One day, I went outside for some reason, and I happened to see the younger of the two boys that lived next door. He was outside, in his backyard, eating a snack. PLUMS!

I quickly ducked around the corner, hoping he hadn't seen me. Luck was with me. As I watched him, he looked around and drew back his arm. Of course, one of my kids came out calling my name about that time and then he spotted me, so he scamperred into the house.

The plums kept appearing in the pool on a daily basis. That weekend, my husband and I were determined to catch the culprit behind this mess. The next day, the kids were in the pool, and who should appear in the backyard next door but the little plum eater himself. In hand he had toys – and plums. He began exchanging words with my kids, who were no slouches in the word exchange game and readily jumped in with full vigor.

This child, believe it or not, hauled back and launched something at my kids, which landed in the pool. We had been watching from the living room window, and we leapt from our chairs like they had electrocuted us. We ran, stumbling out of the back door like a couple of drunks. The kids, knowing we were watching, had already retrieved the toy car with sharp fins on it (which could have torn the pool liner). As luck would have it, we caught him throwing the plums when we came out.

We gathered all of our contraband and headed next door. The older boy came to the door and tried to tell us that his mother wasn't home, then that she was sleeping. When she showed up behind him at the door and we told her what was going on, the older brother claimed that the younger one had been in the house the whole time. The mom admitted to having seen him go into the back yard. She said to stop the problem, she would keep him inside.

Of course, that solved it for the moment, but definitely not for the summer. It became a game of watching, wits, and speed. The younger boy would throw things. One of us would run out to go get what he had thrown. The older one would be right there, and would jump the fence, snatch whatever was thrown, and jump back over.

Back to the mother. This time, she refused to even come to the door, stating that we were being petty and ridiculous and that if we didn't want neighbor kids messing with our stuff than we shouldn't have it.

That was it. The next time the kids were in the pool, the younger brother was throwing stuff, as usual. Well, after pitching about five toys into the pool, he ran out and had the nerve to ask the kids to return his toys to him. They refused, of course. The other brother came out and upon hearing what had happened, began demanding that my kids return his brother's toys. They again refused. At this point, he decided to jump the fence and go up to the pool. I guess he thought he would intimidate my kids. The four of them pulled water guns and began shooting him with them! As he busted his rump getting back over that fence, they continued to shoot at both boys. I came out, and they gave me the toys he had thrown in the pool.

Before I could get next door, the mother actually came out! Now she was mad. She was mad that my kids had gotten her kids wet. I told her that was too bad because her kids didn't have permission to use my pool as a toybox or my fence as a pole vault.

The police were eventually involved, as was the realty company that the neighbor was renting from. Thankfully, they moved right at the end of the summer.