Saturday night we arrived home to find a good-sized plastic flag planted in the street right-of-way. Every property had one, to which was attached a real-estate broker's card. Some took offense at everything about this promotion, but I thought it looked very festive the next day. Some people have left their flags out. Ours has joined the numerous parade souvenirs that always cause a second look when people enter the house for the first time--our little patriotic shrine, as people think of it, though it really is just a collection of souvenirs sharing space with poppies acquired at Veterans' Day parades.