Dogwood Road in Morgantown bustled with neighborly activity this weekend.The Democrat dart landed at the intersection of Dogwood Road and Power Street, where residents were busy with home improvements and party preparations.Johnny Ware, a new resident to Natchez, spent Saturday painting the outside of his new house.”We washed (the house) and a lot of the old paint came off,” Ware said. “So we just went on and sanded it down and started painting.”Ware and his wife, Marian, are painting the house white, with silver shutters. The Wares have only lived in Natchez a few months. They looked at many houses before purchasing their house on Dogwood Road. “When we first saw this house, we knew it was the one,” Marian said.The Wares like many aspects of the house, which includes a basement and an attic. “I like the shape of the house,” Johnny said. “(And) it’s on a nice lot.”And the basement is his favorite part of the house.The Wares also plan to install a new garage door opener and to place new carpet in the house. “It’s kind of like an ongoing project,” Johnny laughed.Lady Luck Casino brought the Wares to Natchez. Johnny is a slot machine technical manager and Marian is a social worker.They said they like living in Natchez and have met many friendly people on Dogwood Drive.”It’s a nice neighborhood,” Marian said. “It’s peaceful.”While the Wares were working on their home, the Grady family next door was preparing for a welcome home party for Flozell Grady.Staff Sgt. Flozell Grady returned home Saturday from three weeks of training with the National Guard in Fort Irwin, Calif.His family was planning a surprise party for him, complete with outdoor decorations and about 60 guests.But the surprise was really on them.Flozell managed to get an earlier flight home than expected. So he got home hours before the party was to start.He arrived at the house when the family was still working on its outside decorations.”I was on a ladder (outside) putting up those streamers,” said his wife, Priscilla.She thought the party was a great way to welcome her husband home.”He was gone all that time and I wanted him to know we were thinking about him while he was gone,”&160;she said. “There is danger involved even in training exercises.3Every year soldiers do get killed in training. I just asked God to protect him.”