Greetings Earthlings,

I could use some help tracking down a RB short story. I read it years ago and only remember a few details, hoping it'll ring a bell and someone can tell me the title.

The details I remember...Someone went into space, while they were gone, nobody could watch television (can't remember why), when the person returned to Earth, everyone had been productive, things were well taken care of, everything was painted and cleaned.

Ring a bell to anyone? Thanks in advance.

The only one remotely like that is "A Miracle of Rare Device" in The Machineries of Joy.

dandelion, I also thought of that one, so it's not just you. But I don't remember anybody going to space in it. Come to think of it, most people would be surprised how few stories Ray Bradbury wrote about people going into space.

The two guys didn't go into space, they were out in the desert and came into a town where the TV was knocked out but it's the closest I can think of by Ray or anybody.

I remember now—they decorated the town because there was no TV, I think, so that's almost certainly the story that Dcoo83 is looking for.

Thanks everyone!

I'll have to give "A Miracle of Rare Device" a read.

The reason I ask is because it seems like people in my neighborhood are spending lots of time in their yards, sprucing things up during quarantine.