Exhaustion and Consequences
Sep. 20th, 2007 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenAs anyone who reads my LJ regularly knows, L and I have been working like crazy, sometimes with help, on renovating the house for sale, and packing and moving stuff. As time goes by, we're getting more tired, less able to bounce back. But things are getting done, thankfully.
Good news: final negotiations have happened, and buyers signed the Purchase and Sale agreement last night. That doesn't mean we're completely in the clear, but it's a good sign. We still have work to do on the house, including the mason is here to work on the chimney top and on the basement pillars today, and the termite guy will be here next Thursday morning.
Bad news: We were so tired last night, we didn't hear a person break into our house, sometime between 11:30 p.m. last night and 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Good news: Nothing was taken, and the only damage was the window needs new pins, a basket got broken, and some apples got bruised.
We have a pedestal dining table, which was tipped over. We figure the thief got the window open (in a way that suggests familiarity with how these windows are constructed), then stepped onto the table, not realizing it was a pedestal-style. The table tipped over, spilling the basket of apples and sundry other items all over the place. The thief panicked at the noise he was making and left.
Of course we called the police, and detectives dusted for fingerprints and such. Looks like the thief wore gloves. He/she is a smoker (put cig out against the outside wall of the house), but we couldn't find a cigarette stub. Might have been a fresh one, so the thief put it out and stuck it in his/her pocket.
We've put in a call to the people who originally installed these particular windows, to get it repaired. Also, we'll be pointing out to them the theory one of the detectives had on how the window was opened.
***
So, a bit unnerving. Our neighborhood rarely has any crime on it. There've been three other incidents that I know of, in the past 11 years. We expect having the For Sale sign and having taken down the curtains to be factors. L's going to look for shades that will fit the two front windows. And we'll have the porch lights on at night for a bit.
I'm tempted to put up a note telling prospective thieves that all of our tech is outdated....
We'll definitely be moving more things up to the farm this weekend though, and possibly sooner as well.
Ah, well. It's sunny out, no one was hurt, and there's work to be done. We have much to be thankful for!
Good news: final negotiations have happened, and buyers signed the Purchase and Sale agreement last night. That doesn't mean we're completely in the clear, but it's a good sign. We still have work to do on the house, including the mason is here to work on the chimney top and on the basement pillars today, and the termite guy will be here next Thursday morning.
Bad news: We were so tired last night, we didn't hear a person break into our house, sometime between 11:30 p.m. last night and 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Good news: Nothing was taken, and the only damage was the window needs new pins, a basket got broken, and some apples got bruised.
We have a pedestal dining table, which was tipped over. We figure the thief got the window open (in a way that suggests familiarity with how these windows are constructed), then stepped onto the table, not realizing it was a pedestal-style. The table tipped over, spilling the basket of apples and sundry other items all over the place. The thief panicked at the noise he was making and left.
Of course we called the police, and detectives dusted for fingerprints and such. Looks like the thief wore gloves. He/she is a smoker (put cig out against the outside wall of the house), but we couldn't find a cigarette stub. Might have been a fresh one, so the thief put it out and stuck it in his/her pocket.
We've put in a call to the people who originally installed these particular windows, to get it repaired. Also, we'll be pointing out to them the theory one of the detectives had on how the window was opened.
***
So, a bit unnerving. Our neighborhood rarely has any crime on it. There've been three other incidents that I know of, in the past 11 years. We expect having the For Sale sign and having taken down the curtains to be factors. L's going to look for shades that will fit the two front windows. And we'll have the porch lights on at night for a bit.
I'm tempted to put up a note telling prospective thieves that all of our tech is outdated....
We'll definitely be moving more things up to the farm this weekend though, and possibly sooner as well.
Ah, well. It's sunny out, no one was hurt, and there's work to be done. We have much to be thankful for!
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 02:51 pm (UTC)Ask my mother to tell you the story of the neighborhood kid who not only broke into my childhood home but stole our truck and took it joyriding to school.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:00 pm (UTC)Break-ins happen for all sorts of reasons.... friend of mine had her house broken into, some years ago, by what seemed to be people getting stuff to furnish their own place. The VCR was taken, and some of the tapes, but not all of them -- and the tapes that weren't taken were neatly stacked to one side.
Interesting...
Date: 2007-09-20 02:51 pm (UTC)their hawk "Clarice " was stolen.
(another attempt- gone bad- thankfully)
Does having a For Sale sign up -invite burglaries??
Good thing he/she was inept at their "job"
Re: Interesting...
Date: 2007-09-20 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 02:55 pm (UTC)I am relieved you are safe, and hope that was the end of it.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:02 pm (UTC)But the detective thought putting the table back where it was to be a good idea. L is thinking about putting furniture in front of the windows.... I would rather just have everything out of the house as soon as possible.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:23 pm (UTC)But if we have all the stuff out, then the temptation isn't there.... or so I'd hope.
Meantime, the porch light will be on, and the we're telling the neighbors about it as we see them. I expect there may be some extra patrols in this area for a while too. Too little to go on at this point, but it builds a pattern.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 03:05 pm (UTC)When I was in college, my neighbourhood was burgled when we were at a relative's for Christmas dinner. My uncle's house three doors down was robbed, but ours was not (even though it was more secluded). Months later, we noticed that the dog would get hysterical if you touched the shutters in the kitchen. We think the thief tried to crawl in there and scared the dog and she went off like an alarm. =) Dogs rock.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:16 pm (UTC)One of the reasons I love Leo is that he's a rare greyhound -- he barks. He won't hurt a fly, but when you're coming up the walk, he barks and jumps up at the door and howls. Quite scary if you don't know him.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:30 pm (UTC)Except for his breath. That breath might knock out any assailant with one sniff! LOL
I'm really happy you two are okay. =) And congrats on the sales agreement.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:30 pm (UTC)Will the police increase laps around the neighborhood for a bit?
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 04:59 pm (UTC)It's scary how soundly a tired person can sleep. JM and I slept through the Seattle version of the Rodney King riots (the ones after the officers were acquitted), which passed some 30 feet from our bedroom window.
Particularly strong congratulations on the signed contract, and luck on getting yourselves and all out without any further monkeyshines.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 05:11 pm (UTC)I did discover one more bit of damage, but not too serious. The window frame damaged my massage table a little. Should be able to patch the tear though.
sigh
The local AODA group will have a celebration on Sunday, but I probably won't be going now, just do something at home. I really want to get things out of here now, and hopefully remove temptation for others. Truly, there isn't much here that typical thieves would find of great value. Only the DVD player is less than a year old...
Well, when people are stripping copper wire to steal, you know that we live in desperate times.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 06:20 pm (UTC)Glad you are both OK, and the damage was minor.
Agreed, on leaving the table where it is. I'd leave a stumbling path under windowframes and entries as well, out of eyesight from above (e.g. magazine racks, baskets with bells in them/hang sleigh bells on doorknobs).
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 07:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 07:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 09:18 pm (UTC)Thank God you're both OK!!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-20 10:10 pm (UTC)