Apropos of Nothing v. 2

Road trip!! ..Feisty is ready.

You're not going anywhere til I get my tuna, Mom!

Well, this is totally off topic, but I guess that off topic is OK on Ap. of Nothing. Sorry, but I just have to vent, as well as find a way to keep myself awake until DH gets back so I can cook him lunch. Mom and I are sitting here looking at each other like zombies, waiting for my DH zombie to get back from installing new locks on my grandma's doors. He hasn't eaten since yesterday either, and I need to stay awake until I can feed him.

Some total dirtbag decided to rob my 92 year old Grandma who lives by herself on the hill right below us last night. G'ma called Mom last night at about 11:00 and said that there was someone in her house. Mom immediately called my brother, who lives right next door to G'ma, and he ran over right away (well armed) to see what was up. In the meantime, Mom called Don and I, and we all headed down the hill. The jacka$@ thief had tried to kick her front door in, and when that didn't work, he had broken her bedroom window and crawled himself in. Grandma is VERY hard of hearing, so didn't hear the door episode, heard the window, but fell back asleep, and only really woke up when she saw him standing in her bedroom going through her drawers.

The dirtbag got her TV (not hi-tech...according to DH after several calls today, even the pawn shops wouldn't have taken it), her purse (containing 40 dollars and her watch), her blood pressure meds, and the digital picture frame that we gave her with a disk full of family pictures for christmas two years ago.

Don, my brother, and I walked the woods for almost two hours last night with flashlights, and then Don and I drove around until well after 3:00 looking for her purse dropped on the side of the road. Nothing......

The good news is that the bas$%^d cut himself on the window, and was bleeding like a stuck pig in her kitchen. Hopefully, being a small town, someone will answer the reward posters that we have put up everywhere looking for a piece of garbage with a cut on his hand or forearm. Forensics team is coming back on Monday to get fingerprints and blood samples.

What kind of scum would pick on a 92 year old woman? May he rot in HELL!

Time to be done venting and start cooking....sorry guys....

That's unbelievbable. I hope the creepazoid bled to death in a ditch. If he didn't, I'd be happy to help him get it right the second time.

Grr. Argh. GAH.

I'm relieved to hear your Grandma is okay though. Thank God he didn't hurt her.

Wow - do not apologize for venting! What a creep! We could form a posse and go after him. I would show no mercy to a bas$%^d who picked on a woman living alone, and especially a 92 year old. Hopefully someone will have some clues about who it is. i hope your mother is not too freaked out. Whoops - your grandmother, not your mother. Well, all of you I guess!

This message was edited Oct 10, 2009 4:37 PM

Grandma needs a shotgun.

Is it a dirt road? More than one way out? Were they on foot? Seems as if someone must have known which house to hit?

I want to jump in my truck, haul butt up I-5, and GO FIND THE GUY.

So sad. It sounds like he wanted the medications. Drugs will certainly make people do some scary stuff. So glad that you guys mobilized so quickly and that he didn't hurt your grandma.

I'm glad your brother was armed, but it's better that he didn't have to use it - you don't need that complication. I'm sure you'll catch the guy and his story will be very stupid and sad. Are you going to put an alarm in for your grandma, do you think? I just got a flyer from ADT for a $99 installation of an in-home alarm system (not sure, I already have an alarm system with ADT). But if they're running a great deal, this might be the thing to do. That alarm sign is a good deterrent.

Whew!

Can she handle a dog? That is the No. 1 thing that makes me feel safe.

I've heard that a dog is the best alarm system. I think it was on that show, It Takes a Thief, where they come in an tell you how vulnerable your house is and then give you new locks, etc.

I'm with you, SK. With the dogs, even if they don't hurt anybody, I know I'll never be taken by surprise.

The nice thing about the alarm system is that you have a panic button. So you don't have to pick up the phone, just press the button.

So sorry to hear about the break-in. Your poor grandma. Is she aware of what happened? Hope they find the idiot.

Thanks all for your sympathy and allowing me to unload. You are all right... it is such a blessing that the jerk turned and ran rather than anything else when he realized that G'ma was in the house. We are all a little freaked out, but because G'ma's reaction is so much better than it could have been, we are holding it together. G'ma knows what happened, and is spitting mad, but still taking it very well. Wen't back to the house this afternoon and said "it's not as bad as I remember.....". With glass in her bed and blood all over her kitchen floor.....

We are most likely going to put an alarm system in....she has a big problem with technology (doesn't like it, won't use it) so up to this point we have not done so as she would never set it anyway. Maybe now it will be a different story. We have also tried to convince her that a dog would be a great thing for her, but she says that she is afraid that she wouldn't be able to take care of it.... she just "uses" our dogs.

She does live up a dirt road with only one way in, and the jerk had to have had a car to get away with the TV, etc. You have to drive right past my brother's house to get to hers, and he can't believe that he didn't hear a car...but with two kids and the TV going, how much do you really hear? One thing that we have decided for sure is that we are going to put a driveway alarm in at the start of the road, that will ring in my brother's house. There is no reason for anyone other than him and his family to be up that road at night, so that will give us an early warning device.

Kathy and SK...I am so with you with the dogs as an alarm system. No one will ever be able to sneak up on my house or Mom's without the beasties making them think twice.

I am thanking my stars that it was not worse than it was, and as for the jerk's sake...he best hope that he does bleed out in a ditch or that it IS the police that catch him rather than DH or my Bro....they are very protective of their womanfolk....even those of us who can take care of ourselves.....and ESPECIALLY those who can't.



This message was edited Oct 10, 2009 7:10 PM

You know, even if she doesn't use the alarm - having it there will be a deterrent. And my emergency button works even if I don't have the alarm armed (I think. Guess I should check.). The fire alarm will also work if I'm not there - that makes me feel better with the critters home alone.

I think a driveway alarm is a great idea, too. Maybe even a fake surveillance camera at the driveway. People like this are looking for an easy mark. They don't like the idea they're being watched.

That is so sad to hear, julie, but it's so nice for your grandma that she has such protective family right next door. It sounds like she has enough life experience to take this in stride and feel lucky that it wasn't worse. You can replace a TV. Too bad there wasn't a trail of blood....

OMG, Julie, I just can't believe what happened to your poor grandma. Next time, Call us and we'll come right over. Of course, I hope there is no next time. I hope the bas2#* rots in hell.

Interesting that you are having this conversation. I just spent 2 days with my son-in-law and daughter getting them a pair of shotguns for protection. They live in Federal Way and it IS NOT safe there at all. They have shot the guns all afternoon and learned the power of the buckshot (OO) and the value of a noisy pump shot gun loading the first round. I have trained them to shoot the first load of # 8 into the hall way and fix it later. Then follow it with OO for the next 4 rounds if neccessary.
Your grandmother would benifit with an alarm system that trips lots of outdoor lighting and starts a loud speaker warning about the police having been already called and the gun that is trained on them.

My dog is a great alarm. I would probably shoot my foot off if I had a gun.

I'm not bad with our .44, but I would like to get something a little smaller that fits my hand better. Maybe a 9 mm.

I think a shotgun is the best for many. If you enjoy shooting a hand gun is the best. But you need to shoot a lot and have sights that work in the dark and have it ready to use.

I was eating cornchips and got crunchy thingies on my keyboard about three hours ago so I tilted the keyboard up to get the crunchies out. When I set it back down again I whacked it on the back and it jumped to your other thread and there was Summer, then there was Pony then Katie and then Sofer and then I was hooked.

Do you realize your threads are 3 hours long, well, I stopped to look at pictures too.

This is apropos of nothing, but after reading for 3 hours, I might get some sleep tonight.

I am sorry about the grandmother, that should not happen. I am glad she was unhurt. That and Jo (roadrunner) losing her dog on another thread and the kitty/coyote story here hurt my heart.

I am happy to find Summer again.

It is 2:30 a.m. here. I might as well stay up.

I love the red door.

I have 3 red walls in my great room and kitchen, they're called garnet, but they are red.

I have no tattoos, but at various times have been known to paint a design or two in various places.

Do I qualify for membership apropos of nothing?

Everything else in intact, though.

Sharon!

*dance of glee*

You are SO totally welcome here! :D

I filled a bunch of gelatin capsules with poppy seeds today. Look out, vacant lots and railroad tracks... *evil laugh*

RG - just tuned in and read about your Gran - how is she now, what a terrible thing to go through - we don't really have to have empathy when we hear this burglar had a tough childhood and stuff - oh boohoo bub! Bug%er off! - We won't be arrested by the political correctness cops will we? Good - Let's wax his back and nether parts, beard and eybrows!! If he's got any chest hair we'll get that too - (I've been reading about the Cromwells - they really knew how to punish!) Boy o boy, this is going to sting! And we won't offer him any soothing cream! What just punishment!

℘Ωℵ⅄...Thank you.

You are making seed balls....well, same thing. I roll the seeds in little clay/compost balls, let them dry, then scatter wherever I walk.

Pony Appleseed, I think.

Sharran, welcome. It is alway nice to have someone from another part of the country participate in our discussions. A friend of mine from Minnesota follows our forums regularly and says that the upper midwest forum is a bit ho-hum in comparison. The thread that got her hooked, I think was Shaking My Head.

Good Morning Sharran - hope you slept well; pull up a chair - you landed in Oz. Never know what's going to transpire here, except for grey days, as they are a certainty.

Pony - don't dismiss the idea of gracing the landscape in other areas: I threw a bagful along the roadside up to a hoity-toity subdivision, and they bloomed well. I'm all for improving the landscape.

You know, I didn't realize this was the PNW forum. I don't think regions, I think people, and this yellow brick road led me across mountains and miles to you. Thank you.

And yet another Sharon, too.

Summer, I spent many weeks in North Aurora, Illinois during the summer, and the last 75 miles, always on back roads by choice, took me through Kankakee. I always stopped along side the river and wished you well on your journey. Lots of places to stop and enjoy the rushing water. Beautiful little town, too, but I loved the river.

Sunshine and roses today. I need to tackle the latter. Thorns and all.

Sopher, you are right about the shotgun as the perfect tool for dark and for those who don't shoot often. We have Mom set up with a Mossberg in her bedroom just in case... we know she will hit whatever it is that she feels she needs to be shooting at.

Pony, DH bought me a Bersa .38 several years ago that is so the perfect size to carry when I hike, fits perfectly in my hand, is lighter and less bulky than a 9MM, and is dead on accurate. Would highly recommend it.

Laurie, I love the waxing idea!!! Perfect!

Lynn, Thanks for the offer of assistance, but we felt that we were pretty much wasting our time combing the area anyway...they had to have had a car, and were probably long gone. It did give us something to do, however....which was much better than the alternative. If you have a minute though, do d-mail me with the location that Joey's jeep was found....maybe the same scumbag was here. We still want to see if we can find her purse...know that it has been tossed in a ditch or a dumpster at this point, and it would mean the world to her to get it back.

G'ma is doing wonderfully.... It seems like the shock and reality has not set in yet, and we are hoping that it never will. This is kind of an adventure for her at this point...she is staying at Mom's right now and all the family has been around 100% of the time, so it is more activity than she has seen in a long time. She is very independant, and really wants to go back to her house, but we can't clean it for her until the forensics team has been there (Mon or Tues), so she is staying with us (at Mom's house with Don and I thrown in on a regular basis) until then. They really are going to take prints and blood samples...hopefully it will do some good. Hooray for Det. Eric and the Pierce Co. Sherrif's office.

Sharran, welcome to the PNW forum. This is a wonderful group of people to hang out with!

I am so into the idea of seed-balls! Had never really thought of it until Pony posted regarding her friend Ivy. I think that someone in the neighborhood below us thought about them though...we have a glorious patch of CA. Poppies blooming all along the ditchline of the field. Beautiful!

I am planning an "urban assult" myself this fall!

I am so glad your gma is handling this well. I think she is taking it better than I would.

I will have to ask Joey, when he gets home tomorrow, for the address. I know it was Puyallup, I think it was a side street off of Canyon Rd. Will let you know later.

It makes me so happy to know others are guerrilla gardening too. This is my first time using gel caps- Ivy had a HUGE bag of them (seriously, at least 1,000) and I rescued them from being thrown out. I reckon they won't fly as far as clay balls, but they're definitely easier to carry around.

Hi Sharran - good to see you here!

Hi Kathy..
Great to be here.
Thanks all.

Yard work today...wow!!! 65* of pure sunshine, no color changes yet, but sure is green!

Hi Sharran - welcome! Reading through PNW threads you can see how we often get off subject, and that leads to some very interesting conversations. That's why I love this thread!

Welcome Sharran. I originally came from Vincennes/Carlisle, Indiana. Where is Culvert City?

Judi, Willow, thanks.

Calvert City is in far western Kentucky on the Tennessee River. Just northwest of Nashville actually. I live very near the northern tip of both Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.
It's a tourist area in summer.

When my husband was living and when my children were growing up, we boated lots, and traveled the waterways often.

Hello and welcome Sharran I was with you guys in the Midwest forum for a couple of years talking with my tree friends, Viburnum Valley and I think in the Michigan forum. I can't remember.

Hi Sofer,
Yes, VV is one of my buddies.
I remember you more from Carol's journey, I think. AK Carol.
What happened to your dog buddy in Alaska this year?

RJ so sorry about your grandmother we can only hope he pops all of those BP pills at once to send him on his way to his "reward"!
Welcome Sharron. Glad you are here!

Oh yes that was the other place, I miss Carol. He got a home in Valdez with a single mother who had a 8yr old son who fell in love with Dennis. He is happily placed. I miss him.

I was afraid to ask about Dennis. That's good news. Sharon, this will be a good place for you, seeing as you're a night-owl . . .