STITCH LINES...... Ramblings on life as a quilter, stitcher, traveler, photographer, gardener and lover of books, cats and fine chocolate....

Sunday, July 17, 2016

The Voice of Experience

I have long believed that "experience is the best teacher." Don't you agree? We learn from both our failures and our successes. When we're younger, the older generation give us advice, and sadly we don't always listen. We think that advice doesn't apply to us. As we mature we come to realize that often that advice WAS good and perhaps we should have listened a little more carefully. And sometimes we learn the lesson "the hard way."
So today, dear readers, you have the opportunity to learn from my experience. And yes, you're about to get some good advice, so put on your listening ears!   :)
A few weeks ago, we learned a valuable lesson. We had a break-in, and were "relieved" of cash and jewelry. It was morning - somewhere between 9:20 and 10a.m. and we were both out of the house for a while. Yep, broad daylight! Talk about brazen! "He" forced open a locked casement window in our kitchen, climbed through the window and headed for our bedroom. It appears that he didn't touch anything else in the house... Just headed straight for the master bedroom where he rifled through closets and dresser drawers and found what he was looking for. Therein lies the lesson. If you keep cash in your house, DON'T keep it in your bedroom. I bet if you asked ten people where they keep extra cash, nine out of ten would say their sock drawer, or their undies drawer... and thieves know that! So find another "hiding place" folks! Look around, there are lots of good spots that you can access easily, but a thief in a hurry wouldn't think to look...
Lesson #2, take photos of your jewelry and other valuables. With digital cameras, it is a quick and easy thing to do... Print the photos or store them somehow that you can easily access them if you need to refer to them. Once your valuables are stolen, if you have no photos, you only have your memory to rely on for descriptions....  We are told to do this, for insurance purposes if nothing else, but how many of us have done it? Have you? And perhaps keeping your jewelry somewhere other than your bedroom dresser might be a good idea too....
So, be smart and take my advice. Thieves know "the bedroom" is most likely where they'll strike the jackpot. Don't make it easy for them if they decide to visit your house...
We have learned our lesson, the hard way!

Peace,
Linda

"A thief is a thief, whether he steals a diamond or a cucumber." ~ Indian Proverb

13 comments:

Unknown said...

So sorry to hear that Linda and thanks for the advice. I too had heard about taking pics of your valuables but never did get around to it. That, I think will change.

Kathy E. said...

You are providing valuable advice Linda. I, too, am sorry this happened to you. Something like this really breaks our trust and we feel so invaded. Our homes should be the place where we can be safe and keep our treasures. Sharing your experience is helpful to many...including me who is going to find a new hiding place. Thank you!

carol fun said...

Sorry for your situation... I was robbed while in my home several years ago. While I was the the basement talking with one service rep (who was trying to scam me on a home repair) his "helper" asked to use the bathroom upstairs... I let him... he went into my bedroom and stole two diamond rings... my wedding ring and a ring my grandmother have given me. I was heartbroken as they had great sentimental value. I didn't notice the theft for at least two weeks as this was not jewelry I wear often. Had a name of the thief from the other service rep but turned out to be an alias. My son who is a prosecutor in the city used his resources and got the guy's real name but we couldn't prove anything. Local police told me the jewelry was probably pawned immediately. My son and I checked out pawn shops for weeks but never found the rings. I learned the hard way... I never let anyone I don't know alone in any part of my house. As for cash, I do hide mine in a place other than my bedroom. You are giving great advice and I wish I had pics of my stolen property... never thought to do that till after the theft. Hope you recover your stuff.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

In the freezer in a box or bag that looks like frozen food would be inside. Just don't forget and throw it away when the expiration date expires.

I have one of those vacuum can openers. We took off a lid, emptied the can and keep money in the pantry.

We have had a rash of foul play episodes in our neighborhood. It is so infuriating. Thanks for the good advice.
xx, Carol

Dolores said...

The same thing happened to my husband's boss. It was a brazen daylight break-in and they knew exactly where to go and what to take. Luckily, we have nothing of value in our house. I wonder sometimes if having a dog would be a deterrent.

GailM. said...

Oh my. Good tips. Sorry that happened to you.

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

How awful, and the facts are alarming. Oh yes, keep meaning to photograph my jewelry and each room for that matter so I best get to it.
Someone above asked about a dog? Mine is fairly small and would hide as he has done on the neighbour I've asked to walk him on occasion.

kath001 said...

Oh my gosh! Is your fabric stash okay?! (That is totally inappropriate, I'm sorry, and hope you are not offended.)

All kidding aside, I am SO sorry you are dealing with this. It is terribly unsettling to think of a stranger looking through your things and taking what they want with no regard. Blessings on you and your home.

Thanks for the reminder about photographing valuables. You are absolutely right.

Sara - Villa Emilia said...

Oh Linda, I'm so sorry for what happened to you.
Thank you for the good advice.
People reading this, don't do like I did, hided a watch and some other items (in a hurry) inside some pillowcases... and then I washed them in the washing machine. :)

Vee said...

How awful! I am feeling such anger over this on your behalf. I hope that that little baster is caught and given some serious jail time. Is this common in your area? We sometimes have a spurt of thefts and it turns out to be one rotten thief who gets all over. Usually, he is caught. I don't recall there ever being a female thief in our community, though we have an increase in female run meth labs...joy unspeakable. One more thing, don't hide your valuables in the freezer. =D

Jennifer said...

How did I miss this post? Linda, that is awful. We were robbed many years ago and fortunately only some cash was taken......it wasn't even ours, it was raffle money for my husband's tennis club. But our apartment was searched, even the pillows on our bed were thrown around. It makes the safety of "your" space feel violated, doesn't it?

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I am SO sorry this happened to you. I just talked to a neighbor that was telling me about a robbery years ago. And they cleaned off her dresser...nice jewelry and cheap things altogether. This is a good reminder for all of us. Thank you so much for sharing. I hope they find out who did it my friend. Hugs, Diane (I need to work on those photos you suggested!!!)

Pondside said...

I'm so sorry to read this and so sorry for the loss and disruption. Thank you for the advice!

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