When we bought our house the previous owners had just had interlock put in up the front steps and landscaping done all up the walkway. It is lovely and was very much a bonus when we were making our decision on whether to put in an offer. Part of the landscaping includes some hard-wired patio lights - larger than the "moonray" style lights you see a lot - these are lantern-looking, hanging on a mini shepherd's hook.Anyhoo, my point being, they look lovely and I lurve them. And the fact that they are hardwired into an outlet in the garage on a timer (so they actually give off good light vs. those mini moonray types) is a bonus.
Two years ago when I was in Ireland with Maddie and the Hubs was also away on business at the same time - he came home to find one of these lights missing from our flowerbed, all the wiring and whatnot ripped up and just hanging out on our lawn.
We pinned it down to stupid kids - hooligan teenagers - whatever. It was annoying and took a few months to find an identical replacement, but that was it - we didn't really think much more of it.
And then last night it happened again. We were out for dinner at a friend's house and got home around 11pm. The house was dark (as we hadn't thought ahead and left any lights on - either outside or inside). So yes, it was quite clear no one was at home, even with my car parked in the drive.
As we're walking up the steps to the house, I notice - hey! TWO of our lights are missing.
Now - I usually park in the garage, but since we've been doing some furniture refinishing this week, the garage has been taken over and I've been parking out on the driveway. Which means, if these lights were missing last evening - when I was out as well - I would have easily noticed.
The lights were definitely pilfered last night. Sometime between 6:15pm and 11pm.
Nothing else was missing. My car, left wide-open (because I thought we lived in happy lovely suburbia), was not ransacked - they easily could have taken the car seat or new hiking carrier that was sitting wide open in the back seat.
Absolutely nothing else was taken. Just two of these walkway lights.
Say it with me... W. T. F.???
Are there hard up landscapers out there that troll neighbourhoods for good, quality, hardwired patio lighting? Or are these jealous DIY-ers that wish they had better walkway lighting?
To chalk it up to hooligan kids again would be easy - but just doesn't make any sense. Since both neighbours, on either side of us, use those solar-powered, stick-in-the-ground type of lighting, you'd figure they would have effed with their lights as well. Why go to the trouble of pulling up wires and ripping off large lights when you could (also) easily pull up some staked-lighting next door?
It's a mystery to me. And the main reason I now don't really think it's kids. Even though it's also hard to wrap my head around an actual ADULT doing this.
So what to do? Clearly, we've learned our lesson - we're leaving our lights on when we go out and don't anticipate being back before dark. At least to give some type of semblance that someone is home. And I'm now also toying with getting a motion light (since we already have the electrical hardwired into our landscaping, it shouldn't be hard to set up) - but I find those spotlights so obnoxious.
Do we even bother replacing the lights? Or just buy some cheapy moonrays to line the walkway? Clearly they aren't in demand amongst the landscaping crime-ring of the Boonies. But I liiiiiiike my lights. They're pretty. And on a timer. And did I mention how pretty they are?
Sadly, I'm actually going to call the cops and report this properly. Because I feel like once is a random occurence - twice is just weird enough that it makes me feel weird and I want to make sure I'm at least doing my part in whatever channels should be followed in this type of situation.
Strange, non? And also? People suck.
xxoo.S
Two years ago when I was in Ireland with Maddie and the Hubs was also away on business at the same time - he came home to find one of these lights missing from our flowerbed, all the wiring and whatnot ripped up and just hanging out on our lawn.
We pinned it down to stupid kids - hooligan teenagers - whatever. It was annoying and took a few months to find an identical replacement, but that was it - we didn't really think much more of it.
And then last night it happened again. We were out for dinner at a friend's house and got home around 11pm. The house was dark (as we hadn't thought ahead and left any lights on - either outside or inside). So yes, it was quite clear no one was at home, even with my car parked in the drive.
As we're walking up the steps to the house, I notice - hey! TWO of our lights are missing.
Now - I usually park in the garage, but since we've been doing some furniture refinishing this week, the garage has been taken over and I've been parking out on the driveway. Which means, if these lights were missing last evening - when I was out as well - I would have easily noticed.
The lights were definitely pilfered last night. Sometime between 6:15pm and 11pm.
Nothing else was missing. My car, left wide-open (because I thought we lived in happy lovely suburbia), was not ransacked - they easily could have taken the car seat or new hiking carrier that was sitting wide open in the back seat.
Absolutely nothing else was taken. Just two of these walkway lights.
Say it with me... W. T. F.???
Are there hard up landscapers out there that troll neighbourhoods for good, quality, hardwired patio lighting? Or are these jealous DIY-ers that wish they had better walkway lighting?
To chalk it up to hooligan kids again would be easy - but just doesn't make any sense. Since both neighbours, on either side of us, use those solar-powered, stick-in-the-ground type of lighting, you'd figure they would have effed with their lights as well. Why go to the trouble of pulling up wires and ripping off large lights when you could (also) easily pull up some staked-lighting next door?
It's a mystery to me. And the main reason I now don't really think it's kids. Even though it's also hard to wrap my head around an actual ADULT doing this.
So what to do? Clearly, we've learned our lesson - we're leaving our lights on when we go out and don't anticipate being back before dark. At least to give some type of semblance that someone is home. And I'm now also toying with getting a motion light (since we already have the electrical hardwired into our landscaping, it shouldn't be hard to set up) - but I find those spotlights so obnoxious.
Do we even bother replacing the lights? Or just buy some cheapy moonrays to line the walkway? Clearly they aren't in demand amongst the landscaping crime-ring of the Boonies. But I liiiiiiike my lights. They're pretty. And on a timer. And did I mention how pretty they are?
Sadly, I'm actually going to call the cops and report this properly. Because I feel like once is a random occurence - twice is just weird enough that it makes me feel weird and I want to make sure I'm at least doing my part in whatever channels should be followed in this type of situation.
Strange, non? And also? People suck.
xxoo.S
1 comment:
They ARE purdy...
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