About 40 minutes ago, call it 11:20, I was getting ready for bed. I'd stayed up to watch Robot Chicken, then shut off unnecessary lights and headed to my bedroom, where the smallest cat was snoozing on the bed. I sat down and prepared to trade house shoes and jeans and so on for a nightgown when the doorbell rang.
WTF?
I grabbed a sidearm and raced to the door, peeking obliquely through the high window. No one in sight. I hollered, "If it's not an emergency, go away!" Nothing. I'd flipped on the dining room lights on my way through, so I turned them off and toured the windows. Nothing.
Thought about it and called the police non-emergency number. Told them what happened, thinking, well, don't I sound like a stereotypical old maid. Asked if they had any reports from my neighborhood. Nothing, but they said they'd send a car down the street. Police Dispatch called back five minutes later asking my exact house number, I told 'em (again) and then kept my eyes open; sure enough, an IMPD car came around the corner and went down the street, spotlighting yards and porches as he went.
So, here I am, armed to the teeth and wired on my own adrenaline. Anyone think I'm goin' to sleep soon? Noooooooo.
Rats. I need to -- well, I should -- go to the bank tomorrow morning. And I've picked up all the parts to try some plumbing, which I would as soon do during the day, after a good rest.
At my old place, I had several visits from very drunk people, most of whom were simply confused. (One was angry as can be, sure she was at her boyfriend's house. That was when my ex and I were still together and we had to call the police). Don't know if that's what this was or what.
P.S.: This is why I don't like living alone.
Soooo; are you OK this morning??
ReplyDelete-Popgun
I dislike being pumped with adrenaline in the middle of the night. Hope you finally got some sleep.
ReplyDeleteYep, okay! ...I finally dozed off on the living room couch; slept very lightly (Tam's cat Rannie tends to sneak by and snuggle at random intervals), woke up about 0500 and went to bed for three and a half glorious hours. That adrenaline thing, it's no fun. Pretty good headache cure, though.
ReplyDeleteIt also helps relaxation to have one's possible lines of fire already figured out.
Good flashlight in your hands too, right?
ReplyDeleteGlad you're OK. And glad to hear the battle plans are already worked out.
Was it a Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney knocking on your door for alcohol?
ReplyDeleteShootin' Buddy
Do they do that? ...Umm, oh, yeah, some of them do. I don't think it was this time. Probably some ijit at the wrong house but there've been at least a couple of burglaries in Indy recently that seem to have been targeted at weapons and srsly, other than full-auto, Roseholme compares favorably to an FBI agent's house that way.
ReplyDeleteLorimor: Yep!
Just consider it a fire drill. If you never have a drill, nobody knows what to do, how to stay out of each others way - and lines of fire.
ReplyDeleteWith drills, everybody gets to laugh later, but they do know what to do.
Could have been a drunk, or could have been a "dry run" by malefactors. If it was a dry run, they got their answer - not here.
Then again, it could just be the crazy cat ladies of Roseholm Cottage. Just imagine what goes around the local alcoholic crack-head malefactor's meetings: "There I was, drunk out of my mind, I rang the Crazy Cat Ladies' doorbell, and what happened???" Story to be continued... :)
I'd say your reaction was appropriate for the circumstances and your presumed goal of living a long and healthy life.
ReplyDeleteJim
Glad you are OK. . I'm on call, but if you want to grab the cats and bunk here the rest of the weekend you're welcome.
ReplyDeleteI hate phone calls in the middle of the night when I'm not on call and half expecting it. A doorbell. Even worse. You handled it well.
Still sleep would have been a hard time coming for any one.
Been there, done that. You have my complete sympathy.
ReplyDeleteThe third handiest thing, behind a major caliber and a GOOD flashlight is a yappy mini-dog.
Canids senses are much better than ours - and for some reason the stray that came to stay has not falsed yet.
Something I wish I could say about the electronics that supposedly light up the unwanteds like a seven balls for a penny Gottleib pinball machine.
Although the motion lights do a creditable job of backlighting an intruder - after he's in the house.
Stranger
I have a fair amount of outside light -- a Power&Light six-buck-a-month special in the alley, anice birght one on the back yard and a 100W-equiv. CFL on the front porch; the LEO who lived here before me was of the same opinion I am, that baddies skulk in the shadows. None of it is motion controlled, it's all on whenever it gets dark.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a dog person. I was bitten several times in childhood by mean dogs. My family always had dogs and I get along with other people's dogs. Like children, they're really quite nice when they are someone else's.
Huge home security fail and I probably will end up getting one if Western Civ. goes over the cliff.