Live and learn . . .
A Strange Late Night Visit...
- Thread starter TTSH
- Start date
That's where we're headed at the next place.I have motion lights, front bright light, 4 cameras security system. Front door, front yard,driveway and back yard six ft fence and locked gate.
Also always armed.....
And a dog!
Not practical at this point for where we live now, but very practical (and appropriate) for our retirement place. 
diamonback68
US Veteran
Yeah, I know.You know what they say about "assume".
It was a wake-up call for sure.But don't miss the other major point here about this new phenomenon of lost/stolen smartphone locator apps and the desperation that goes along with a lost or stolen smartphone for some owners... and also how the sometimes gross inaccuracy of those apps can lead to some pretty weird confrontations and angry accusations.
Never thought it would happen to me... i.e., being accused of harboring a lost/stolen smartphone due to some stupid app.
Now, I know better. 
Sounds like installing a peephole in the door and a second secure storage location that is more readily accessible are both in order.
Something like this mounted in the wall behind a mirror or picture on hinges might be a good solution
922 Cubic Inch Digital Wall Safe
Something like this mounted in the wall behind a mirror or picture on hinges might be a good solution
922 Cubic Inch Digital Wall Safe
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... or you won't live long.
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Sounds like you missed this:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZ5Retot5A[/ame]
Glad this one turned out OK for you.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZ5Retot5A[/ame]
Glad this one turned out OK for you.
Emily Post........
Emily Post is no long applicable. I grew up in the 50's/60's so I know a few basic rules like don't put your feet on the dinner table. But my teenage son and his friends......... Basically they do what they want when they want and they are constantly in touch on their cellphones. We are getting something back to normal now, and some of it we've gotten used to but etiquette is an archaic term.
Emily Post is no long applicable. I grew up in the 50's/60's so I know a few basic rules like don't put your feet on the dinner table. But my teenage son and his friends......... Basically they do what they want when they want and they are constantly in touch on their cellphones. We are getting something back to normal now, and some of it we've gotten used to but etiquette is an archaic term.
TTSH, thanks for the reminder, never get to lax. I live in a solid middleclass area, with almost no crime. Yet for the last year, I've lived alone, I always keep one of the two front doors locked. From dusk to dawn I keep the storm door and the solid core normal door locked. From dark on, I don't answer the door without a gun in my hand.
I understand that the locked screen door offers little security, but it will give me a 10 or so second warning that someone is breaking in. If someone had planned to force their way in when I opened the door, it SHOULD slow them down enough for me to react.
I understand that the locked screen door offers little security, but it will give me a 10 or so second warning that someone is breaking in. If someone had planned to force their way in when I opened the door, it SHOULD slow them down enough for me to react.
The door has a small window, albeit covered with decorative steel mesh and essentially useless without a working front porch light.
Yes, my bad for not having had the light fixed yet. I think there are even better (i.e., faster) choices, but not for where I live right now. In the new place, we will make sure there are well-thought-out options for the first floor.
YogiBear
Absent Comrade
Aloha,
We have 3 60 pound dogs sleeping with us in the bedroom.
We also have a 6 foot concrete wall around our property with a powered gate.
I and the dogs get up for bathroom breaks at all hours of the night.
They do a yard check when they go out.
So far, they haven't found anyone.
We also have a street light 100 feet away, lights up the front pretty good.
During the day, they sound off when the PO or UPS/FedEx shows up.
We have 3 60 pound dogs sleeping with us in the bedroom.
We also have a 6 foot concrete wall around our property with a powered gate.
I and the dogs get up for bathroom breaks at all hours of the night.
They do a yard check when they go out.
So far, they haven't found anyone.
We also have a street light 100 feet away, lights up the front pretty good.
During the day, they sound off when the PO or UPS/FedEx shows up.
And, as you know, I've only got a few "good years" left in me anyway.
Gotta love Massad Ayoob.
And believe it or not, I had previously watched that video. Believe me, I understand the logic and joy of owning doggies... and it's one of the first orders of business once we are out in the country.
One complication: I am highly allergic to most doggies... so whatever doggies we get will have to be as hypoallergenic as possible. The good wife and I got our first actual "feet-on-the-ground" tour of our new retirement property today (we just closed on it Friday). Prior to today, we could only view it from the street without trespassing on abutter property due to the extremely heavy "natural fencing" surrounding the property. Methinks it's going to be fairly easy to secure the property from casual trespassers.
Yep.
But again, I blame dubious "new technology" for this particular late-night excitement just as much as I blame the Harley dude who thought it perfectly fine to knock on my door at night after lights-out and accuse me repeatedly of harboring his lost/stolen smartphone. Well, that's what his "app" said so it must be true, right?
I half expected him to show up again today for a look around my yard and nearby in daylight (based on what one of the officers had told me). I looked myself and found nothing. Anyway, he never showed... so the "app" must be telling him his phone is now somewhere else other than on my property.
The door has a small window, albeit covered with decorative steel mesh and essentially useless without a working front porch light.
I think there are even better (i.e., faster) choices, but not for where I live right now. In the new place, we will make sure there are well-thought-out options for the first floor.
O-K. Just trying to offer some helpful suggestions that are compliant with your laws.
Best O Luck to ya'...
My LF's son showed me some battery security lights he bought on Amazon. He mounted his on the carport with strong magnets. I bought and mounted mine under the eaves in the back. They are very good and have LED bulbs. Bought some kinda special batteries he told me to get.
The reason there's a little space behind a door is to stash a SBS. A peephole, or video system can clue you if you know the person out there. If not, do not open the door, call the PoPo, and take shotgun in hand.
G.T. Smith
US Veteran
G.T. Smith
US Veteran
of course, this is Texas, not Massachusetts. It's after 11M here, and obviously I'm on the computer working the S&W Forum. You can see the RIA Compact 45 loaded with Speer HPs, that would be in my hand if the doorbell rang. That's an old photo; it has checkered grips now and Novak night sights. Fortunatly the door opens with the left hand so I'd have the pistol in the hand I normally use for shooting. Also, my house has a living room window looking out on the porch, so I can have a look before I open the door. The porch lights work, too . I live alone, and keep the doors locked. Much though I'd like the companionship of a dog, I don't think I'm capable of taking care of him or her.
Attachments
Obviously, the Labradoodle has been recommended to me a lot... but no one so far has been able to explain to me why they are so hypoallergenic when they are a cross between two doggies (French Poodle and Labrador Retriever) the latter of which I am very allergic to.
Lacking a good explanation, and with no better options, I'd probably be inclined just to go with a standard size French Poodle (albeit without the fancy haircut).
There you go being practical and sensible when our Massachusetts laws are anything but practical and sensible!
Remember how they do it up here: They put an anti-gun/anti-gunowner law in place with one harsh set of penalties and then they keep raising the penalties every few years into the "beyond absurd" stratosphere wherein you must take the laws seriously simply because the penalties are so insane for even minor technical violations that they would literally destroy your life.
I could cite many examples... but I believe the good folks out in free America would think I was making them up.
Had the cop come into my home the other night and seen a pistol on the table near the door, I'd most likely be in jail right now waiting for my good wife to raise the bail money to get me out.
Texas is about as far away from loony moonbat Massachusetts as you can get... and I am not talking geography.
Your preparations and plan don't surprise me at all. Then again, I don't think any stranger down there would be dumb enough to come knocking on your door late at night supposedly in search of his or her lost/stolen smartphone.
Thanks for sharing this life lesson. There is a reason doors in shady motels have peep holes, unfortunately, it's the same reason your home needs one. Crime is mobile and nobody is beyond suspicion who knocks on the door, no matter the time of day. Never open the door until you've sized up your visitor. Body language can be a real indicator of their disposition and maybe intent. If the situation doesn't feel right don't open the door, speak to them through it. And if armed you should be tactically "switched on."
Jim1392
US Veteran
We feel we live in a pretty safe neighborhood. But just because nothing has happened here doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared. The desk I'm sitting at has a Ruger 380 in the top drawer. There is a Shield 9 in my master bedroom. Downstairs there are guns placed where I can get to them at the front and rear door. Unfortunately my dog is under 20 pounds, not a barker, and would most likely lick an intruder to death. But between our alarm system and not dropping our guard when someone rings our bell I feel even safer knowing we will be prepared should something occur.
But between our alarm system and not dropping our guard when someone rings our bell I feel even safer knowing we will be prepared should something occur.
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