Depends on where you live, of course...in my life I've been known to leave doors unlocked if not open, for various reasons. Maybe to let fresh air in, maybe stepping out for only 10 minutes, maybe to leave the back door open so Mercy can go in and out at will on a pleasant day. Clearly, such trusting maneuvers depend greatly on where you live and the clientele around you.
As you know, I love and am humbled by my 253K car, but I used to joke that I always leave the doors unlocked and windows down in hopes someone would steal it and I could get an insurance claim. Just joking, of course (about the insurance claim part)...but I'm pretty confident a very weathered '99 Ford Escort wagon isn't on some crack-jacker's Top-10 list of grabs.
Speaking of open doors, our management is always stressing they have an open door policy. Hmmmm...
DATELINE: OLDSMAR, FLORIDA
Pinellas County, like a lot of other populous Florida counties, is a prime area for retirement living...salubrious weather (excepting hurricanes), and pleasant warm temperatures most of the year. To save on A/C bills, open doors and ceiling fans can cool nicely, so that makes sense.
Meet 69 year-old retiree Sandra Frosti. It was late last Monday night that in her kitchen there arose such a clatter she got up to see just what was the matter. And what before her wondering eyes did appear?....oh just this:
(AP Photos/Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)
All 8 feet and 8 inches of him, her.
Because news reports are designed to be public-friendly cupcakes, they can often leave you with more questions than answers when you read (or hear) their limited verbage. Apparently Ms. Frosti heard a noise, got up to investigate, more than likely freaked at the hunk of reptile on her kitchen floor, and called 911.
"There's an alligator in my kitchen!", is the only quote that made press. I'm sure we could fill in the blanks with more...
What got me was the reported answer from the dispatcher who suggested she might be looking at an iguana instead. An iguana. Unless the caller had horrendous communication skills, I would think she made it clear the animal's size before her.
And so the Pinellas sherriff's office dispatched officers who quickly realized she, in fact, had a rare and record-sized Guatamalan Nightshade iguana in her house and immediately called Ripley's Believe It Or Not for verification...ok, ya got me. It was just a gator, a big ol' bigger-than-me gator.
A member of the order Crocodilia, this Alligator mississippiensis, was definitely on the prowl. No 'left turn at Albuquerque' loss of bearings. Detectives fairly quickly traced what actually transpired.
It first broke through the back screen door.
Entered the house through an open sliding glass door.
Made its way through the living room.
Mosied on down the hallway.
Entered the kitchen.
Made noise. Made gator growls.
Woke up Frosti, the sleeping woman.
911 call placed.
Secret iguana identity almost revealed.
Police arrived and verified there was a problem.
Trapper called.
Gator removed.
News outlets spread the story in usual frenzy.
Wins "Fried Friday's" award.
One big question is why? Why would a gator do that? There was one tidbit of insightful information that one news version entered: there was a family cat that apparently had a little cat door to go in and out and, well, probably provided a good bit of motivation for the ample reptile. No worries, everyone was safe and unharmed, save for the gator's cut from a broken plate that fell in the trapping process.
But I wonder. Could it have been thirsty and needing to replace its electrolytes? Maybe it wanted some Gatorade.
Or maybe Sandra had cooked up a nice brisket in a 'crock' pot.
We may never know...
As you know, I love and am humbled by my 253K car, but I used to joke that I always leave the doors unlocked and windows down in hopes someone would steal it and I could get an insurance claim. Just joking, of course (about the insurance claim part)...but I'm pretty confident a very weathered '99 Ford Escort wagon isn't on some crack-jacker's Top-10 list of grabs.
Speaking of open doors, our management is always stressing they have an open door policy. Hmmmm...
DATELINE: OLDSMAR, FLORIDA
Pinellas County, like a lot of other populous Florida counties, is a prime area for retirement living...salubrious weather (excepting hurricanes), and pleasant warm temperatures most of the year. To save on A/C bills, open doors and ceiling fans can cool nicely, so that makes sense.
Meet 69 year-old retiree Sandra Frosti. It was late last Monday night that in her kitchen there arose such a clatter she got up to see just what was the matter. And what before her wondering eyes did appear?....oh just this:
(AP Photos/Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)All 8 feet and 8 inches of him, her.
Because news reports are designed to be public-friendly cupcakes, they can often leave you with more questions than answers when you read (or hear) their limited verbage. Apparently Ms. Frosti heard a noise, got up to investigate, more than likely freaked at the hunk of reptile on her kitchen floor, and called 911.
"There's an alligator in my kitchen!", is the only quote that made press. I'm sure we could fill in the blanks with more...
What got me was the reported answer from the dispatcher who suggested she might be looking at an iguana instead. An iguana. Unless the caller had horrendous communication skills, I would think she made it clear the animal's size before her.
And so the Pinellas sherriff's office dispatched officers who quickly realized she, in fact, had a rare and record-sized Guatamalan Nightshade iguana in her house and immediately called Ripley's Believe It Or Not for verification...ok, ya got me. It was just a gator, a big ol' bigger-than-me gator.
A member of the order Crocodilia, this Alligator mississippiensis, was definitely on the prowl. No 'left turn at Albuquerque' loss of bearings. Detectives fairly quickly traced what actually transpired.
It first broke through the back screen door.
Entered the house through an open sliding glass door.
Made its way through the living room.
Mosied on down the hallway.
Entered the kitchen.
Made noise. Made gator growls.
Woke up Frosti, the sleeping woman.
911 call placed.
Secret iguana identity almost revealed.
Police arrived and verified there was a problem.
Trapper called.
Gator removed.
News outlets spread the story in usual frenzy.
Wins "Fried Friday's" award.
One big question is why? Why would a gator do that? There was one tidbit of insightful information that one news version entered: there was a family cat that apparently had a little cat door to go in and out and, well, probably provided a good bit of motivation for the ample reptile. No worries, everyone was safe and unharmed, save for the gator's cut from a broken plate that fell in the trapping process.
But I wonder. Could it have been thirsty and needing to replace its electrolytes? Maybe it wanted some Gatorade.
Or maybe Sandra had cooked up a nice brisket in a 'crock' pot.
We may never know...
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