Two kinds of thieves

Cullman, AL


In recent days we have encountered at least two different kinds of thievery.  But first, I want to share to picture of a handsome fella.

He lives next to the United Methodist campground where we have spent the last 3 weeks volunteering.    A couple of times we stopped to gobble hello.  When we do, he comes walking down towards the truck, gobbles back and gives us a hello by spreading those tail feathers.

Now back to the thieves.    When we moved here on December 31, we found out that the previous owner who moved to South Carolina "forgot" one of her cats.  We spoke on the phone and she said if we catch Sunday, she will have a friend come pick her up.  Not a chance.  For the first few weeks she would get no closer than 20 feet.  Then she would come to the bottom of the steps as I put out her food (twice a day).  Now she walks one step down from the porch but if I move closer to her, she runs away.

I did not want this cat but I can't let her starve.  So I asked our closest neighbor if she would stop by a couple of times a week and put food in a cat feeder while we were away.  I doubted that the cat would get much as it would be eaten by possums, birds or raccoons.   After we got home yesterday, the neighbor brought back what was left of the cat food.  She said she would put food in the feeder but it was always gone and tipped over.  I had the same experience previously.

We also put food in an stainless steel bowl.   Twice it disappeared overnight.  Once we found it in the yard about 30 feet from the house.   Another time it was about 60 feet from the house and
 into a wooded area.  No cat could have done that.

Not long after we arrived yesterday, Sunday showed up.  It's obvious she has lost some weight.  The neighbor said she only saw her 3 times so can be sure it was her who got the food those times.

Before we left in early March we received an order from Omaha Steaks.  I left the Styrofoam cooler on the back porch.   Some critter must have caught the scent and tried to open the cooler with no luck.

That is one kind of thief.   Wild creatures that know no better.  I can deal with that.  What I have a hard time understanding is the ones who walk upright, have a developed (?) brain and believe that if you have something they want it is theirs for the taking.  For instance.....

We got home yesterday to grass that REALLY needed cutting.  Leonard went to the garden shop to get the mower and found this where once a lock had been.

What he didn't find was our weed whacker, a two-month old electric pole chain saw and a gas chain saw.  Might be other stuff gone that we will realize once we go to use it.   Our new zero-turn mower was there.  We did not leave the keys in it and surely it is too heavy to just pick up and take.

Even though we were assured that this is a safe area, right after we bought the house we had a security system installed.   We have no close neighbors, have a woods on three sides and sit about 300 feet from the road with a line of trees almost blocking sight of the house.    

We called the Sheriffs department.  They told us to always notify them when we leave the area and they will keep checking to see if anything looks amiss.  Well, that helps AFTER stuff is gone.  We will either have the outbuildings alarmed as we do the house or get security cameras.  Would rather scare off the thieves before than take a picture of them after.  Leaning towards the alarms.