Life in the Boomer Lane would be lying to you if she were to tell you that personal security has not been on her mind. This is because a gun store is scheduled to open in LBL’s hitherto touchie feelie, peace-loving neighborhood and LBL feels completely mystified and out of the loop, when considering the thought of citizens lined up to purchase firearms for self-protection.
LBL assumes that many people buy guns because it gives them a sense of security against marauders, in much the same way as having an alarm system or a large, surly dog on one’s premises. Unlike alarm systems, large surly dogs and guns can both get out of hand, causing non-marauders a lot of harm. And, unlike alarm systems and large surly dogs, guns are often stored in shoe boxes in the back of high shelves, providing marauders time to carry out most of their marauding, while gun owners are rooting around amid boxes of stilettos, trying to find their guns.
This got LBL to wondering: If people buy guns for protection from theft, might there be another way to deter such theft without resorting to bullets? One possibility might be what was contained in a Facebook posting, sent to LBL by an alert reader. The posting was made by a Scottish friend of hers:
I’ve had too many lovely friends burgled lately, leaving them understandably fearful and angry, so I think there’s a market for Potters Fuck Off Alarms. No more loud ringing tones than people often ignore, but a vocal audio that plays so loud next doors dog will shit themselves. You could write your own script and request the local accent, but it also comes with a default setting at maximum volume called ‘Terrifying Scots Woman’.
‘HAW!! HAW YOU YA PRICK OH YER SO FUCKIN DEAD… AYE YE BETTER RUN YA THIEVIN WEE BASTARD… HERE AH’M COMIN!!!
I think it might sell?
LBL applauds Potter for marketing his verbal alarms. If French is the language of love, surely the Scottish brogue must be the language of burglar deterrence.
LBL has considered putting a car up on blocks in front of her abode or having a fake notice on the door from the Board of Health, announcing the presence of both cholera and Sarah Palin inside the home.
To provide yet one more service to all of her loyal readers, LBL has perused various websites, packed with handy advice about preventing burglaries and car theft. She has encountered the following advice:
Buzzfeed advises putting bumper stickers on one’s car and leaving the car as messy as possible. LBL is home-free with both of these. In addition, her gas gauge can often be found hovering around “Empty,” and there are usually soon-to-be-due library books on the front seat. No honorable felon would want to be responsible for causing overdue library books.
Mother Nature Network advises placing a mannequin in the window, when one leaves one’s home. The downside of this tactic is that, in some cases, the large blow up dolls available online would actually encourage burglars (as well as many male neighbors) to enter the house.
HouseLogic reports that in the U.K., they slather “anti-climb” paint, which never dries, on downspouts, gutters, and anything they don’t want an intruder to shimmy up. LBL isn’t sure whether the “anti-climb” means that felons will aromatically slip down from railings and downspouts, or will be deterred by the thought of messing up their clothing. LBL is skeptical of the latter, since she has always assumed that burglars have dress clothing and work clothing, and expect that their work clothing might get messed up.
One handy bit of advice that comes from LBL’s own vast inventory of life lessons is to try to avoid leaving one’s new convertible BMW in the driveway overnight, with the top down and the keys on the dash. LBL experimented with this about 15 years ago, and discovered upon awakening in the morning that there was no car in her driveway. LBL was gratified that the police located her car the next day and that she provided two teens with a fun activity on a slow Saturday night.
LRose
June 8, 2015
I’ve got a sister who does the mannequin-in-the-window thing (its in their vacation home, which means the damn thing is standing there in its sunny summer sun dress and frisky straw hat 10 months out of the year. Me thinks even an average-intelligence prowler will eventually get wise)….and I’ve got a friend who bought a special purse for the special semi-automatic her especially concerned beloved gave to her for Christmas. All you have to do is turn the purse in the right position toward you, unzip the special compartment (up one side, across the top, and then down the other side), unsnap the special holder in the special compartment of the special purse, and retrieve the special gun…much like looking for it among the “what was I thinking when I stashed this thing up here” boxes of stilettos in the back of the upper shelf of the hall closet.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
Oh my. Your friend needs a holster. Hilarious about the mannequin in the window. I didn’t think people actually did that.
swo8
June 8, 2015
Chuckle!
Leslie
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
Thanks, Leslie!
cornfedcontessa
June 8, 2015
OMG! Too funny! Have to reblog.
cornfedcontessa
June 8, 2015
Reblogged this on cornfedcontessa and commented:
OMG! This is too flipping funny! Happy Monday!
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
Thanks for the reblog!
cornfedcontessa
June 10, 2015
You are very welcome. Very funny post!
L. T. Garvin, Author
June 8, 2015
This is absolutely hysterical! I loved it.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
Thanks!
Life With The Top Down
June 9, 2015
We just leave our door open to make it look like we’re there. Thieves rarely walk into open doors, it’s not challenging enough.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
I love your reasoning. It might very well be true.
themonkseal
June 9, 2015
Reblogged this on themonkseal.
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
Thanks for the reblog!
dorannrule
June 9, 2015
Love this one for all the hilarious methods to deter break-ins. A big dog is the ultimate solution. Otherwise, leave the t.v. on. 🙂
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 10, 2015
A friend of mine had a big dog for that purpose and all it ever reacted to was the mail being pushed through the slot by the mailman. It totally attacked all of the mail and ripped it to shreds, the second it hit the floor. So the only felons that were deterred were the bulk mail folks.
pardonmyblogs
June 9, 2015
Hilarious post – thanks for that. Please read my latest blog (https://pardonmyblogs.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/the-categories/) for a short and witty, comical outlook on the types of people you find clubbing on a night out… It would be much appreciated 🙂
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 9, 2015
I read it. Oh my, is this why I don’t go to clubs? I mean, aside from my advanced age, my dislike of loud music and crowds, my habit of keeling over after only one glass of wine, and my inability to find a leopard tube top that doesn’t end up slipping down to my waist?
pardonmyblogs
June 9, 2015
im laughing so hard right now lol
coffeeatclaires
June 16, 2015
Reblogged this on Coffee at Claires and commented:
So true!
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 16, 2015
Thanks for the reblog!
Judah First
June 16, 2015
Reblogged this on Judah First and commented:
For someone like me, who doesn’t believe in shooting a burglar, this list is HILARIOUS and apropos. Enjoy! 😀
Life in the Boomer Lane
June 16, 2015
Thanks for the reblog!