I just want to tell my story, just because I'm a bit sad about it. I moved to my new place almost six months ago, and I had to store the plants in pots at my parents' place until I get things organized, so I started moving them to the new place slowly. The new place has a central courtyard and walkways around that I can put pots on outside my apartment, as well as a patio in the back. I had a lot of stuff to move, so one day I put the plants I just brought over beside my car in the garage. I figured, it's in a back corner by a brightly-lit back door, and they are just plants, mostly ones that didn't look all that impressive, since they are just returning from the winter, so they should be okay for a couple of days (I did this once before with no problems). I went out the next morning, checking on the plants on the way out, and they were there. When I went out again in the afternoon, they were all gone! They weren't plants that I needed for my arrangement necessarily, and there was nothing particularly special that I couldn't replace, but many of them were seedlings that I've been nursing for over a year, so that they could possibly flower next year, like irises that miraculously germinated despite the seeds being old, a vancouveria, the lone-surviving geranium from a batch that didn't quite make it, etc. Now, what I don't understand is, why would anyone roam around a garage looking to steal plants in plastic temporary pots and a few clay pots that look piddly to begin with? I am sure most people wouldn't even be able to identify most of them from the state that they are in (four or five 8-in iris seedlings don't look like much other than weedy grass). I do hope that whoever ended up with them take care of them well, and they aren't ones I've figured into my patio garden anyway, but I would just like to know what in the world were they thinking?!? Are they stupid, plain malicious, or simply pathetic? They aren't worth anything to anyone (especially in our apartment building) except to the person who grew them and knew their history. Sigh.

You are correct and I did report it to the police immediately. I told them my story and the officers advice was the security system and a firearm!!!....He said don't shoot them until you drag them into the house and he suggested a 44 Magnum....I was shocked but it is Shawnee and after I checked the Roofer and his live in out and found out they all had criminal records I guess that is where the cop was coming from. I did give the police officer a copy of the info I pulled on them from the State Correctional System and Pottowatamie County's Court System. Also found out that this woman's first husband died after a long illness (hmmmm) and that while she was married to him she had a total of 5 children 3 by him and 2 by 2 different men....her husband never knew the children were not his or so the story goes this woman made up all kinds of lies about me and my husband had to get his cell phone number changed and we had to get our home phone number changed because of her haraassing calls....it has truly been a bad experience....they last hit us on August 16....their MO is wait a month....then attack in two weeks, then wait a month....everything has been quiet since August 16...no phone calls (of course we have new unlisted numbers now) and no pulling up in front of the house and yelling and screaming at me (I called the cops on that one too)...this woman's daughter acutally hit me on the arm that time and gave me a big bruise...I sprayed her with pepper spray right in the face and the police said "good move" but get a more potent and larger can of "mace" and they told me where they get theirs...so I got some...it also leaves a stain that will glow under a black light. I have stopped short of buying a firearm...I don't want to shoot anyone! We are hoping that this is the end of it and they have moved on....we thought we saw the "woman" at Lowes yesterday when we went to buy an electrical box for the last motion detector light....if it was her she tried to avoid us....I know that the police went to her house on at least two occasions and told her to stop harrasing us...so maybe it will have worked....her mother lives with her along with three Adult Children and her live in common law "man" he is the one she thinks I am after....the only one that ddoes not have criminal or court records is the Mom....it is the Mom that has the nice display on the front porch....they have a deck in the back but the rest is gravel and it is where the roofer parks his truck and trailers and stores a lot of his equipment....they are illegally running a business out of a home zoned for residential...if they continue to harrass me....I will report that to the zoning department.....I don't want to confront these people because (if you ever read To Kill A Mockingbird) they are like the Ewells ignorant and violent and the son "Robert" cooks meth and the daugther "Tammy" takes drugs and has been arrested for drugs and has had protective orders taken out against her for attacking people in the past.....a real old fashioned "outlaw" group living on N Broadway in Shawnee....the put up a good appearance out front...nice flowers an American Flag on a Pole etc but the only one over there that seems to be a decent person is the elderly lady named "Mary"....but believe me I will not be going over there....I used to walk Broadway between Wallace and Federal for exercise....if I start again I will not be taking that route for sure because it took me in front of their home....everyone else in Shawnee that I have met is very nice....I have two gardner friends on Broadway that have exchanged flowers and herbs with me....one is the lady who used to do the garlic braids for Oklahoma Gardening....she is a lovely person as are most of the folks here....Thank Goodness! I read your profile...how wonderful of you to have surprised that elderly woman....I used to work at Fleming Foods Corporate Headquarters across from the Waterford Hotel and I'll bet I have driven by your location in the past and admired it along with many others! Before my front was destroyed...I had cars stop and tell my how nice it looked....I am just now putting things back out I put everything in the back...even my bird bath and feeders because I was afraid they would come back for them too....I have marked my name on everything and written my name on popsicle sticks and covered them with clear duct tape and pushed them down into the pots too so if anymore is taken....it will be easily identifiable...since I have been literally "hit" and bruised and had flowers stolen and my diabetic husband traumitized by this woman....he believed her at one point duh and threw out all of his medication even his insulin and wanted to die because he thought it was true....but then he realized that what she told him was all a lie cause she told him a met her man in the garage in my "robe" I don't wear a robe or even own one....I sleep and wear t-shirts and knit sorts around the house also with my arthritic knees and hip no way am I going to get on my knees and perform a sex act on the concrete floor of the garage LOL......no way....anyway my husband came to his senses and we are fine....made me feel a little good that he would be jealous after all these years but really just made me feel really bad that he would think I would betray him like that...maybe I should write a book too....LOL...."Stolen Blooms and Philandering of the Baby Boomers including "Raw" Sex on the garage floor in Shawnee Oklahoma" ROFL :)

Yep. I was working at the New Haven Colony Historical Society as their curator when that theft happened. I can also tell you that just before I took my first job, someone went to the museum that I was going to be working at and had a shopping list with them to steal a number of guns...right off the shopping list for a collector. They caught that guy. When I was working at another institution, someone came in and asked to see a particular ring from the 17th century (yep, late 1600s). It had been donated in the late 19th century (my museum was established in 1865). They were chatting up about how their great aunt so and so donated it.....and I said, well, actually, no. And told them who had donated it. They were stunned....I pointed out that it was great it was in a museum because the number of descendents of the original owner should have numbered over 1,500 or so..(minimum) and at least by having it in the museum EVERYONE had the chance to enjoy it. They agreed, as they would have never been able to see it if it wasn't there. On the other hand, I had someone really upset that they couldn't remove some genealogical materials because THEY were direct descendents...well, heck, they shared that honor with a bajillion others. For some people, it is the covetousness...kind of like that DaffyDuck cartoon where he has the biggest pearl and his quacking "Mine, all Mine!!!!!" I remember him being shrunk and sitting in the oyster shell with his arms around this enourmous pearl.

I wanted to share a couple other ways your identy/money can be stolen. Both happened to me. By the way, I'm really sorry you've gone through this. It is so frustrating. It seems like the majority of id theft is from credit cards. This first one happened years ago, when this was a relatively new crime, but it wasn't credit. Someone took my name and driver's licence number and the account number of a closed checking account. Then they created a new account and went shopping, at Sears, Macy's, Home Depot, and Victoria's Secret. All in one day. They almost got cought at VS, which ended their shopping spree. I believe they got over $3,000 in merchandise. It was a NIGHTMARE trying to convince all the different agencies and stores that I wasnt the thief. I didn't lose any money, but my driver's license number is still flagged with telecheck. Sixteen years later. BTW, after I made contact with Macy's to explain the situation, Macy's started billing me for the $900 purchase. We had a pretty heated conversation about how they wouldn't even have my information if I hadn't called them to do the right thing. The other was just a couple years ago. I was going over my bank statement and saw a payment to a cell phone company that we don't use. I checked a few monthes prior and noticed I had been paying someone elses bills. Cell phone and the utility bills. The utility bill was easy to miss because I use the same company. It was the cell bill that tipped me off. Someone used the account and routing number off a check one of us wrote and was paying her bills online. Once I cought it, I called the bank PG&E, and Verizon and had everything taken care of. The utility companies went after her on their own, so I don't know the outcome. There was a name on the accounts, but I was told it was probably fake. So anyway, these are just a couple more areasto consider and keep an eye on. Also, Sears can be kinda shifty. I would still be a little suspicious of them. I would not put it past them to issue you an unsolicited credit card. On the off chance that you accept it. It doesn't make much sense for a credit thief to have the card sent to your house. Unless, they were watching your house hoping to intercept your mail