We could also go back to some of the "old" ways...keep your eyes/ears open when outside for anything unusual. If you get "sales people", don't allow them into your house & notify you local law enforcement that they are in the area. Talk to your neighbors, let them know if you will be away for an extended period. Put up signs "Beware of Dog" whether or not you have one. Put up another sign "Trespassers Will Be Shot, Survivors Will Be Shot Again"...your neighbors will get a laugh & would-be theives may pass you by! We live rural & have a deep/high ditch in front of our property. We also have fences along both sides so no entry from a neighbor's property. We have a cable that we padlock across our driveway if we are going to be gone & have a niece who will come out each day at different times to "look things over"....so nothing on a regular schedule. Be alert! Call law enforcement if something doesn't seem right! Call & ask them if they have any info you might use or if they are conducting any classes on deterents...our's do!

I recently Googled my place and was shocked to see my garden. It looks a lot better from the eye in the sky.... Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden View

Shy, I thoroughly enjoyed every word you wrote; thank you so much for sharing this story. (you write so well!) I used to hear some of these stories from my dear FIL years back----he lied about his age so he could join the Army---- I think he was a strapping 16 year-old boy when he signed up. As you've written here, he also said the conditions for man and beast were horrific, but would only say so much, and then no more. I truly hope you will write more pieces; this was just rivoting. I can't tell you how many years (DECADES!) it's been since I've heard the word, "Darn!" used!!! I LOVED seeing it in your piece---it brought back a lot of memory-snippets! KJ PS---next time, don't type 'very long' next to your thread title---something so interestingly written was not long at all!

I skipped this thread, thinking, oh, I don't really live in a cottage. I am so glad I took the time this morning to read it. I love hearing the stories behind the homes. The comment about not being cottage prompted me to add mine. Our home is a late 70s typically California starter subdivision home. I did manage to get a design with only one window to the front, so I could pretend I had the craftsman bungalow I wished for. When my kids were hitting their growth spurt and there was no room in the living room for all the feet, we added our garden room. We have lived happily here for 28 years. The other day my sweetie was talking to bil and asked me, what style do we have in our home? I said, cottage? He said no. I said, craftsman? He said no. I said, lodge? He said, yeah, that's it. It isn't really of course, but we live a cottage lifestyle with a great love of the outdoors and our home is mainly decorated with twigs and pinecones and shells and rocks whatever other pretty things we find as we travel, with lots of heirloom fancy work thrown in for good measure. The front yard isn't even cottage, but we intend a major overhaul of that one of these days. I love love love the real cottages shown here, and those I've seen in other posts, but cottage is about where your heart is, right?