SH, I don't know of any such bars (although welding a flower basket onto installed bars would probably be cheaper than buying a ready-made thing). But, I wondered, if you have not already got a window there, maybe you could install a patio door instead? That way you can have your regular glass patio door, and then put on the outside one of the Security storm doors. These have extra locking bolt things that lock near the top and bottom of the door (not just the middle), and also have a shatterproof laminate sheet in between the 2 panes of glass, so that they are supposed to resist impact. The glass is full-view so it doesnt get in the way of your patio door. We just bought 3 of these doors (we got the Larson security door) from Lowes and my husband has installed them all, they seem pretty solid (although we have not tested with a hammer!). You can also get a similar shatterproof laminate "film" installed over windows, there are a couple of companies doing this, but its $$. Maybe if you install a new window, you can puchase one that has this already built-in, though. We are having a wave of house break-ins round here (both in the daytime and at night while the homeowners are asleep!), so we've been trying to increase our security level.

I've also been reglazing windows lately, largely old ones we've collected to restore the windows back from the vinyl hell they were in when we purchased our bungalow. So far, so good! Graywings, the stuff your old woodworker uses to help skin over the glazing might be whiting? It's powered chalk, basically. I think. I don't know how much the little mechanical point guns cost, but the one we inherited is a little blue thing by CRL and it's brilliant, easier than pushing or hammering them in. The gun also helps break less glass; I can get a little kamikaze with a hammer. We use little points with the gun that are more like diamonds than triangles, although I think the gun will take various shapes. They're perfectly flat so they work exactly like the old ones. I haven't encountered any nails-for-points in windows yet (I'm in Maine, there might be regional differences?), but have had windows that have tiny little slivers of extra glass wedged in to hold the panes. Zowie! Those freak me out every time I crunch into one with my scraper. Schoolhouse, I found that your new wedge-shaped putty knife is actually brilliant for when you're removing glazing and trying to get the triangle points out -- mine has a slight nick in the front that just scoops up the points as you scrape along, easy as pie. I've been using Sarco-M putty and just love it. You can get small quantities of it from winnmountainrestorations.com in NH or smithrestorationsash.com in Vermont. It's great chewy stuff that warms up well in the hands and I think it's easier to work with than the gloppy tube or jar stuff. Ooh, rats, I just looked up the point driver gun and it's pretty pricy. Here it is, just for reference: CRL Point Driver. Still might be worth it if you have lots of windows to do?

Thanks very much for your thoughts and suggestions! (Although I can't agree that we're being impulsive; as stated, we are considering burglar bars - we're simply exploring options at this point.) We are going to get a couple of quotes, but haven't committed to anything yet. We do have a monitored security system. Quite honestly, I would be less upset if my things were stolen than if my pets escaped from a broken window or kicked-in door. My things are replaceable. My babies aren't. I will also consider planting very prickly bushes beneath the windows. We've put up a couple of "Beware of Dog" signs and will be installing a new motion-sensing floodlight on the side of the house that is now dark, thanks to our neighbor's house being abandoned (the electricity has been cut, so his exterior lights no longer shine). I've also contacted our security system monitoring company and they are sending out new yard signs and window stickers. I feel like every little extra bit of deterrent helps at this point. Oh, dedtired - we do have central A/C, but our next door neighbor has window units and one of his was kicked in a few years ago, and his home was burglarized. The crooks were so stupid that most of what they took was worthless stuff - including cordless phones and an antique gun that didn't work. ;-)

When I redid my kitchen, I chose 4 glass-front cabinets with muntins. After living with them a few months, I couldn't stand them. I replaced them for clear glass with bevelling around the edges. It drove me crazy that the muntins/mullions and the interior shelves didn't line up, depending upon what angle you were looking at the cabinets. I just didn't like the look. My kitchen is "transitional", neither traditional nor contemporary, but a little of both. Changing out the doors was a surprisingly easy switch. The new doors from my cabinet company weren't too expensive (the bigger expense of cabinetry is the boxes), and I bought the clear bevelled glass from my neighborhood glass/mirror shop. I brought the glass/mirror shop my 4 new cabinet doors, and they installed the glass. I chose the bevelled glass because it really adds a luxury look to the glass - it ought to, since bevelling the glass almost doubled the price of the glass. I really like them now, and display my "good" china and wine glasses in those cabinets.