Today I am thankful that I keep track of things: I just don't know if my concerns are valid.
I read through this blog yesterday and made note of each time I used the terms damaged locks or broken locks.
This seems to happen to me more than most people.
It seems to have picked up in the past three months.
Maybe it is because I'm home to find the things that are wrong?
In February, I noticed the door was removed from the garden shed next to the house.
My ex told me that had always been that way.
Wouldn't I know if that were the case?
In March, the garage door lock leading from the garage to the house was broken. We replaced the locking mechanism.
In April, the back door luck was stuck. We reinstalled it.
Sometime in May, I found the door to the gate broken.
In late May or early June, the neighbor said he saw a man hop our fence and hide behind the lattice decorating our porch.
On June 23rd, the door leading from the garage to the back yard was wide open. The lock was stuck.
We NEVER use that door. I don't think anyone could have gotten too far in the garage because it is filled with bags and boxes that we intend to donate to the veteran's charity.
That weekend, the lock from the garage to the house was stuck.
We reinstalled it.
Yesterday the lock to the front door was stuck. We're reinstalling it.
I'm beginning to realize that most people don't have these kinds of issues with their locks, do they?
The first time I had a broken lock was the fall of 1994.
Michael had started to bring his things into my apartment. He was so filthy and unhelpful, I asked him to move out.
The next day, my lock was broken.
I was evicted. That was around the time his sister was calling my landlord with gossip. My landlord warned me that if it didn't stop, she'd have to ask me to leave.
Thinking back on it, the landlord was afraid I'd become a domestic violence statistic. She wanted to keep the neighbors safe.
******
I remember in 1996, coming home and finding the front door of the house we rented wide open.
This happened again in 1998, after we bought a house.
I pushed a huge wooden entertainment center in front of the living room window, that way no one could see into the house. My aim was to make it harder for people who broke in to know what to expect.
We bought this house in 2001.
There was one break in that summer. We had a little dog. I sat in the basement office writing my graduate thesis and heard footsteps. The little dog started to go crazy. I grabbed the kids while shutting and locking the door to the basement until the footsteps went away.
We changed the locks that day.
It was quiet until 2012 when I caught Shannon trying to break in with a key.
It seems like it's been a steady stream of new locks since that September day.
Maybe I should be worried?
My internal radar is going off.
I don't know why.
I've learned to pay attention to it.
*****
The gossip is strange, too. My ex-husband's family likes to corral others with their stories and have them act out against me.
I had a very strange encounter with the father of the young lady staying here.
In May, he came to the house and became belligerent because I threw my husband out of the house.
I don't think I got to tell him that I had been divorced over three years when I sued my ex-husband for contempt of court, which forced him to leave.
This girl's father is doing things that are making me uncomfortable. I just block him on social media when he creeps around.
My radar is going off.
I don't know if I should pay attention to the feelings?
Or lay off of the caffeine?
******
Yes, there was an arrest.
I don't want to get into it.
The man arrested had absolutely no connection to my ex-husband's family.
He was in the neighborhood acting strangely.
We called the police and they took a report.
This guy was arrested three hours later.
*****
I don't know.
I'm wondering.....should we move?
I'm thinking the crap from my ex-husband's family is not over.
Greeley seems nice.
I'm always offered job interviews there. They have a shortage of drug and alcohol counselors.
Do you know they still have people arrested for drunk horse riding?
Yep....it's a thing.
I do miss working with the cowboys.
I'll think about it.
Please stay safe out there.
Listen to your gut.
It will rarely lead you astray.
Love ya,
S.
Edit: I haven't even begun to write about all the times my office locks have been broken. I've had four offices in the past ten years. Three of them were broken into.
I never advertised the location to the fourth office. I only used it to teach workshops and classes.
Perhaps moving is wise.