I once had a clay pot on my front porch, 2-3 ft in diameter, with three sprouts of a plant gifted to me by my grandfather. He called it a Hawaiian weed because that is where he and grandmother found the thing, in Hawaii, just growing on the ground somewhere. The plant doesn’t grow outside in the Texas climate (too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and always too dry) so it can’t be spread by accident.
The season was turning to fall and I had decided I would try to cover the plants to see if I could keep them alive outside, the pot being too heavy to move alone (well over 2 or 3 hundred pounds) since it was projected to be a cold winter and it would give me an excuse to cover the nearby fern beds as well.
I was discussing this idea with my wife and we walked out on the porch to see how big the cover would have to be, only to realize that some college students (most likely) had made off with the entire pot the previous night.
This wasn’t the first time we’ve had things stolen from the front yard. A few years previously we had thrown a movie marathon party and every car in the driveway was broken into during the viewing, everything from stereos to purses taken out of the cars, not ten feet from where we were sitting watching movies.
We’ve since taken to locking doors and gates, installing motion detecting light fixtures on both driveways. Cameras that cover the driveways are also a good idea.
These sorts of incidents seem to come in waves. As the neighborhood moves into the higher price ranges, criminals will start targeting promising looking houses on the various streets. When those criminals are caught, there will be a temporary lull until the next group decides we are easy pickings.
These are the times when having the poorest looking house on the block comes in handy, and when having nosey neighbors who keep an eye out for suspicious activity is something you are thankful for. Food for thought from a long-time resident.
