The thief next door, knows nothing, flip 50

When I got home Monday night I saw my neighbor talking to the guy on the other side of him, something I never saw before.  When I got out of my truck he called over to me as well.  I walked over and asked him what was up?  He asked if I saw his truck parked outside that morning when I went to work.  I told him I don’t really know, I don’t recall taking notice one way or another.  He said his truck was stolen. What???

He pointed to the tire tracks in his yard that looks like they were left by something with dual wheels (tow truck or flat bed).  His 2005 full size Ford 4×4 was locked with no keys in it yet it was plucked clean from his property.  My neighbors theory is they winched it up onto a flat bed although I saw no drag marks on the driveway from pulling something that had locked wheels.   The area the truck was parked was directly under the street light that is next to their driveway, making the thieves act even more brazen and surprising.

Of course my first thought was of the Tacoma and party van, both of which are typically outside and unlocked.  As soon as I finished talking with my neighbor I immediately went over and locked both of them, a habit I will need to establish going forward.  Because of our location near the beginning of a relatively busy street I just never thought a criminal would pick the houses in that area as a target, something more secluded and less lit would make more sense.  This may have literally been a “gone in 60 seconds” scenario.  Both Cindy and my sense of security has been rattled a bit as a result.

So I worked from home yesterday to accommodate the appointment I had to have the house professionally measured for potential carpet installation.  It was one of those deals where they give you a window of arrival times.  Since I can do the vast majority of my job anywhere that has an internet connection it worked out well.

For whatever reason I expected the guy that did the measuring to be a carpet installer as well.  Well that certainly was not the case, he basically knew nothing about carpet installation.  His skill set involved using a measuring tape and inputting those measurements into an iPad.  I asked him 4 or 5 questions regarding the installation and gave up after getting a “I don’t really know” as the answer each time.

By the time the guy finished he had a virtual blue print of the house floor plan on the tablet.  He said I will have a precise estimate by sometime today.  I found this funny since Cindy and I have not even decided what we are putting on the ground yet.  I can only be sure that it isn’t going to be something that is going to cost nearly $5 a square foot for just the carpet, not counting the pad.

Yesterday I went into the small shed to see if I still had the box for the tile that is installed in the kitchen, utility room and one bathroom.  I actually had one unopened box left over.  I was rolling around ideas that if I could find more of the same tile, the main living area could be tiled with the bedrooms just getting fresh rug.  However the fact that I got that tile some 12 years ago on clearance from Home Depot makes the possibility of scoring that exact type very, very remote.

Yesterday I did a backyard lunch workout that involved pull ups and my 300 pound tire.  My production of exercise themed videos has slowed to a dribble the last few months.  Producing two in one day is unheard of anymore. I also created a short, “Meet the new chickens” video to boot.

A little before 5 I headed outside to get the long section of the pool border covered in weed block.  I let the chickens out while I was out there which they greatly appreciated.  When they first are let out of the coop they act like it is a jailbreak, sprinting, jumping and flapping their wings as they head for their favorite hang out spot under the birds of paradise.  This moment is almost always followed up with Nona, the bully of the group starting a fight with either Curly or Kathy.  Evidently the chicken pecking order with the four of them is still getting sorted out.

After about an hour of work I had the long section covered, leaving only the 20 feet or so on the far side to go.  If I am feeling ambitious I might have the rest of the project completed by the end of the upcoming weekend.