Things that Go Bump in the Night

Or, in this case, in the morning!

Window Screen and Other Items

I know it didn't happen in the night because I was up until 5:00 a.m.  But, sometime between 5:00 a.m., when I fell asleep. and 10:30 a.m., when I finally woke up, I heard a noise which woke me up, very briefly.  I wondered it if was someone breaking into the house, dismissed that notion as nonsense, and decided it sounded very much like Dancer was playing with something.  He will often chase a small box or a pen around the floor, batting at it, pouncing on it, running and knocking into furniture, etc., and making quite a racket as he imagines himself being a mighty hunter.  So, I went back to sleep!   

Usually, when my daughter is not home, I close the door to her bedroom at night, after I say my nightly prayers, especially in the winter when the heater is on because I don't want to heat an unoccupied room.  Then, when I wake up in the morning, I open the door to her bedroom to turn on the altar light, since the altar is set up on the top shelf of her closet. 

Imagine my surprise, this morning, when I found the door to her bedroom open!   And the vertical blinds of one of the windows (facing the street), all awry!  Not only that, the window was OPEN!  That is a window which we rarely open.  I know that window was closed when I went to bed, last night, because, as part of my nightly prayer rituals, I go around the house sprinkling blessed water and touching the closed windows and doors with a finger dipped into the blessed water, as I say a prayer of protection.  But, this morning, the window had been slid open and the screen mesh had fallen off!  The heater was on full blast because the window was open!

I immediately got my phone and took a photo.  At least, I thought I took a photo, but, apparently, it didn't take, because I can't find it!  (That happened, once before, during the almsgiving, too.)  Then, I closed the window, and checked around the house to see if anything was missing, if there was any sign of a break in.  Fortunately, nothing was missing,  There was no sign of anything out of place (other than the usual disarray of my house). 

Then, I went outside and took the photo above, of the window screen on the walkway leading to my front door and the two red items that can be seen in the photo - one is a red metal cookie tin (empty) and the other is a gift bag of stuff my daughter received last year.  They had both been on her desk, which is by the window. 

My theory is, I didn't close daughter's bedroom door, properly, last night, and Dancer was able to push the door open and go into the room.  Then, maybe he jumped up on to the desk and played with something?  There was nothing knocked onto the floor, but the desk lamp had been knocked over.  Maybe he spooked himself when the desk lamp got knocked over, and somehow, managed to knock into the window so that the latch got loosened and the window slid open and he knocked the screen out?  Along with the cookie tin and the gift bag?   Maybe he was trying to play with one of the garden cats?  He sometimes launches himself at them when they are outside the sliding glass door and they pounce at each other from either side of the glass door!   

At least Dancer didn't go outside through the open window! 

I honestly don't know what happened!  I debated whether to call the police, but I didn't, as nothing was missing and both Dancer and I are safe!  For which, I feel blessed.  I said a prayer of gratitude that we were both safe and nothing seems to have been taken.

I went from room to room and checked in the closets, just to make sure no one was hiding!  LOL!  Maybe not the wisest thing to have done, because I've no idea what I would have done if someone was hiding!  Freaked out, no doubt!

I went out to the garage, later in the afternoon, and got two leftover pieces of hardwood flooring (from way back when the family room addition was built!) and stuck them in the windows of my daughter's bedroom!  I probably should put them in all the windows, now that I think of it.   Not that a piece of wood would deter someone from breaking in, but it might prevent a very clever kitty from unintentionally unlatching and sliding open a window!  I think we might have to rename him Houdini!

I texted daughter and called cousin P to tell them about what happened with the window.  Later, I called friend R, too.

My old trash bins had been picked up and the new, replacement bins had been delivered.  They are so nice and clean, I hate to put any trash in them!  LOL! 

I had a cup of tea this morning, but didn't have any breakfast.  Later, I made more tomato soup:

Tomato Soup for Lunch

I only used two large tomatoes, this time, and a can of chicken broth (need to use up the broth as it has passed its "best by" date!)  This time, I added a green chili to spice it up a bit (much better!), a couple of bay leaves and a bit of dried basil.  I removed the bay leaves before I blended it, and this time, I blended it a bit more, so the soup is smoother in texture.  I had a bowl of it for my lunch. 

After the excitement of this morning, I didn't feel like doing anything productive this afternoon!  No kitchen cabinets were cleaned!  No paperwork was done!  I responded to blog comments, read and commented on other blogs, and just took it easy. 

I had another cup of tea in the evening, and will cook the salmon in a little bit.  Need to do the dishes, as well. 

It was a cloudy, overcast day; the rain, however, held off until later in the evening, although friend R said it rained on and off throughout the day in her area.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being alive, unhurt, and unharmed
- Dancer and I are safe and well
- Nothing has been stolen or damaged
- Dancer didn't escape from the open window
- As far as I can tell, nothing and no one came in from the open window!

I am not of a nervous disposition, in general, but I have a feeling that I will have a hard time falling asleep, tonight!  I pray that doors and windows that should be closed will remain closed, that Dancer and I remain safe, unhurt, and unharmed, and that nothing shall go bump in the night!. 

How was your day?