Time for me to tell on myself.

So that others may learn.

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bdickens
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Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by bdickens »

About seven years ago my (now) wife and I were watching a movie on TV in the front room. There is a big bay window in the front and our cars are parked right in front of it. Anyway, we're watching the movie whan suddenly we are blinded by bright lights and there are scrambling sounds out front!

We both flew into action. I was sure someone was out there and meant us harm (there's some questionable apartments down the road). Shelley teleported into the bedroom and grabbed the phone. I made it into the kitchen closet in about two steps and got my Ruger P89DC out of the cabinet. As she dialed 911, I went out the back and made my way around to the front. Looking around, I saw that the headlights of Shelley's truck were on. I turned them off and went looking around, pistol in hand. Fortunately, no one was around. Once I had cleared the area, Shelley called back and sheepishly told the dispatcher, "never mind."

Reconstructing the situation, we figured out what had happened: she had left the window in her truck down and one of the cats (probably Julius, RIP) had climbed inside and stepped on the combination switch, turning the high beams on. The scrambling was him slipping off the steering column, fighting to regain his balance and jumping back out.

It took a while for the adrenaline to wear off.

Needless to say, the Female Spousal Unit keeps her windows rolled up now. Incedentally, she was not happy about me going outside. Looking back, that wasn't really the smartest thing to do, but I just reacted and reacted agressively.
Byron Dickens
camjr
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by camjr »

Here's mine (although I'm telling on my wife). About 12 years ago, pre-kids and before I owned a pistol and had my CHL, my wife and I were asleep, only to be awoken by the sound of gunfire and cars racing up the street, and my Australian Shepherd going nuts. Our bedroom window faces the street. Scary stuff. Well, we both recognized the sounds for what they were and sprung into action. I hit the floor and grabbed the shotgun and phone, dialing 911. My wife ran to the window, standing in front of it, and looked out :banghead: . I grabbed her and pulled her down. Police were there in a matter of minutes. It's not one of those scenarios we had discussed ahead of time. Thank goodness something like that hasn't happened again, but I dare say she won't go rushing to the window to look around if it does. It's also given me the opportunity to educate my kids on what to do if they hear the same thing. They've both been to the range and know the sound of gunfire. We live in a nice neighborhood in the DFW suburbs, but you never know.

Ends up it was a teenage party down the street at a house where the parents were out of town. The next morning, there were 9mm and 32acp casings up and down the street that the police missed on their first pass at night with flashlights. Must have been multiple empty mags and reloads. Nobody's houses were hit, so it looks like they were shooting up in the air rather than at each other. Witnesses id'd the kids and there were arrests made. Like I said, scary stuff.
BobCat
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by BobCat »

bdickens,

Just curious, was your Julius an orange tabby? I once had a cat named Orange Julius (after the drink) who showed up one day with an abscess on his head from fighting and we took him in. Very sweet cat.

I've been known to levitate and reach (but so far, never draw) on account of cat noises late at night. You'd think that such graceful critters would be more careful... but then again, sometimes they're just verifying that the law of gravity has not been repealed.
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by Liberty »

BobCat wrote:bdickens,



I've been known to levitate and reach (but so far, never draw) on account of cat noises late at night. You'd think that such graceful critters would be more careful... but then again, sometimes they're just verifying that the law of gravity has not been repealed.
Most cats are pretty stubborn and refuse to even acknowledge the law of gravity.
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bdickens
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by bdickens »

Julius was solid gray and had one eye. He lost one as a kitten due to some kind of infection.
Byron Dickens
eric
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by eric »

About 20 yrs. ago I lived in a downstairs apt. with truck parked in front. Was watching tv about midnight and heard noise outside and my first thought was that sounds like my tailgate coming off. Got up to go outside, got to the door and thought to myself No i'm not doing that if I go out everytime I hear a noise I will be crazy. Sure enough went out the next morning and it was gone. Leo said good that I didn't I probably would have been shot.
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anygunanywhere
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by anygunanywhere »

Long ago in a land far away, when we lived in rural Chambers County, one of my sisters decided to pa us a visit unannounced. I was laying on the couch dozing after supper when I heard the front storm door open and saw trhe doorknob try to turn. I grabbed my short barreled 20 ga mossberg, worked the slide, opened the door and stuck the barrel out the door right into my sister's open mouth.

Call before you come over and do not open the door and walk in.

:evil2:

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Mr.Scott
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by Mr.Scott »

anygunanywhere wrote:Long ago in a land far away, when we lived in rural Chambers County, one of my sisters decided to pa us a visit unannounced. I was laying on the couch dozing after supper when I heard the front storm door open and saw trhe doorknob try to turn. I grabbed my short barreled 20 ga mossberg, worked the slide, opened the door and stuck the barrel out the door right into my sister's open mouth.

Call before you come over and do not open the door and walk in.

:evil2:

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I was at a friends apt <cartman> In the ghetto<cartman> when we hear holy hell break loose by his balcony. We heard stuff hit the sliding glass door and without saying anything we both jumped up and ran outside gun in hand. The poor delivery guy darn near pooped himself and finished dropping the fridge he had been wrestling when we interrupted him.
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by drw »

Here's my one and only "late night scare" story:

A couple years ago we lived way out in the middle of nowhere in Robertson County (north of Bryan, TX). There were no houses for at least 2 miles in all directions, so it was quiet (loved living there, by the way!) Our driveway was about half a mile long and had a locked gate at the road, which meant that there was no way for anyone to get to the house unless we go down and let them in.

So one night, at around midnight, Mrs. drw and I are hanging out in the den, chatting about whatever, when all at once, BLAM! A huge gunshot reported so loud, it must have been right outside our back window. We ducked and ran into our bedroom. I threw the cordless phone to the Mrs. dfw and directed her into our closet, and I grabbed my 12ga mossberg to stand guard by the door while we awaited a response from the sheriff.

Well, dispatch came back and told us that the nearest LEO was about 30 minutes away, and regardless, he wouldn't be able to come up to the house because of the locked gate, so they suggested I take a firearm and go out and investigate! :headscratch Well, that's just what I did, went out after midnight into the pitch dark backyard and walked the perimeter in stealth mode. Heart racing, I felt like I was the hero in a movie. Didn't hear or see anything, so I fired a couple warning, and then called the sheriff back and told them the area was clear, and went to bed.

Next morning, we discovered a dead bird on our back porch. Apparently it meeting an untimely death by flying headlong into our back window is what caused the loud crash. :oops:
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DoubleJ
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by DoubleJ »

drw wrote:Next morning, we discovered a dead bird on our back porch. Apparently it meeting an untimely death by flying headlong into our back window is what caused the loud crash. :oops:
:lol: you didn't shoot it with your warning shot, didja?



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jimlongley
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by jimlongley »

I used to accuse my late wife of being an alarmist and too light a sleeper. She would wake for any little noise in the house along with one of the two daughters, usually with cries of "there's someone in the house" or some such, and then I would go on a tour of the house with my trusty Kabar, most often for nothing or a mouse.

One night the commotion from the basement that occurred just about bounced me of the ceiling, so I grabbed the M1 Carbine and went patrolling down the stairs, stark naked, with the racket still happening.

My wife accompanied me, armed with my old Shore Patrol night stick, also starkers, with older daughter right behind her - younger daiughter stopped to get dressed, in full street clothes.

The squirrel we discovered making a mess out of my workbench while trying to escape didn't much care what our attire was, it just wanted out.
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tboesche
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by tboesche »

Russell wrote: So you and your wife were stalking down the hallway, both completely naked, with your daughters behind you?

That must have been a.... special... scene. lol

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JDKRIEK
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Re: Time for me to tell on myself.

Post by JDKRIEK »

Russell wrote:So you and your wife were stalking down the hallway, both completely naked, with your daughters behind you?

That must have been a.... special... scene. lol
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