Oh Sherri. I can imagine how you felt, hope you all got through the night okay. I have always been terrified spending the night alone, and while I have neighbors close-by, there were no men around to call. Once when my husband was gone on a trip, there wes a car stopped in front of my house about 11:00 PM, and the man just sat there. I did call the police, but 30 minutes later they still had not shown up. My hubby arrived home about midnight and when his taxie pulled up, the man drove away. After that, hubby bought a gun. I am scared of guns too, but I figure if it is me or them, I'll shoot.

Call the police. They maybe already in your neighbor doing drive bys. Police are doing their job if you help by letting them know they are needed.
Put aecurity chain locks on your dorrs then door cant not opened all the way.

Speaking as the wife of a former police officer, the police would rather you call them than not. If there is someone out there they can find them or scare them off. They would rather check it out than maybe have to come back later to a crime scene.

any news this morning is SherriB got any sleep last night???

Please, post and tell us how things turned out! Stay safe. I had the same thing happen to me.... but the kid ran off when he saw me look into the kitchen and at the door.

Today a friend sent me a suggestion sheet for intruders and one great thing,other than Panic button is have a can of Wasp or hornet spray. It hits from a longer distance and they WILL have to go the hospital to get the antidote. Have one by door and especially by your bed. Mace isn't as effective if the person is a ways away. I would have been a nervous mess.

SherriB, this is like an old time serial movie. Is't that what they were called? I so hope the police helped calm your nerves. Being frightened is a horrible thing.
Be sure to pick up a can of wasp spray and get an alarm for your keychain if you don't already have one. I don't have one but I have it on my list to buy on my next shopping trip.

Your event last night upset me so I couldn't even spell a simple word like "Isn't" correctly.

I hope you took a class in how to handle the gun.

Sherri, is everything okay this morning? I can empathize. My DH is sometimes gone for a week at a time. Not my favorite time. My dog helps keep me calm, and seems to help scare off strangers.

I'd say the wasp spray is a great idea. Something you should know is that not all people are senstitive to mace or pepper spray. If they are a former convict they have likely built up a lack of sensitivity to it, having been sprayed frequently in their lifetimes. These people are not affected by it therefore it is useless to use.

Be safe!

C'mon sherri, let us know that you are okay today!

I can totally empathize with you. I've called the police before after hearing noises, never felt guilty either. It's especially scarier with small children around because you just don't know.

I do hope all is well and that your mind is now at ease.

Sherri, I just read this today (Friday) Is everything ok? I had something similar happen when my daughter was about 10. The person tried to get in through a window. I had my gun, called the police and they were there within 3 minutes. Turned out the guy was drunk, was just trying to find a house to sleep at. I know how scared I was, I hope you are doing better and all is ok.

i live a lone but my neighbors keep watch if i deside to take my old car out and park my truck off the drive way one of them will call me to find out if every thing is all right the night my DH died two of my neighbors took me to the hospital they were at my door right after th ems were. i was so thankful for them i don't think i could have drove my self we all watch for each other but this is a very quite neighborhod

I don't think I fell asleep until the wee hours of the morning. But in the daylight today, I did feel some what more secure. Just kept listening for noises.

When DH came home this morning, he went around to the back yard. He said it did look like someone may have been on the back deck due to the way the leaves looked. We rarely, if ever use his door. The deck and door are in corner on the back of the addition we put on our house. It is kind of hidden from view as our house sits back about 8 feet farther than our neighbors. Most all our neighbors and friends, etc. know both Dh and I work nights. Even DD and SIL work nights. The only one who doesn't is DD's father in law.


DH is working again tonight but only a partial shift. I will be nervous until he gets home. I am keeping all the lights on around the house and making sure the outside lights are set to stay on.

I do have wasp spray and a panic button for our vehicle. I will most definitely use it if I hear any more noises.

I am sorry for not updating sooner. Lexi (my dgd) has been sick all day and wanted to be held.

I know how you feel, if my Dh is gone overnight, I don't sleep and hear every noise in the nweiborhood. At least you have an alarm. Since we moved in this house we have not hooked the alarm up. I always felt safer with the alarm. We used to have a German Shepherd and one time I brought him in the house but in the middle of the night he wanted to go out, didn't try that again.

You really should call the police, if someone is still in the neighborhood, it will scare him off.

I took a babysitting class way back when, given by the police department. They told us the best police calls are when they visit a home that called because they heard something or something didn't feel or seem right ... and it turned out to be nothing. And they said their worst nights is always when someone didn'tcall because they didn't want to bother the police. That was 43 years ago, and I've always followed these police officers' instructions to CALL NO MATTER WHAT TIME AND NO MATTER HOW SILLY YOU FEEL FOR CALLING.

I'm glad everything turned out alright, SherriB. Hopefully, it was just a one-time incident.

If you fear children will open the door you can get a hinge lock at Walmart for just over $1. Put it high on the door and when you are there alone or just with kids close the hinge. I keep my peace of mind this way as my neighbors have been broken in on several times and no one comes into my house uninvited not even my husband! LOL if the latches are closed he has to knock and wait for me to open the latch! He understands totally.

agree with everyone else Call The Police !!!!!!! thats what they are there for

makes more sense than typing it out at a quilting forum. Hopefully she is fine. Her last post mentioned male company/protection for the evening.

you pay for them to watch out for you when you pay taxes so use them

please call police! years ago someone tried breaking in to my home husband was at work we had been gone on vacation and burglars thought we were still gone, I called the police and took my husbands ,357 out and put my small sons under the bed told them to stay there and planted my self in front of the bedroom doorwith the gun , when police got there they had already broken the glass in the door and took off running police caught them from blood trail in snow from the broken glass of the door , have know ideal they would have done when they realized we were home if they had gotton in, just glad I called police!

Is it possible it was the wind blowing something against the house? I have a large back porch with several things on the wall of the house and the wind is always knocking on my house. Sure sounds like someone knocking. You need a cat or dog. Our cat perks his head up when he hears something strange. Makes me go look. Turn outdoor lights on and leave them on!

How are you tonight? Hope everything is better for you. If you hear another knock at the door be sure to call police immediately.

Take care of yourself

Hope things are better and someone is now there with you.

It's best to be safe than sorry. Never be afraid to call for help

Do take care. Glad you'll have someone with you and kids. That is scary.

call the police hide the kids and load the gun

Call the police so they can do a ground around check.

I want to thank all of you for being there for me the other night. Evan came over and stayed with us and that helped my nerves alot. DH looked around that morning and said it looked like someone had been on the deck because of how the leaves were messed up like someone had walked through them.

We have motion lights on all outside doors but DH usually turns this one off. No more. We vetoed him and told him it would be on at all times.

I am hoping it was just a random thing and we won't be bothered again. But if it does, I will not hesitate to call 911.

Put another lock up higher so he cannot reach it.....a chain lock, a push lock.......
also........tell him that everytime someone is at the door and he DOESN'T open the door but simply tells you, he gets a star (or something) and every five times he gets........(whatever you deem he should get.....another ten minutes of t v , etc.)

Life is too scary to have him opening the door. Good luck. Get that higher lock on!!

Okay so now that everything is all right, I hope, listen to this funny story.
I was teaching at school several years ago and my alarm in my house went off. A neighbor called me and asked me to come home and shut it off. Well, I was scared to do that! My boss told me to call the police and ask them to meet me at the house. I did and was told to park my car a block away and walk to the cop who would be waiting at my house.(They gave me his name so I would be sure it really was the officer). Well, I did and there was a police officer at the house with his gun drawn, but up in the air. He told me he had done an "around the outside " check and it looked okay but he wanted to go in to be sure. I gave him my keys and he went in.......slinking a bit low..........After what seemed like an eternity, he came out, gun away and told me he couldn't tell if I had been robbed or not! He said everything was neat except for one room which looked ransacked! I had to laugh! It was my teenage son's room!!! LOL!!!!! Now whenever my son says he can't get his wife to put anything away, I have to laugh again!!YES!!!! Payback!!
Never hesitate to call the police. My daughter is an officer and she is always glad to help ensure people's safety. (And keep all of those outside lights on, always. It keeps strangers away. They would rather work in darkness.)

Sherri, I am glad you updated us. It is good to know you all are all right. Good call to leave the back light on! Call the police if you need, and keep safe.