We're Watching You

Call it shutting the barn door after the horse got out, but Ron has been working on protecting us from any future break ins.

We now have an alarm system. If you know Ron, this isn't just any run of the mill system, either! He has numerous components hooked up, and seems to be hooking up more and more each day. As each component is hooked up, there is a learning curve.

Like for example, remembering to turn on the alarm system when we leave. Or, remembering to turn it off before we open a door. Yeah, little things.

I said it was an alarm system. Aside from the plain old alarm that will go off should someone breach an opening, the system will also turn on and off lights for you, there are inside motion detectors and outside motion detectors. Some of the motion detectors also turn on the recorder on the cameras to tape whatever tripped the sensor. Pretty cool, huh?

Then of course, there are the cameras themselves. We have watched the activity (actually inactivity!) on our television as well as our computer monitors. This can be a whole new type of reality TV addiction for me. It's a darn addicting show, let me tell you.

Let's go back to the learning curve. Over the weekend, Phil had gone running around town. While he was gone, Ron and I decided to head out ourselves. Before we left, I sent Phil a text message letting him know we were leaving, so when he got home, he should turn off the alarm before opening the door.

Too bad I didn't take my own advice.

Ron and I ended up getting home before Phil. Since we took my car, I stopped to let Ron out of my car by the side door of the house before I pulled my car into the garage. I even reminded Ron that he should turn the alarm off before unlocking the side door . . . just . . . as . . . I . . . reached . . . up . . . and . . . opened . . . the . . . garage . . . door. DANG! Sirens, horns, lights flashing! A lot of to do in our neighborhood just because I forgot to wait for Ron to shut the alarm off before I opened the garage door! Yeah, that's hooked up to the alarm too. With all that hoopla going on, it's sure hard to get your head together enough to remember how to shut off the alarm. If nothing else, the neighbors now know we really do have an alarm.

So we are wired up. And, remember I said we also have cameras. So, the next time anyone drives by our house, make sure you wave. Chances are, one of us are watching on one monitor or another!