Violated

The first clue was the difficulty I had using my key in the driver's side door.

The second clue was all the stuff sitting on the driver's seat: gloves, Brillo pad, sunglasses.

I unlocked the passenger side, unlocked all the doors, moved the stuff from my seat with a curious non-thought and got on my way. I didn't think twice because I was late to be at the hospital when my 3-month-old grand son was having his first procedure to repair his cleft palate. As it was, I arrived just after they brought him to the recovery room.

They were giving my son and daughter-in-law instructions. I was told the doctors felt Gideon, my grandson, might have a genetic problem, Cri Du Chat (Cry of the Cat) and they drew blood to test for it. As it is he has to wear arm restraints as he is treated for his cleft. He had a bad day and let us know it, in his own quiet way.

Released, we went to our cars. I got in by unlocking the passenger side first, again.

As I drove away, I heard a door wasn't closed all the way. Thinking it was the passenger door, I reclosed it. The rushing air continued and as I looked for the source, I saw the back of the Jimmy was empty. The rear passenger-side door was a little open.

She had spent the day with her sister cleaning our empty house yesterday. They had loaded the 72-hour emergency kit in the rear of the Jimmy last thing. When we took the kids to Chuck-a-Rama for dinner, we had installed a car seat for Gideon's older brother. He'll stay with us for a few days. One of the reasons for our move into to city...

When I installed the car seat, I had to move the 72 hour emergency stuff around to put up the passenger seat backs. It was all in there when we parked the car and went in to bed.

The Thieves left the box of cleaning supplies, the cords for charging the cell phones, the CDs, Fritos, and gloves.

They took:
* 1 Sleeping Bag
* 1 8-man tent
* 2 1-person 72-hour kits
* A well-stocked First Aid case
* A well-stocked Hygiene case
* My Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT) bag

The CERT bag contained a change of clothes, gloves, goggles, an all-in-one tool, a knife, First Aid book, a clipboard, a pen, and our personal records, including: our passports, birth certificates and insurance papers.

I called her, then I called the police.

They filed a report. They won't be out to talk to us further. If I remember more, I should call them back and refer to our case number.

When I arrived home, I called our insurance agent. He took my information. He changed our address. We have a $500 deductible on our lost property. The claims adjuster will contact us. Oh yeah, he told me that I had been released from my calling last Sunday.

Wondering what to do about our passports, I contacted an Identity-Theft Company, signed-up for their service and contacted their lawyers. The lawyers will call back with advice this afternoon.

We'd stored the emergency supplies in the back of our truck since last spring, parked on our driveway every night.

The stuff will be replaced. We'll be alert for credit and strange identity activity.

It'll be a while before I feel at home.