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Show : - 'j M frl.MX , -. .,, Recently my daughter's home in San Diego was burglarized in broad daylight despite their sophisticated burglar alarm system, which, unfortunately, unfor-tunately, wasn't turn on at the time. (House guests had failed to follow instructions when leaving, but how could the thieves have known that?) At any rate, the thieves pried off the bars of the small bathroom window at the back of the house, through which a small person (probably a child) entered then let his companions compan-ions in through the ground-floor window of the master bedroom. Unlike the barred bathroom window, win-dow, this one was connected to the alarm system. The burglars would probably have stolen much more than jewelry, clothing and the pistol pis-tol they found under the mattress, had they not been surprised by the unexpected arrival of my grandson. We're thankful that they left, via the window, before he came in. They had the gun! Most of the thousands of burglaries bur-glaries that happen while their owners are away on vacation, could be prevented by observing these suggestions from a reformed house burglar, who claims to know all the tricks. Make it look like you're home. Ask the post office to hold your mail, or have a neighbor collect it and all deliveries, newspapers, and throw-aways for you. Arrange to have the lawn mowed and your place watered weekly; leave drapes and blinds open; equip some lamps, radios, TV sets, and exterior lights with automatic timer switches programmed pro-grammed to tum on and off according accord-ing to your usual routine. If you're leaving a car behind, park it in the driveway, or ask a neighbor to park their car there. Exchange house-watching duties du-ties with neighbors. Leave a key with someone for emergencies; install in-stall flood lights that activate when someone walks by; install a burglar alarm system; remove or trim hedges and trees that hide windows from view of the street. Make it difficult to enter-dead-boll locks; door hinge pins on inside; in-side; interior locks on sliding metal or vinyl-framed doors and windows so that they cannot be lifted off. (Blocking upper and lower tracks is a good idea-makes entry more diffi-cult-but, without inside locks, they can still be lifted off). Automatic garage doors are easily opened so install a dead bolt. Install a burglar alarm system, but don't attach burglar bur-glar alarm warning decals to doors and windows. (This tells burglars to be careful not to set it off and also that your home contains valu- mmm mm mm twmmimmim mi m m I I I n m mmm mum m m,m q ,,,.,.,.,,.,,.,,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,,,.,..,.,,,,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,.,. , It Makes Cents I Vi Btake able well worth protecting). Check before you leave to make certain its batteries are fresh. Get a telephone answering machine. Program it to say, "we can't come to the phone right now. Please leave your number..." num-ber..." Don't provide tools for burglars such as ignition keys, distributor caps from vehicles and boats that are stored outside, unlocked took storage and pool filter shed, ladders pry bars, axes, wedges, etc. Nothing Noth-ing should be left accessible that could aid a burglar. Gone are the days when we can leave our doors unlocked and a key under the mat, even in small, close-knit close-knit communities where neighbors know and watch out for each other. Dear Vi: I was so glad to learn maps, posters, greeting cards, charts, unframed pictures-anything not in a frame, which would be too heavy, can be hung to the wall with toothpaste. Spread it on the corners and put a dab in the center and press the item onto the wall. Soon the toothpaste will dry and hold with no damage to the walls. When the .......m..; -1 poster, or whatever, is taken down, just wipe away the toothpaste with a damp cloth. Fran Kenney, Ontario, Calif. What a wonderful idea, especially espe-cially for families with teenagers, who, it seems, simply must have their walls decorated with posters. Dear Vi: Drop some mini marshmallows or a dab of peanut butter in the bottom of the cone before be-fore adding ice cream. Prevents dripping. If a bottle of carbonated drink starts to bubble over when opened, quickly insert the handle of a metal spoon into the bottle and the fizzing will stop. Anna Lee Sargent Sar-gent READERS: This is your feature. fea-ture. Mail your contribution to: IT MAKES CENTS, 328 South 300 East, 5, St. George, Utah 84770. If I use your letter here, I'll send you $2.00 or a copy of one of my booklets, Kitchen Tricks or Discard Tricks. Please state your choice. |