Someone stole my frickin tree!

[Brandi Carballo]

So I'm in the tail end of a rehab, already under contract. I bought a magnolia tree and some azaleas. I am extremely familiar with the neighborhood, I grew up in this house. It is a one lane, dead end gravel road, very safe area. The kind of place you can leave your shop unlocked and not have your tools stolen. So I go home for a few days and come back to find someone stole my magnolia tree and azaleas.

They left my kids' brand new bikes, the grill, the $300 ladder.....but took the plants. What is wrong with people????

I did leave the azaleas out front in plain view, I put the magnolia tree (about 4' tall) behind some large peonies so it couldn't be seen from the street, except if someone knew the house well they would know that wasn't there before because you could see a little bit of the top sticking up.

I'm so annoyed, I've known most of the neighbors for 10 years, some of them my entire life. Part of me wants to think it wasn't any of them, but really who else could it have been. Ugh.

And no, I'm not devastated or anything, it was less than $100 loss, I'm just annoyed and a little perplexed. 

[JD Martin]

Never leave anything unlocked or out in the open that it will hurt your feelings if it disappears. Locks are designed to keep honest people honest rather than deter thieves; a thief will always find a way to steal your stuff, wherein otherwise honest people may turn not so if the opportunity arises.