How do you Go to the Door...........??

Old John · #1 10/27/10, 07:45 AM

At 2:35 this morning the doorbell rang, and the dogs, Dobermans that sleep in our bedroom, went off. I jumped up, got into my jeans, belted & suspenders over my shoulders and my slippers, slip-on black tennies. I grabbed the little .357 Ruger, and as the bell rang again, I headed across the great room & down the stairs, to the door. Well... You never know........at least I don't.
I told the dogs to "Stay!" and they remained at the top, where DSW joined them, peering around the edge, with her 9mm, in her hand.

With the handgun behind me, I eased the inner door open. There was a fellow, late 50's, early 60's, nicely, casually dressed, standing there.
He said,"We're lost. Can you tell me how to get on 231 South?".
I gave him the directions to get to Spencer, and on to 231-S.
He said, "We've been there, there is bridge work going on" I didn't see how to get through. That's why we wandered out here in this direction"....(several miles from 231-S)
I explained that there is a way to get around the bridge work.........and stay on 231.
He thanked me, got back in the minivan with his friends and was gone.
It really could have been a lot different. You just never know.

Back to bed......after 20 minutes of sleep disruption and my adrenilin pumping, I was awake, until the alarm went off at 4:00am.

Have you ever had a situation like this? How do you handle it?
It's the 3rd time in the 7 years we've been out here. It happened a couple times up in the City, too.
Hard to get back to sleep, ain't it?

Our Little Farm · #2 10/27/10, 07:47 AM

Armed and ready is good. I would have had the dogs right by my side though.

foaly · #3 10/27/10, 07:50 AM

Don't you wish he had been one of the men in the world who doesn't want to stop and ask for directions?

**Cabin Fever** · #4 10/27/10, 07:59 AM

Besides being armed, I would have yelled thru the door - without opening it - to have him back way up off the porch and into the yard before I opened the door.

Silvercreek Farmer · #5 10/27/10, 08:04 AM

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

G3farms · #6 10/27/10, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

with the wife nagging like crazy..."I told you to take the left five miles back, you know we are lost, blah, blah, blah........"

Maybe he was wishing you would put him out of his misery

Have had the same thing happen here, we have a long driveway and can't really see the house from the road, so when someone come knocking on the door I always answer with a shot gun in hand. Been the county cops a couple of times saying the cows were out or somebody has wrecked into the fence.

I did scare the crap out of one young fella that had run into the ditch and needed to use a phone, he knocked on the front door and I went out the back door and around the house, when the wife turned the porch light on I was standing there holding a shotgun asking what he wanted. He about peed in his pants, I thought it was funny myself.

mary,tx · #7 10/27/10, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

That's what I think.

The latest I've ever had someone come to the door was maybe 11 or so. The only reason I was up was that we had just brought home a new baby, but I was angry that someone was sitting on the doorbell when all the other children were asleep. That and it about scared me to death.

DH got the door, and it was the neighbor teenagers, telling us our cattle were out. So, that kind of would have been a favor if they'd been right. Actually, their cattle had come into our yard, and it was their cattle they'd seen walking back out our front gate.

farmerbrian · #8 10/27/10, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

Yeah I was thinking the same thing....unless someone is bleeding to death just keep driving or pull over and take a snooze till daybreak. Then maybe you could get your bearings again in the daylight.

Then again its just about impossible to get lost for more than two hours in CT without hitting an interstate highway, a state border (then just turn around!), or the ocean (turn around again!)

TSYORK · #9 10/27/10, 08:21 AM

Everyone that knows me knows they better have business at my house if it's after dark. You better promptly ring the door and identify yourself and what you want, especially at that time of night because I might pull the trigger then ask questions!

CocalicoSprings · #10 10/27/10, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

Maybe he was crazy. It happened about ten years ago near here. A van broke down on Intertate 78, the guy knocked on the door of the closest house. Older couple refused to answer. He banged on the door and screamed at them until the old man grabbed an axe and opened the door. The crazy man grabbed the axe and killed both of them. This happened near Bethel Pa.

Our Little Farm · #11 10/27/10, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G3farms

I did scare the crap out of one young fella that had run into the ditch and needed to use a phone, he knocked on the front door and I went out the back door and around the house, when the wife turned the porch light on I was standing there holding a shotgun asking what he wanted. He about peed in his pants, I thought it was funny myself.

Like this.

fishhead · #12 10/27/10, 08:33 AM

I would just answer the door staying far enough away from the door to react. They are at a disadvantage entering my home because of the layout.

Michael W. Smith · #13 10/27/10, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Who in their right mind goes to someone's door at 2:35 in the morning? I would drive in circles all night before I did that...

That's what I was thinking too!!!! That's just crazy to stop (at a dark house so you KNOW everyone is asleep) and ring the doorbell.

In the past 19 years where we've lived, we've only had one episode like that. My wife is a light sleeper and woke me up because there were car lights shining in our upstairs bedroom window. Being that the road in front of our house goes past our house and not INTO our house, for some strange reason a car was sitting in our front yard and someone knocking at the door. Our driveway is across the road, so the car was literally in our front yard!

It must have been around 2:00 in the A.M. and when I went to the door, the man was asking where so and so lived. "Next house on the left about 1/4 mile". The man thanked me, got in his car, bumped over the ditch and away he went. I have no idea why someone would be going to visit someone at 2:00 A.M. let alone have the nerve to stop at someone's house (where the lights are off) and wake you up to ask for directions!

Country Lady · #14 10/27/10, 09:01 AM

We would never answer the door during those hours, but would watch closely what was going on outside from inside. We don't even answer our door during the daytime if it's not someone we don't recognize. We are very isolated and don't feel that it's safe.

G3farms · #15 10/27/10, 09:04 AM

I had an older neighbor that would answer the door from an upstairs window, he would yell until you stepped off of the porch so he could see you.

TRAILRIDER · #16 10/27/10, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Besides being armed, I would have yelled thru the door - without opening it - to have him back way up off the porch and into the yard before I opened the door.

I agree.

Wolf mom · #17 10/27/10, 09:06 AM

Woke up in the middle of the night with one dog outside barking. Went to look with a LGD, saw a pick up parked (engine off) outside my gate to the national forest with it's bright lights aimed at my house.

While debating - yup- debating! with myself "what to do?" the third LGD came outside, stood next to me, lowered his head, ruff up & started his rumble. That's when they started up, turned around and left.

Had an FFL & worked out of my home at that time. Was concerned that if I showed a gun, they'd come, watch the house & come back when I wasn't there.

TO answer your question: I don't go to the door. Property is completely fenced & all gates chained & locked. I live at "the end of the road". There's other houses people can go to in the middle of the night.

7thswan · #18 10/27/10, 09:08 AM

Bout 2 years back we had a knock at the door. Corse the 3 doggs went balistic, Dh got up and went to the door,I called the dogs to stay by me. I went thru a doorwall in our bedroom out to the enclosed area of the hot tub, with a shotgun, and watched his every move. Dh came back in as I watched and said the guys car had broke down and he had tryed to walk home, but just got too cold. Dh got dressed and took the guy home. It's pretty rare that someone would be walking down this road at night, it leads to nowhere. The story of the neeked guy is much better.

TRAILRIDER · #19 10/27/10, 09:12 AM

Of course, it could be that the guy was really considering something more. Maybe when you answered the door he got a sense of "This guy won't be an easy target, better go somewhere else." I would be very suspicious of anybody at my door at that hour. And yes I would be armed too and ready tom use it.

jbowyer01 · #20 10/27/10, 09:19 AM

Heck I wont even turn around in someones driveway during the day let alone knock on the door at that hour!