Humidors stolen, I need some kind words...

[Tio Gato]

I'm looking for a few kind words of reassurance.
I came home yesterday afternoon to find a dozen or so cigars in my driveway. I thought a bomb had been left by the mailman and the dog tore it open. Then I noticed all the blue crystals from my HumiCare jars scattered about also.

The bums smashed my plate glass window and ransacked the house. They stole about 10k worth of watches and our laptops. But what really pissed me off, they stole two humidors. One was a freebie with mostly lousy Padilla Achilles and Obsidians. But the other one was my first "real" humidor my wife had given me for our first Christmas many years ago. It was a Diamond Crown with a brass name plate that said "Uncle Kitty". (My silly nickname.) I had hoped to pass this on to my nephew some day. It was full of oddball cigars I had collected for the bands. Thankfully they didn't steal the other dozen or so humidors I have, the one with the "wicked good" cigars is fine. They didn't steal the Tupperdores packed with unopened boxes, thank God.

Needless to say, the alarm company will be out in the morning to install a system. I gotta protect the rest of my smokes.

Thanks for reading this somewhat pointless post. But I had to share this with people who can appreciate the loss of cigars. The police and the insurance company can't seem to "feel my pain" on this one. The police detective said that whoever stole them would probably turn them into blunts.

Any kind words of assurance that I can share with my wife will be very appreciated. She's flippin' out and is talking of moving to the woods of Maine. She's trying hard to look on the brightside, no one was hurt, etc.
but she's having a tough time. I'm sure some of you have experienced something like this and can impart some wisdom to calm the Mrs. with.

Ahhh, I feel better already. This venting is way better than therapy.
Thanks!

The PO'd cigar chomping fat cat from Massachusetts, Uncle Kitty:c

[forgop]

Sorry to hear about that. Pretty odd that someone would steal humidors of all things unless they knew what they were looking for.

[mmblz]

that sucks!!!

if you have the time or energy for it, you could wait a day or two then check pawn shops for your humidor...

a friend had his drum set stolen and he found it in a pawn shop...

[Volt]

Ouch, that has to hurt. Might I recommend a nice furry chow chow. My pups have kept the house secure for many a year. Hopefully they will get caught before too many more get robbed.

http://usera.ImageCave.com/Volt/Fancy/Sungrown_2.JPG

[bobarian]

Sorry to hear about your loss. But I am glad to hear no one was home when it happened and all of you family are safe.

[Scottw]

What a crappy thing to have happen to you. On the bright side I wil repeat what many have said. No one was home, no one got hurt. The alarm system should help a lot and hopefully give the Mrs. the security that was lost with this act of cowardice. On the bright side for you, the "wicked" good smokes were ok and the tupperdores intact. The thought of someone ripping open a perfectly good stick to make a blunt chaps my ass though.

[icantbejon]

Really sorry for your loss. I would hate to have any of my stash stolen. More importantly, I'd hate to have my house broken into period. I can't say I have any words of consulation for the wife.

[BlackDog]

Wow, this really stinks. Sure, the loss of your stuff is bad, but the loss of your security and peace of mind is much worse. I'm very sorry this happened to you.

[zmancbr]

Wow, this really stinks. Sure, the loss of your stuff is bad, but the loss of your security and peace of mind is much worse. I'm very sorry this happened to you.

I agree... it sucks to lose stuff that you love because it was a special gift or because it had a lot of sentimental value... but it really sucks that you will be looking over your shoulder because someone had to break in. I am definitely sorry to hear this. :(

[groogs]

I am sorry to hear of your loss. I hope you can find the humi in a pawn shop since it had sentimental value. I hope the people who did this rot in hell for their actions. Reading this made me so mad, I hate it when low lives steal from honest hard working people. I hope the security system makes your wife feel more secure, and if not, I would suggest getting a big dog.

[68TriShield]

A bummer indeed Uncle Kitty. You will rebuild and be better than ever :tu

[dunng]

Man that sucks... at least no one was harmed and stuff can be replaced... :ss

[jbo57]

Man that stinks. I am really sorry to hear about your loss.

[spincycle]

Sorry to hear about your stuff. I hate thieves. It's such an incredibly cowardly act. If you're going to try and steal something from me, do it like a man, while I'm in the house.

[macms]

I'm sorry to hear your sanctuary was violated. We were burglarized and it was the knowledge that a stranger broke into in our home and touched our things that truly impacted us. This was replaced by anger and finally revisiting our beliefs and taking the steps to help restore the sense of peace that we lost.

[AriesOpusX]

That sucks, I agree you need a few dogs loose in that house.

[Sanitariumite]

Sorry to hear this happened to you. I can't even imagine what it must be like to go through this kind of violation of valued and private property. But, as many else have said, at least nobody was hurt. Alarm systems are well worth their cost. My dad owned a small-scale alarm company for many years, and it's one of those things you hope you never need, but if you do, it immediately pays for itself. Best of luck to you on finding your things, and replacing those you can't.

[Homebrewer]

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation.

Years ago, a crazy speed freak chick broke in my parents house (where I was staying for the summer). I came home from the store with my girlfriend and she said she needed to use the bathroom while I stayed outside to unload the car. Well, a few minutes later I walk in the house and look in the bedroom and see what I think is my girlfriend laying on the bed with her bikini on. Her head was covered up with a pillow. I said, "how did you get in a bikini so fast?" The pillow lifted and out popped the head of medusa. This crazy crank head was in the house wearing my girlfriends bikini! She was all messed up and made a strange hissing noise. It scared the crap out of me. I started yelling for my girlfriend, who was still in the bathroom, to get out. We both ran across the street and called the police. The speed freak got caught with all my mom's credit cards in her purse. My parents then got an alarm.

Bottom line: Get an alarm before you need it.

[Tio Gato]

Thank you all for your kind words. The wife is feeling much better since the alarm man is visiting in the morning.
Thanks so much for suggesting a dog, I really really really want one. (How old am I?)

Thanks all. I think we will sleep much better tonight. I know I will after venting a bit.

[AdamC]

I'm very sorry for your loss! I hope everything works out for the best with you and the Mrs. I'm glad no one was harmed physically. Unfortunately the psychological effect will last for a while. Just try to work through it the best you can.
I wish you the very best.

[rhythm11]

I hope you and your wife will feel safe again in your own home. I was 6 when our house was broken into, but I still remember it. We were away camping with relatives and went home early after my parents were notified. It took a long time for my family to get through it.

Also, I hope there wasn't a lot of personal information on the laptops that were taken. I would never have thought that I would need to encrypt my laptop hard drive, but that my not be a bad idea to do that.

[webjunkie]

Downright horrible :fl I hope they get caught. I'm glad that you and your family are okay.

I grew up in a part of Chapel Hill, NC that's right off the highway coming from Durham, and ours was one of the first neighborhoods that gangs would check out, especially around the holiday season. My parents house was broken into a couple of time. Second time it was after the alarm system was installed. The only thing that my mom could find missing was the ashtray, and that's because one of the sheriff's deputies has used it while waiting for her to come home and had washed it and left it in the sink.

Good locks and dogs are good too, but dogs make better companions than locks.

In all seriousness I'm glad to hear that everyone is all right.

[Nimbus]

Sorry for your loss:fl. Since you have a unique humidor, you should search craigslist and ebay for that same humidor/cigars. Usually crooks sell them for profit because of the holiday season. Crime tends to be higher around this time of year as well.

I saw a story on the news a few days ago; where a person stole a unique guitar and a few other instruments. The priest had to replace the stolen instruments and the first place he looked was ebay. Lo and behold the priest found the same exact unique guitar and instruments and reported the sale to the police. The police recovered the stolen items and arrested the man. :ss

[nozero]

So sorry to hear this. I've been there, done that. Came home from work one day a couple of years back, my garage door was half way open. I won't ever forget or get over that feeling...

Edited to add:

I hope the next place they hit has somebody waiting with a shotgun close by.

[NickyTeen]

Sorry you had to experience this Uncle Kitty. I know how upsetting this is . My business was broken into about 10 days ago. As many have said at least know one was hurt. Family and friends are whats important. Wish you well.:tu

[Dennis569]

So sorry to hear this. I've been there, done that. Came home from work one day a couple of years back, my garage door was half way open. I won't ever forget or get over that feeling...

Edited to add:

I hope the next place they hit has somebody waiting with a shotgun close by.

I'm sorry for your losses. I wouldn't know about gun laws in Mass. (is that
where you are?) Where I live we are allowed to defend ourselves.
The above quote about a loaded shotgun (also various handguns, rifles, knives, and a really bad attitude toward intruders) makes home intrusions unprofitable here.

[MTB996]

Sorry to hear about that. We had a burglar break into my old home a few years back and it was just about the most frustrating thing to ever happen to me. The thought of some coward Ahole in my house was unbelievable. It bothered me to the point where I accelerated my move plans and quickly went down the road of moving to a nicer neighborhood in a new house with an alarm system.

Sorry about the break-in. I hope you get your stuff back (or it replaced by insurance) and the scum gets shot in the head.

[Tio Gato]

Why did I revive this thread from the dead you ask?

Well today, almost 7 years to the day I got back two humidors taken as evidence after the robbery. The crooks handled them so off to the state police crime lab they went. One is a crappy Devil Site humi. The other was my beloved 50 count Cigar Caddy!:noon
I never thought I'd see that thing again. I'm so happy!:wo

Reading this old thread reminded me of all the kind things said here that made a bad time a little better. Thanks again all.

[markem]

Congratulations, Jeff!

[The Poet]

:tu

[Porch Dweller]

I love a happy ending, and not just those massage parlor ones! :D

[shilala]

I've had my house robbed twice, my car robbed twice, and my truck stolen.
It was never the stuff, it was the violation of the safe home I created for my family.
We've always kept big dogs to watch the kids and the house, but they didn't do a very good job.
Well, that's not true. We never really lost much from the break-ins, and I never lost much from the cars. They found our truck and it was a total loss.

So now there's guns everywhere. That upsets me, too.
I don't want to have to clean up blood in my house. But I'm just done.
The wife and all the kids know how to shoot, but they don't have access, so it's kind of pointless, but there's a weird psychological peace of mind there.

I get over things really fast, Jeff. I don't hang on and I give it all to God.
But that stuff stuck with me. It was just fear and a worry that I couldn't keep my family safe.
But it wasn't true. I got over it, nobody has ever gotten hurt, and I know I can protect them.
You can too, my friend. Do whatever you have to do to give everyone peace of mind.
Even if you keep the dog caged up when you aren't home and the guns locked in the safe, it really helps settle the mind.
At least it has mine.

You have my prayers, brother.
I'm truly sorry this has happened to you and yours. It's the worst.
Let your wife be scared and support her, too. Don't minimize her fears.
She needs you now more than ever. :tu

[icehog3]

Glad there was a little silver lining, albeit 7 tears later, Jeff! :D

[elderboy02]

Glad you got em back!

[Remo]

Very cool, glad you got them back :tu

[E.J.]

Think the psychological effects of something like this always seems to be more than the monetary. That said, sorry about the cigars/humidors.

Though I'd never advise someone to get dogs that didn't truly love dogs, I do think they're a Hell of a deterrent. (They're also a chit ton of work). I have 2 large Boxers and their presence makes me feel better when I'm not home(wife/kids there or not).

[longknocker]

Glad You Finally Got Them Back, Brother!:tu

[massphatness]

GREAT NEWS, JEFF!

Glad there may be some comeuppance in the theif's future.

[oldforge]

Ouch, that has to hurt. Might I recommend a nice furry chow chow. My pups have kept the house secure for many a year. Hopefully they will get caught before too many more get robbed.


We had a break-in a couple of years back--thankfully no cigars were taken--and we had a Chow Chow who gets the credit.

The thief grabbed a pillowcase, a cheap Acer laptop on its last legs, my wife's Cubik Zirconia ring (she was wearing the real diamond at work), and a couple of other minor items.

Nothing else was touched--I figure the chow chow had the thief's arm in his teeth the entire (very brief) time they were in the house. Needless to say we haven't had a problem since. :-)