WWYD-Pumpkins.. UPDATE #2 - Pumpkins not so important when a house goes up in flames.

[nutterbutter2010]

We were out all day yesterday, and come home to find all of our pumpkins missing, $70 worth. We were outside when one of our neighbors comes home, and says that some kid she didn't know (and shes a teacher in the local school) came around with a wagon asking if they were "done with" their pumpkins. They told them No, he couldn't have their pumpkins, so I guess he came to our house, saw that were weren't home, and just took ours. It was about 1.30 in the afternoon. We get home around 7pm, and find everything missing.

My questions is, What would you do? Would you call the police to report it, or just let it go?

Also, if you rode around the next morning looking for them, and found them about 15 houses away in the same street, would you approach them?



TIA

[MIGrandma]

You spent $70 on pumpkins? Yikes.

You said you saw them on your street, 15 houses down. How do you know for sure they are your pumpkins? I would think pumpkins would be kind of hard to identify, unless they had been carved into jack-o-lanterns. But if you feel they're yours, and you seriously want them back you could ring the doorbell and ask about them. If the kid just took them because you weren't home, maybe the parents will make him give them back. But then he could do something worse to retaliate so I'm not sure it would be worth it to get them back. You'll have to decide that for yourself.

[nutterbutter2010]

Yeah, we had a huge Halloween party, so we had to have pumpkins!!!!

Also, the pumpkins were ours, I know it. We had two large ones, one was fat, and had a slash on one side, and one was tall, and had these wierd "warts" on them. And there were the same amount of small ones as we had. Also, they were all put to the curb, which really puzzled me. So who knows, these kids could live 2 streets away, and just put them infront of someone elses house because they didn't want to get in trouble. Another thing, only two of them were smashed up, the rest where whole. I just don't get it.

[MaryAnnDVC]

Let it go. We don't buy pumpkins...we grow them...but I know that if we put them outside in the front of the house, they might get taken or we might find them in the road smashed. And if that happened, we'd chalk it up to experience, and make a different plan for next year if it bothered us that much.

We live on a narrow country road that few people travel, and I only recall one year that they were smashed. Oh well. We still put them out near the house (set back from the road) and haven't otherwise had any trouble.

[Bren's Mom]

I think it's fine if you want to knock on the '15 doors down' neighbor to ask if they have a child/wagon fitting the description. If they do, just tell them that all of your pumpkins are missing, what the neighbor told you and that you think there may have been a misunderstanding. That might be the end of it, they might tell you to take what's yours. If they don't have a kid/wagon then you're out of luck. And if they're nasty then it's up to you to decide what to do.

[Allison]

I wouldn't call the police about pumpkins. It was probably about time to throw them out anyway. Maybe they did you a favor by getting rid of them.

[monkey68]

I think if you called the police, they will probably be polite on the phone, but laugh at the station once you hung up. It's always a risk when you leave stuff outside that it might get taken if it's not chained down.

[nutterbutter2010]

You guys are all right with what your saying. Its just so upsetting to me. I don't know..... I know we don't live in a perfect world, and bad stuff happens (yeah, were still talking about pumpkins here, LOL) but it just kills some of the holiday spirit for me. I mean, is someone going to come around a few days after christmas and ask me if I'm done with my blow up Mickey Mouse - and if I'm not home, will they just take that (we will actually be in Disney right after Christmas, so I better make sure to get it in the garage before we go!!)??? Its more upsetting to me than anything else.

And to the person that said they did me a favor because it was probably time to get rid of them... they were actually still in pretty good shape!! No ooosing what-so-ever LOL

Oh well, as I said, its more upsetting and spirit killing than anything else to me, but I'll get over it!!!! I just wish the little brat had taken my mums instead - THAT would have been doing me a favor!!!!!! LOL

[The Mystery Machine]

I would get my pumpkins back but that is me. I would not call the police. I would not hesitate to knock on the door.

[momrek06]

Let it go, OP! I would not call the police nor would I contact the neighbor. Thats just me.

[glitterkittyy]

I can totally understand how you feel. My daughter had her flower pot taken from our front porch, and we found it about 10 houses down. They were flowers that she had grown from seeds so very special to her. I did ask the woman who lived there if they were hers because my daughter's flower and pot were missing. She said she'd ask her kids about them. We saw the pot broken on the ground in the playground area the next day. It broke DD's heart. So yeah, I can understand your feelings on this.

We let it go and started a whole new pot of flowers.

[mtemm]

I would be irritated but likely wouldn't do anything. well, if I had a picture of them I might put up a flyer..."missing, answers to the name, pumpkin." lol. I wonder if they would return them?

I think it stinks thatthey were taken.

[KiKi Mouse]

What do you normally do with old pumpkins?

The poster who said the police would laugh as soon as they got off the phone is right. The police have way more important things to do than spend their time dealing with such trivial things.
I could see being upset if this was before halloween. I had to look at the date of this post to make sure.

let it go.

Next year if you want to keep old pumpkins then move them into the yard.

[Halloweenqueen]

Agree with the PP, it is an issue of timing. If this was before Halloween I would be livid and do what I could to get them back.

I would still be upset about the trespassing, but I would let it go.


I grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood in the midwest. It seemed that anything left up after a holiday was fair game to pranksters and thieves. My poor father would have a box full of C9 christmas lightbulbs to replace the ones that were stolen right off the string the night before.

It would give me nightmares to think of people on my front porch, unscrewing Christmas lights.

[nutterbutter2010]

Originally Posted by KiKi Mouse

What do you normally do with old pumpkins?

The poster who said the police would laugh as soon as they got off the phone is right. The police have way more important things to do than spend their time dealing with such trivial things.
I could see being upset if this was before halloween. I had to look at the date of this post to make sure.

let it go.

Next year if you want to keep old pumpkins then move them into the yard.

Just out of curosity, What makes them "old"? The fact that halloween is over? Thanksgiving is coming up, and it would have been nice to have some fall decoration on my front stoop to greet my guests. Plus, you said, "Next year if you want to keep old pumpkins then move them into the yard." Where in the world do you think they were?? LOL They were on my front landing, right next to my front door, so I don't really understand what your saying there. That I should move them to the backyard?? Whats the point of having them then??

Again, as I said, as much as I miss my little orange guys, its more of the fact that someone felt it was OK to come up on my property, realize that we weren't home, and take our stuff. Just because its a "seasonal" item, doesn't make it OK. We only use our bench and table set thats out there in the spring/summer, so I guess thats seasonal too - would it be OK for them to take that as well??