warning!

(that's a moose)

OK so, here’s the story. I’m sending this out as a warning to you all, as I am a nice, helpful, albeit gullible person, and I don’t want you to do the same thing.

Friday morning 8:50 am

This is maybe 15 min after Mark leaves in the car to go to school.

Marcel and I are still in pajamas, making bread (or at least I am, I recall Marcel at the sink, "washing" dishes, and there being a lot of water on the floor.)

The door bell rings, a young man around 25yrs old in a ball cap and in 'work clothes' with a bit of mud splattered around smiles and asks politely to use my phone. I give him my cell. He tells me he live in Unit 53 across the street, and that he’s just got off work and locked himself out of his house. He asks if I know his mom Beth who he lives with, and says he drives "that blue Diesel truck parked across the street." I ask him what he does, he says he works in Airdrie on a construction site driving a scraper. Marcel gets excited about the talk about trucks... and the conversation goes on. He keep saying thanks for the use of the phone and if we ever need anything, just come on over. He high-fives Marcel, and says he has a son whose five, and loves trucks too. He says his name is Jason.

Finally, he is looking for a locksmith, and I think this sounds extreme. I ask why he can’t get another key from somewhere. For some reason he is stuck, his truck out of gas and he needs to get back to Airdrie to his scraper to get his keys- or get this locksmith. I offer to get him a jerry can, but I don’t have a car.

In the end (you are going to think I'm crazy) I give him the $30.00 in my purse and he says he'll be back in an hour to return it.

Well, of course he never came back. I find out a couple days later that Unit 53 has an older woman living in it named Maggie, who has no son. I haven’t seen a blue Diesel truck around at all.

So, I got suckered. I’m grateful I only gave him $30.00, and didn’t let him into the house any further.

Yesterday, I heard on the radio that there has been a guy doing this same type of thing in SE Calgary. His description sounds very similar to the guy at my house. Very friendly, asks to use the phone or washroom, and ends up taking money or jewelry or something.

I called the police, thinking maybe they could use a description or something...turns out she says this is one of the most common phone calls they get. The officer told me that this is a very common story, and that there are many people in the city doing this to get a little bit of money. Its impossible to catch them unless the police are right there.

Anyways, I just wish I had asked more questions, and had made a suggestion like going to the condo board, or waiting longer for his mom to come home, rather than just giving cash over. I still want to help my neighbors, but I guess I need to be a little smarter in this situation especially when I am home alone with my son.

Wow, pretty creepy I have to say. Luckily I actually know most of my neighbors and have many people to go to if there is a need.

So, a word to the wise and generous out there, don’t be fooled by some charm and a plea for neighborly help.

OK. That’s all about that.

Here are some names we are throwing around right now...votes?

Easton
Brauleigh
Hudson
Darwin
Porter
Dugan
Cormac
Becket
Wyatt
Harper
Dawson
Baeden
Bastein
Sabastien