Be careful!

Be careful is not just an idle warning.

No matter what part of town you live in, you need to be cautious about coming home late at night, leaving doors open or unlocked, or answering your door after a reasonable hour at night.

Last Friday night this was brought home to me in a very real way.

I was at my son's home using his computer. His office is just inside the front door. It was 9 o'clock.

Someone knocked on the door (even though there is a doorbell) and I called out to my son, who was in the family room watching TV, that someone was at the door. I didn't think much about it, assuming it was probably a friend stopping by that late.

When my son didn't come right away, I stepped to the door and opened it. The front porch light was already on. There was a man standing not on the porch, where you would expect a visitor to stand, but he was standing back on the grass, just out of the light so it was hard to see him.

He asked me if I was the woman of the house and I replied I was not.

You know how you sometimes just have a feeling that something isn't right? That's how I felt. I can't say the hairs on my neck stood up or that I had any outward sign, other than something just felt wrong about this man.

About that time my son came around the corner of the hallway. He stepped outside to see what the man wanted.

The man wanted to clean carpets and he said they would be dry in 45 minutes. My son looked up and down the street but couldn't see any sign of a vehicle. He told the man to go on, he wasn't interested.

After thinking about it a couple minutes, my son called the police and gave them a description of the man. They had received another call about this individual.

As I ponder the situation, I wonder if this man saw my vehicle parked in front of the house and took a chance on my being the babysitter and no other adults at home. What would have happened had I been here alone?

This just reinforces the fact we all need to be more vigilant. I am not frightened but I also don't intend to be stupid. When someone knocks late at night, look out a window to make sure you know who is there. If you don't recognize them, call the police. Don't worry about feeling foolish if it turns out to be nothing.

The main thing is, trust your instincts.