I'm a thief

I wonder how long before the statue of limitations
runs out for stealing elephants?

I wanted to find a picture but after lots of searching
I don't think I have one on the computer. But I am
an elephant thief. Oh I eventually gave him back to the
party I stole him from. Maybe I'd best explain......

When our son was about 3, he constantly was saying he
wanted an elephant. Living in small town, U.S.A. there
was no place to buy a stuffed elephant, a big one like he
wanted. I could order it online but shipping would
cost a fortune.

One dark evening we were driving past the local charity
thrift store. Everything was closed. There sitting on
their front steps was a 2 1/2 foot tall stuffed elephant!!!
Oh my God!!!

What did I do? What would YOU have done, when you spent
weeks listening to your child begging for an elephant?
I pulled that car in and stuffed the elephant in it.

Took Mr. Elephant home and gave him a good disinfecting
and cleaning. And my son enjoyed him for several years.
When he was done enjoying him, we returned him to the
charity. Just a few years late but also a lot cleaner
than when he was there before.

Funny

My husband does electrical work for these local
property owners. They own rental houses, apartment
complexes, shopping centers, business buildings, etc.
They are super cheap, but won't mess around with
electrical problems and will pay his price when something
comes up. On plumbing, however, they have their own
maintenance men who do a shoddy job and try to band
aid everything.

So when hubby goes to work on a job for them, he usually
meets their renters. Before leaving he hands them a card
and says, 'If you have any problems don't hesitate to call'.
Hehehe.

Many occasions one of their renters will call me and
request hubby come over to fix something - it is usually
something minor in the plumbing department, such as the
toilet won't stop running.
Most of the time when they call they tell me their
medical history and problems they're having health wise
(cuz I'm on the other end listening).
After about 15 or 20 minutes I have to break the news to
them - hubby can't run over there unless they intend to
pay the bill themselves. We have to check with their
landlord before going over otherwise. OF COURSE the
renter doesn't want to pay for him to come over. So
I tell them I'll call their landlord and relay the information
(which they already have done multiple times without action)
and see what happens.

I call their landlord and relay the message and we usually
have a laugh or two. They take the 'call me if you need
me message' to heart, without realizing that the landlords
have to approve. I call landlord to relay message in case
it helps them to fix the problem a bit faster.

Happy New Year