Tonight we had a bit of excitement.

My parents and I had gone out for dinner. As we were leaving to come home, my cellphone rang. It was the security company that monitors our alarm system. Calling to inform me that our front door sensor had been tripped, and the alarm was going off, and they'd dispatched the local police/sheriff's office.

We'd never had our alarm get tripped before. We were only a few miles away, so I drove a little bit faster to get home.

We got home, turned off the alarm, called the security company back, and then checked the front door. It seemed fine at the time. So, we asked them to cancel the police. (good thing we werent far away)

We started to wonder what had happened. Our caller i.d. had my dad's little sister's cellphone number on it, about 5 minutes before the alarm going off.

So, we thought that she might have knocked on the door a bit too hard.

A little later, we were sitting with my other aunt (dad's brother's widow) in the front yard, and telling her that we thought my dad's sister must have accidentally triggered the alarm. She said around the same time our alarm was triggered, she'd gotten a call (she lives across the street) from dad's sister, demanding to know who's car was in her driveway. She had a friend visiting. She'd told my dad's sister she was welcome to come over to visit, and my dad's sister started to scream in the phone a few swear words, and just being a big <bad word> to her.

While my niceaunt was on the phone, her visitor in the backyard could hear my other aunt SCREAMING across the street, and she could hear the screaming coming from the phone and was wondering what was going on since she could hear the screaming in stereo. So they walked into the front yard just in time to see my dad's sister hauling butt in her car down the street in a big hurry.

So, I gave our doorknob a little closer look. It's really really really wiggly now. It still works, but it's a lot looser on the door than it had been. Like someone had been yanking really hard on it and banging the door around.

I figure that she heard the alarm start blasting away, panicked and waddled back to her car to peel out down the street. (I didnt know an automatic car could leave burn out skid marks on pavement) My dad's sister-in-law was only able to get to the front just in time to see dad's sister whipping around the corner.

Funny thing is, when we got home and turned off the alarm, my dad called his sister back, and asked if she'd been there. She immediately replied (a little nervously sounding) "yes, BUT I NEVER got out of my car!!!!! Stayed in my car the ENTIRE TIME!!!!". (I could hear her thru the phone from ten feet away)

She has seemed to have a few mental issues for a few years, and I'm guessing that since the anniversary of my grandmother's death was yesterday, she must be having a few more mental issues than usual. But, to go to the extent of wiggling our doorknob hard enough to set off the burglar alarm is a bit much.

It's a good thing that I know how to install a doorknob. (I like playing with locks) I think I'll go shopping for a new one tomorrow before we go out for my b-day dinner.

At least we know our alarm works.

I wonder if we need to gently suggest to my dad's sister that she might need to see someone for her...anger issues.

She used to be a bit high strung, but ten years ago tomorrow (May 24th) she had a serious car accident and had a concussion and a few broken bones. I wonder if she's got some long term issues from the traumatic brain injury (similar to my mom's problem's from a head injury. At least my mom doesnt damage other people's property. My mom has anger issues, but she seems to stick to throwing her own things across the room when she's mad)

My aunt was unconscious for probably a day after that accident ten years ago, and in and out for a couple of days after that. I bet that she knocked the part of the brain that controls rage a bit loose.

Should I send her the bill for the new doorknob, or should we just stay quiet about the damage to the knob and walk on eggshells around her the next time she visits??

It is kind of funny to imagine the look of panic on her face when the alarm started blasting. (I think we'll be setting the alarm when we leave a lot more often now that we know it works really well)