Trouble at the Knoll

Ok, so back in the day, we used to make our own wine.  Paul is a chemical engineer, and figured he could be a wine connoisseur and vintner also.  He created his own label for his artisan wines that continued for several years until we fell in love with glass and it became the alpha-hobby.  During that time, he coined the name "Shepherd's Knoll" for his labels, and that's what I like to use in reference to our home, our castle.  Moving right along...

I was intending to blog about our show and to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day, but our plans were derailed.  Upon arriving home last night after a show and putting in 7 hours at the office, we found our home had been burglarized.  We were initially concerned we may have interrupted the crime in progress, as the television was off the wall but still connected to the stereo, so we went outside cautiously to dial 911.  As many of you are aware, this is a crime that strikes the very core, the foundation of our security, as it was abundantly clear that nowhere we lay our heads was sacred.  Our possessions ransacked, cats escaped (they came back in the house, but they're indoor kitties and shouldn't be exposed to the elements like that) and previous weekend's show revenue gone, we are still reeling but settling in with the lessons learned.  The Riverside Police responded quickly, although the first two attempts to dial 9-1-1 were met with BUSY signals, forcing Paul to dial the non-emergency line used to report noise issues from raucous parties.  It was a cold night waiting outside while the police searched the residence and property to secure the area so we could come inside, but we were eventually left to clean it up and try to get some sleep, hard as it was.  Fingerprint residue seems to come off alright with Lysol wipes :)

The items can be replaced, money can be earned to replace the cash lost (yes, we should have deposited it, but we were going to do that today!), and we are very thankful that the most important "things" in our life cannot be stolen or ransacked.  Our safety is most important in this type of situation, and we are both fine, as well as the kitties.  The Riverside PD recommended we remove our show schedule from our website, however, and we have.  We ask that you contact us for specific show dates, as we won't want to post it anymore.  Harsh lessons I know, but ones that we all learn eventually, one way or another.  We appreciate the kind sentiments from our friends who have sent messages our way during this turmoil, and will now proceed to apply the lessons learned for better preparedness.  Onward and upward, and no looking back at what we could have done differently.  Happy Saturday folks, and don't forget to celebrate your Mothers this weekend :)