Bungled Theft

When we stayed at Corolla, North Carolina in May, we noticed a house across the street had a beautiful patch of ice plants, healthy and blooming.  We brought some ice plants with us when we moved from Lake Norman so we know about the plants.  The ones from Lake Norman were a struggle to get going, but are growing and blooming.

The Corolla ice plants were so beautiful that I decided we needed to add that variety to our garden.  The evening before we left for home, I got a plastic bag, a wet paper towel and sneaked over to the batch of plants.  I used  my pocket knife to dig up a few plants.  Before I was finished, a security patrol came around the corner with blue lights flashing on top.  The few plants I had dug couldn’t have been detected even by the owner so I probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but I panicked and hurried under the steps of the house of the yard I was digging in.  I left my plastic bag with evidence near the road, but the security guard didn’t see it and drove on by.

I crept back from under the steps, got my stolen plants and hurried back to our car where I hid my new plants.  I felt it was a close call, but the theft was successful.

Back home, Aloma picked out the spot for the new ice plants and I planted the sprigs.  The roots were almost bare so we didn’t think they had much chance to make it.

They did.  We now have a second patch of ice plants growing nicely.  They are already blooming.  But, there is a problem.  I picked one of the new blooms and compared it to the blooms from Lake Norman.  They are exactly the same.

I risked a prison term by stealing something we already had and didn’t need.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com