Last week, an obelisk and bird feeder were stolen from our front garden.
I thought we were sharing the beauty of a garden with our neighbours and community-at-large. I thought we were benefiting everyone locally by attracting mosquito-eating birds to the area (after eight months of effort to draw the birds' attention to this food supply).
The real shame of this theft is not the loss of these items. Rather the shame is that theft creates a climate of distrust in the community. I no longer know if you're just pausing to "smell the flowers" or maybe gathering gardening ideas to beautify your own nook of the neighbourhood — or if you're casing my house. Funny how a "little" theft is never that little.
P. Speers, St. Albert
