When we bought our house in 1991, I had a security alarm installed. All of our windows are now wired, and we pay an alarm center on the mainland to monitor the alarm.

We also pay the city $5 annually to renew our permit. If we don't, we will be charged $300 in fines the next time the alarm sounds and police are dispatched. Besides, it is good to have an up-to-date permit for our own peace of mind.

Some people stick fake warnings on their windows that say their home has a security alarm. But burglars these days are not that stupid. They will examine the windows, and if there are no wires, they will invade the home.

We know this from personal experience. We came home one evening and found a screen on the ground. I guess the burglar changed his mind about removing our jalousies when he saw that they were wired.

Another reason for an alarm is the presence of threatening predators. One day, after I bade a piano tuner goodbye, a middle-age man came to my door and rang the bell. I peered through the peephole in the door and asked what he wanted.

“;Do you have someone to do something with? Answer me!”; he said menacingly.

I freaked out and punched the code in my alarm, which emitted a loud, harsh siren. He fled. The police came and I filed a report.

Last night I set the alarm before going to bed. Around midnight something triggered it. My daughter turned it off, using our code.

She said she wasn't the one who tripped it. Maybe a cat hit a window on the way to the top of a fence outside. The alarm center called, and my husband said it was a mistake, giving them his password.

And where was I?

Fast asleep. I heard nothing!

This has happened more than once, and I have slept through the commotion every time. Pretty scary!

Can you imagine a scenario where somebody breaks in, the alarm sounds, my husband is not in the house and I am murdered because I didn't wake up in time?

Or what if the house is on fire, the smoke detector sounds and I perish in the flames?

Of course, if nobody speaks to the alarm center, the police or firetruck will be dispatched, so maybe that will be my salvation. It's nice to know the system works!