I Forgot Something!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

It happened again yesterday.  I forgot something.  The older I get the less I seem to remember.  I spend hours each week searching for my car keys, my phone, my purse, and my glasses.  And if I am truthful, I have even forgotten where I parked my car in a parking lot.  Sometimes, I wonder how I got anything done when I worked, but maybe it is because I now lose so much time just trying to find something.  It usually starts with my car keys.  I go to take the dogs for their walk and can’t find my keys.  John tells me to put them in the same spot each day when I get home, but I forget to do that, too.  In my defense, if I come home with keys in hand and the dogs are home, I am usually trying to fend them off at the door and just get in the house.  The only benefit to their exuberant greeting is I often forget to take my keys from the door lock and I now know to start there when my keys go missing.  It has gotten so bad that John refuses to let me touch his car keys.

 

The home phone is another issue.  Someone set the answering machine to two rings before the machine picks up, which means I have a very limited time to find the phone when I get a call.  The kids like to call on the home phone and then hang up immediately when the answering machine comes on.  I have asked them repeatedly to start talking into their phone in the hopes that a long-winded response will allow me to find the phone. Instead, as I scramble around looking for the home phone, my cell phone starts ringing and starts another search for that phone.  Megan will call the house, then my cell, and finally John’s phone, in such rapid succession that I am sure there has to be some kind of major emergency, only to finally find a phone and have her say, “what are you doing?”  She gets mad when I say, “trying to Google how to place a call block on three phones because some pesky person won’t leave me alone.”  The past two weeks I have only been able to find one of the home phone handsets…we have two…which means that when I forget to charge the one phone I can find, I have absolutely no way to answer the phone.  Luckily, I was doing laundry yesterday and looked down to see the other handset on the ground.  Who knows how it got there? 

 

Don’t get me started on my glasses.  Unless I am wearing them, I can’t find them and even then, I might forget they are on top of my head.  I walked the dogs the other day in my reading glasses. I am near sighted.  Keep in mind I drove to the park and can’t explain why I didn’t figure it out until I was already down the street.  The way I figure it, it is only a matter of time until someone finds me wandering at the park saying, “I forgot where I put my dogs!”

 

Yesterday, John and I were out all day and came home late. I wanted to take the dogs for a walk to tire them out and so we drove up to our local park.  It was only when we got there that I discovered we had forgotten their leashes.  We were tired and because I pride myself on never turning back, I made an executive decision.  I assured John that this had happened before, and I had a plan.  In the past, I have used a belt and a scarf as makeshift leashes and I was prepared to find something in the car to use this time, too.  The trick is to avoid all people, places, and things, in case the leashes don’t work out.  Vern is the number one puller of all times. We have tried every leash, every collar, and every harness.  I have walked him with love and I have walked him with hate.  Truthfully, it is like walking a bull on the way to a rendezvous with a cute little cow in pasture A. 

 

Somebody I know on Facebook recently wrote that everyone should be able to walk their dog with one finger IF they are in touch with their dog.  I can barely walk Vern sometimes with one whole hand and an arm and I am not about to lose my finger, which I might need when I see some guy waving while walking his dog with one finger.  I have settled on a prong collar and I don’t really care what the critics say, because Vern gives no indication that he even knows he is wearing one.  None!  He is as happy with it on as off and he rolls so often that he turns the thing inside out.  He does occasionally give me the courtesy of a backwards glance when I shout, “Easy, Vern!”  I get the feeling he is thinking, “I hear what you are saying and I choose to disregard it.” 

 

Luckily, we had one 30 foot long leash in the car yesterday and a bungee cord.  John said we could hook one dog to the leash and tie the other end to the other dog, but he was taking too long to make it happen, so I said I would just use the bungee cord.  Several times, John mentioned that seemed like a bad idea, but I was tired and wanted to get home to watch a Christmas Hallmark movie.  So, I hooked the bungee cord to Vern’s regular collar and off we went and by off we went, I mean the give and take of the bungee cord allowed Vern lots of leeway.  Did I mention it was icy out and John kept saying he didn’t think this was my best idea ever?  Did I also mention that as John kept chiding me, I was thinking about using that one finger?  Well, I can be stubborn, but I could quickly see John was right and his one leash idea might have been the better solution.  I mean I didn’t want to end up in the ER with the doctor asking me how I broke a hip and lost an eye.  It felt like I would be one Psych evaluation away from being held on a 72-hour watch if I answered, “I was walking my 110 pound dog with a bungee cord.”

 

The good thing was John only said, “hmmmm, I wonder where you came up with that idea,” when I said, “I think we should tie the other end of the leash onto Vern’s collar.”  There was no “I told you so,” and I didn’t have to use that one finger after all. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Maryann, for the support. I need an day to day emergency vest. I swear if glasses were not so expensive, I would have 12 pairs!!

Thanks, Lori!

F, Oh my...how unsettling to know crooks were going through your car. Glad nothing was taken.

Lorry, It sounds like you have your own way to solve this problem. 

Thanks, Linda. I am going to try and do better with blogs in 2017.

Joanne, LOL

Stella, That is a great idea. I recently found two dog leashes hanging in our entryway. I didn't even remember we had spare leashes. I will move them to the car.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Laurie, I have looked for a pair of glasses with one on my head, one in the pocket of my apron and one tucked down the front of my blouse. I am currently looking for my IPad my apron, the tape measure I keep in my purse several other things that I cannot remember right now. I simply find it impossible to have my phone with me and charged at rhe same time. It is either on the charger or in my purse with a dead battery. For Christmas one of daughter in laws gave me a "earthquake emergency vest" stuffed with all vital items like extra dog leashes, drugstore glasses, phone numbers Although she cleverly covered by giving one to everyone, I knew it was really for me and my continual emergencies. I contend that I simply cannot be expected to remember every little thing as I have lived long enough to have my brain overstuffed with things I am suppoesed to remember.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

thanks for the laughs!  Merry, Merry to all! 

[LORRY SWETLAND]

I live up on a mountain and there are no neighbors. When I lived down in the city(Queens, New York) I left nothing in my car and left it unlocked cause I went through 4 broken windows and they got nothing. Once I left the car unlocked problem solved no more broken windows.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I recently had thieves go through my car but they took nothing as I don't keep anything of value there. They did go through a number of cars on my street. The police firmly believe that had the keys been in the car they would have stolen it. I live in a quiet suburban town. So I think leaving keys in the car is not a good idea.

[LORRY SWETLAND]

Never loose my car keys...They stay in the car all the time....Don't loose house keys...doors are never locked...Don't need a purse.....everything in car glove box.....I'm retired and loving every minute of everyday...Turbo doesn't need a leash or one of my fingers....He keeps track of me....Never leaves my side...Can't misplace car in parking lot cause Turbo watches the store door and when I come out he is barking so I can find the car...He has a very very large--loud bark...Problems solved.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Laurie ~ crazy busy season this year, but I am finally back on DK and was thrilled to see you had the time to write a blog!  I always check for your blogs, they give me the giggles and this one did not disappoint.  Happy Holidays.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I swore I read this last week and commented below

[Stella]

I keep two spare slip leashes in my glove box - in case I forget a leash / come across a loose dog / am in an accident and can't access their leashes at the back door of the car.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Carol.

Deborah, I have an Android. On the Doodle trip this year one of the guys took one look at my phone and said I have an app on it called, "Get an iPhone!" LOL I am thinking of upgrading soon. Thank you! I need one of those "clappers" for my phone. 

Karen, Poor JD. Once I get there, I am not going back...thus my bungee cord plan :) LOL I use my landline for the same purpose.

Bonnie, Thank you! We are ended up being safe, not sorry :)

Nancy, I hope you find the stockings. I was missing one, too. I am now looking for Hayley's boots that she left here and John is missing his good, black shoes. He has been missing them on and off since the move. It is driving me nuts. Fudge will gag herself on a flat collar when walked. On the prong, she is fine. 

F, Thank you! LOL...I have not had to have a stranger drive me around a parking lot YET!!