I am aware that I am the only person who is likely to read this that actually needs it, but just in case I have decided to share.
I learned a secret to cleaning out closets today—lock your car and house keys in the trunk of the car.
Now I know that doesn’t seem to have much relevance to each other but when you know that you have a second set of keys but you cannot remember where you hid them you can clean out a lot of closets before you find them if you do. So far today I have done my closet, Janet’s closet and the linen closet. Tomorrow I will tackle the computer room (OMG) and the front bedroom (an even bigger OMG.) Please don't tell me I have to do the kitchen
As I recall it went like this: Janet no longer was carrying a purse and I was tired of carrying both sets of keys—I didn’t want to leave them at home in case we had another break-in. We were fixing to leave and I said to myself, “Let me hide these keys so I don’t have to carry them.” Now that implies to me that I didn’t go to a lot of trouble, I just stashed them somewhere close by that was convenient but that I thought no one would be interested in looking. Well, I started with the somewhere close that was convenients and now it appears that the search must be deeper—I even looked under the butter mold in the kitchen, on top of everything high, removed all th linens in the chest in the dining room—those are my normal hiding places. I even took everything out of Janet’s hope chest and it hasn’t been opened in fifteen years. The linen closet in the bathroom has never ever been this neat before, ever. My mind is reeling with thoughts of where to look but I think I have done it for today. I’ll give it another try tomorrow and if still no luck will call a locksmith.
This is almost impossible to believe because I am so paranoid about closing the trunk. For so many years I would not close the trunk until I had my keys in my hand even if I knew for sure that they were in my pocket. I was removing groceries and have no idea why I would have laid the keys down. I guess I really learned two lessons. The second one being don’t wear short pants that don’t have pockets.
But the closets look nice and I did find Janet's jewlery that I hid after the break-in a few years ago. I wondered what I had done with them. Third lesson, old people shouldn't hide stuff.
LOL!!! Thanks for the great tips! If it makes you feel better, I think we've all left our keys in the trunk. And if a set of missing keys can result in clean closets, then maybe I should try losing mine. Clean closets and found jewelry - I'd say it's been a very good day! Keep cleaning and I bet you'll come across those keys by the time you really need to go somewhere. In the meantime, if I decide to break in your house, I'll know where to look. :)
ReplyDeleteJan, first off if you have not cleaned house in over fifteen years then I don't recommend it. LOL
ReplyDeleteHowever I will share this. Back a couple years ago or maybe longer, NWHPC scheduled a field trip to the zoo. Aaraj and I got confused on the date and showed up a week early. Aaraj had just joined the club and at the time I did not know him but we passed each other a number of times and nodded because we were both taking photos with Nikons. I was using my 300mm f/4 lens with the TC-14e extender. That was the very last time I remember having the extender so I assumed that I had decided to take it off at the zoo, laid it down and walked off and left it; not an unusual occurrence for me.
I just got this bright idea about where the keys might be and in moving stuff around I noticed the black round thing that looked like a lens, picked it up and it was the TC-14e Tele-extender. I have no idea how that closet got to the Houston Zoo because I have absolutely no knowledge of seeing the extender after being at the zoo. You wouldn't believe what all it was buried under. LOL I have rummaged under the seats in the car a dozen times hoping that maybe I had laid it down in the seat and it had just fallen off.
Anyway, I finally gave up and replaced it with the TC17e (fortunately not the same model.) This is a four hundred dollar piece of Nikon equipment that I now have back in my possession thanks to locking the keys in the car. Maybe that will make up for the price of a locksmith. There is no telling what I am going to find before this is over. I couldn't believe all the Christmas decorations we had that I had forgotten. Life is really, really interesting for old folks.
Cleaning closets might be fun. I just found Janet's coin collection that I thought had been taken in the break-in two years ago.
ReplyDeletegary, are these your keys
ReplyDeleteits paul on joyce labtop while i am on my back..........
LATEST UP DATE—Still haven’t found the keys to the Buick but I did find where I hid the key to the Pick-em Up Truck that I got rid of some nine years ago and the keys to the Vindo 40 that we got rid of some time before that. I sure wish I could remember losing a large sum of money. Well, actually I do, but it was in the car. I always keep thirty or forty dollars in the console because I frequently go out to eat and forget my billfold. But I think that one is simple, Janet threw it out the window while I was inside some store.
ReplyDeletePaul, I would not doubt that you have my keys although I have no recollection of being in the Bronx—see above post on TC-14e Tele Extender.
I have given up on finding Janet’s keys and called Triple A. If the inside trunk release will work without a key in the ignition I will luck out for free. If it does not work I will have to call a locksmith but Marie has already got one on standby for me that is only a mile or so from the house. I never trade in the neighborhood but Marie knows all the vendors by first name. Ricky, I understand, is going to give me a special reduced Marie rate. She has made a couple of local recommendation and they are always spot on so I am sure the locksmith will be also.
Truthfully, cleaning house is a lot like an Easter Egg Hunt—not all that bad. I just looked in my closet, Janet’s closet and the linen closet and I am being so good I hardly know what to do with myself. And to think I decided a few months ago to cut out the Lexapro—this may do every bit as good.
Jeeze, now I will have to stop. Triple A showed up and I had my keys in less than two minutes. I don’t guess I’m going to find that wad of money—although I did find my wedding band from my first marriage. Didn’t even know that I still had it.
Gary,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be as talented as a comic writer as you are a photographer. This story was too funny and I wasn't ready for you to find your keys as the unfolding of "finds" was so much fun. It would be great for you to include some of these in the magazine and your journal. You could include shots of the "found" objects, etc. you know...great fun.