Wednesday: So THAT'S Where the Keys Were!

After my time at the Adoration Chapel, I put gas in the van and picked up a few groceries. Getting back to the van, I reached for the key. It wasn't where I'd put it, in my coat pocket.

It's got one of these beepers attached, with three buttons: unlock, lock, and "panic." Everybody in this house, and several adjoining properties, knew when I discovered what the "panic" button did.

No problem. I'd probably left it in the ignition. Not smart, but no crisis.

It wasn't in the ignition.

No problem. I'd probably dropped it, there in the van.

It wasn't on the floor of the van, anywhere near the driver's seat.

This could be a problem. But, I'd probably dropped it by the checkout.

It wasn't there.

Oh-kay. I retraced my steps, from the van to Coborn's entrance, and up and down the aisles I'd been in.

It wasn't there.

I waited in line at the customer service desk, had a nice, short, chat, and learned that the keys weren't there, either. A young man with better eyes than mine was deputized to walk the aisles. I went back to the van for another, more wide-ranging, search.

No key.

Key, actually. I did find a pen that I'd mislaid, but that wouldn't start the van.

Back into Coborn's, where I took the young man's advice (he hadn't found the key), and went to the deli. I'd mentioned that I was going to search myself. He was right: an empty deli table is a dandy place to put a coat and the contents of pockets while engaged in an auto-frisk.

I even systematically patted down the entire coat. The key's small enough to have slipped through an (as yet undiscovered) hole in one of the pockets.

No hole, no keys. Lots of frustration, though.

So, I go out to the van, checked around again, and dropped off what I'd bought. On my way out, I talked briefly with a lady who'd lost her wallet. My problem was an inconvenience. She had a more serious concern.

Still no key.

Back inside, I re-checked the entrance and exit: and the checkout line I'd used.

Still no key.

I decided to call it a day, and called home to ask for a ride.

And, discovered that the other two vehicles available aren't ready to be driven yet: We'd sort of mothballed them over the winter. No problem. It's only a few blocks from Coborn's to home, so it wouldn't be more than a mildly nippy walk. Good exercise. I reached in my coat pocket for my gloves.

No gloves

And, no prospect of a ride home.

Still no key.

This was shaping up to be an interesting afternoon.

I checked the deli: no gloves there.

I checked the rout I'd taken: no gloves there. On my way out, I chatted with the wallet-less lady again. She was getting distinctly concerned. By that time, the banks were closed, so she couldn't call in and shut down accounts until morning. I think she was the one who mentioned that she was praying about it, and I observed that praying was known to help.

The gloves were in the van, right where I'd left them. At about that moment, I thought of another spot in the store that might have been overlooked: the floor of the checkout aisle. Back in again.

No keys. At all

I started to put my gloves on. One was a lot heavier than the other. The key, and it's ring, were inside. With the beeper gadget and the Marian medal I keep on the ring.

By that time, I was at the east entrance. I'd been hearing someone calling to another person, down by the west entrance, but had been distracted.

It was the wallet-less lady, catching up to me, with someone from the checkouts close behind.

She'd found her wallet. Good news! We talked about that for maybe a dozen words, over one of those flat-topped trash containers. The cashier had caught up by then, and asked me if I'd found my keys.

I told the two that they might be in for the laugh of their lives. I took the key-bearing glove by one finger, gave it a good shake, and out dropped the keys, onto the table-like top of the trash can.

I got home just in time for my wife and #3 daughter to use the van for something related to our son's birthday. But that's a matter for yet another post.

Wednesday Afternoon: Of Drizzle and Ducks

After getting organized for a writing project, I decided to take advantage of the not-really-ideal weather and get some photos taken. It rained Monday, almost two inches. Tuesday it was drizzles, but the added up to around an eighth of an inch. Today we're getting snow flurries and something that feels like refrigerated drizzle.

There's a flood warning for the Sauk River. It's the one that runs through town, but the warning is for the Sauk River at St. Cloud.

Down there, at six this morning, the Sauk River was 7.3 feet deep. Flood stage is 6 feet, the crest is expected Saturday afternoon at about 8.6 feet, and the record crest before that was 7.2 feet back on April 25, 2001.

Here in Sauk Centre, there's been the odd pond in streets and yards, and - more importantly - a sort of turf dispute between Hoboken Creek and Hickman Drive (Hoboken Creek won, in the short run). Also, a section of cemetery east of town was submerged. There's more about that in this week's Sauk Centre Herald.

Just north of downtown, the park below the dam is, depending on where you are, cold and damp or submerged. The ducks don't seem to mind, though. It's that season, and there were at least two duck-and-drake pairs waddling around.

After checking in on the ducks and the slightly-drowned picnic area, I went to the Adoration Chapel for an hour. After that - I'll write about that in another post.

Spring Break, Cast's Off, a Week's Gone By

#3 daughter is almost out of her cast. She'd gone from the past-the-elbow cast to a smaller, lighter model. Then, this week, she had that one off, and is now equipped with a much smaller, strap-on, brace that she's supposed to have on at intervals.

Good news! She has a bit of a time holding things like the kitchen salt-shaker up, but that's what happens when muscles don't get used for a month. She's working at flexing her wrist: and quite interested in getting it back in proper working order.

#2 daughter is still in Louisiana, having periodic phone conversations - mostly with #3 daughter. I understand that giving music lessons is going well down there.

#1 daughter spent the week here, for spring break. And her rabbit, Giol, of course. It's fun to have that furry guy around the house.

I took my son and a friend of his to Soo Bahk Do Thursday evening. My wife wasn't feeling well, and his friend's mother wouldn't be home until late. My son's friend and I got on pretty well: it was mostly me answering questions he had.

And, my son got an early birthday present from one of his friends: Age of Empires, a computer game/simulation that has the user build a civilization from the stone age, up. He let me play it, and it's fun. Engaging. He and his friend have played it (it's got a multi-player mode), with good results.

My wife's still stretching and exercising her way out of the kinks and aches she got in that accident, but she's just about up to par now. Good news.

My wife, son, and #3 daughter are now preparing to go to Soo Bahk Do.

Me? I've been researching, writing, and doing the odd spot of art for my blogs and web pages.