The Time I Finally Lost It

It is time to harvest broccoli…

Wait!  Can’t do that!

Do you notice anything about my hand there in the broccoli? Overlook the lack of a manicure (ever) and the fact that I could probably get a little friendlier with the soap and water. 

Look closely. 

No knife!

Kinda hard to harvest without something sharp. 

…and I have no knife. 

Because…

Somehow, somewhere…I lost my leatherman.

…and now, I can do nothing. 

I mean NOTHING.  No cutting, no repairing, no harvesting. I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t even think…all because my leatherman is not in my pocket. (yes, I know have a problem far larger than my missing knife)

The Boss has said for ages that this might happen.  "A place for everything and everything in its place"  is his oft-repeated refrain when I can't find something. (and that seems to happen with some regularity)

where is it?

While I have a propensity for misplacing things...my leatherman always goes in my pocket as I head out for chores in the AM.  Never know when I might need it. If for some reason I forget it (highly unlikely) I have been known to slog back to the house through the snow and rain to get it.

But, he was right...somehow, somewhere…I lost it. 
Utterly. 
Completely. 
It is gone.

I had it at choretime, (I know I did) but by the time I was ready to leave for the town-run, it was nowhere to be found.  I searched my desk, my work jeans, the dirty clothes hamper… As I began to slowly lose my mind as well, the Boss urged me to “just go to town…we’ll find it later”. (later he told me he searched while I was gone)

As I headed out, I re-traced my steps through the garden, hoping I would find it lying in the grass somewhere.  Nope.  

While I was in town, I thought of little else. Shopping and errand-running became more of a chore than usual.  At one point, I found myself reaching in my pocket for the ever handy tool.  I almost cried when I realized it wasn’t there.  This was getting ridiculous.

My leatherman isn’t just a tool.  It has become indispensable over the years.  …and it was the BEST BIRTHDAY present ever.  Read this one.  So, there was more at stake than a little knife.

When I got back home, we re-traced my steps AGAIN.

The Boss interrogated me the entire time. (he sounded just a little annoyed) Did I remember the exact path I took back from the lamb paddock?  Did I? I don’t know… Have you ever tried to remember exactly where/how you walked from point A to point B?  My brain was getting tired.

I hunted everywhere I went.  All Day.

The. WHOLE. DAY.  

Searched through the trash. I looked under things, in drawers, the laundry basket. I interrogated the cat. And suspected the dog. (no, I am not exaggerating...)

Mostly, I just missed my ever handy tool and began to wonder about my sanity.

Finally, in despair, I ordered another one. 

new, spiffy leatherman

While it would never be the same, I really needed that tool.

Without it, I am lost.  I’m like the Lone Ranger with no mask, a superhero with no cape…

But, I would have to wait for it to be shipped and delivered.  *sigh*  In the meantime, I would have to make due with something else. Surely, I could make the adjustment. I would just have to wait for the new knife.

Decision made, it was time to regain some momentum after my distracted day. I had managed to get most of my work done, despite my preoccupation, but this time of year there is always MORE to do.  Much later, as I put away the laundry, I felt something heavy.

There in the fold of a sweatshirt was my leatherman.  Now, I had searched there at least twice…and I have no idea how it got there to start with…but, there it was!  If I could have hugged it, I would have.  I tucked it safely in my pocket once more and felt ten thousand times better about my day.  

Things could finally get back to “normal”.

And, the spiffy, new leatherman will serve as my “emergency back-up”. The Boss feels you should have back-up for everything, and we like to tease him about it.

But, wonder if I can find some sort of “emergency back-up” for my mind...?

at least I'm not alone

right?

Want to read more about my dependence on my leatherman?  Here ya go!

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-dont-do-nails.html

http://homesteadhillfarm.blogspot.com/2012/04/please-tell-me-i-didnt.html