Reunited, and it feels so good!

Today marks the one week-iversary of the day when I lost (and then found) something that I cherish very much: Fred. So, how shallow and materialistic does that make me? Actually, I don't think that it does. Because for the thirty minutes that I had thought Fred was gone forever, what I was most upset about was that I was pretty certain our separation was due to my own pure stupidity.

Here's how it played out:

Fred is pretty much a home body, except for when Mrs. Pheasantly takes him out for long walks. But last Wednesday I needed his help at my Toastmasters meeting, so I took him, and his docking station, along with me. The meeting went great and at the end, I took him out to the car and put him in the front passenger seat. On the way home, I stopped at Publix. It was the 13th and I needed to get some stuff for V-Day.

So get my V-Day stuff, toss it in the car and make my way home. As I am heading down the street to my house, I look over to the passenger seat...Fred is gone! The docking station is there, but no Fred. I pull into the driveway, park, and then look under the seats for Fred. No Fred.

I go inside, put the treats for wifey and the little ones away, and then tell wifey that I lost Fred. She goes out and looks with me. Again, no Fred. Wifey calls the restaurant where my meeting was. No Fred. I drive there to see if maybe he sprawled out on the parking lot. No Fred. At this point I am certain that Fred was taken while I was in Publix and this has me really ticked. How could I be so stupid as to not lock the car doors?!

While I was checking out the parking lot, wifey calls Matt for any ideas. He told her to check the side pockets of the car doors. Upon my return to the house, she conveys the message to me and, knowing this is pointless because Fred is in the grubby paws of some little punk who's laughing at my Lionel Ritchie collection, I check anyway. Wouldn't you know that's where the little bugger was? Thanks Matt!