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Why does it always smell like cookies baking around me lately?

Last Tuesday morning, on my way to work, still under cover of darkness and some significant fog, one of those souped-up billy goats (American White-Tailed Deer) decided to make use of the opportunity of my vehicle for his grand effort of committing suicide. He was hiding out in someone's driveway under cover of a yard border of juniper trees. As I got to his position, he leaped forth and tagged me right ahead of my left rear wheel. His work was successful. It stopped his breathing and his heart. I filed a claim under my comprehensive insurance policy.

Wednesday, I delivered to Young Ford in Charlotte and Fort Mill Ford, just across the state line. I got home early. A few chores to do around the house, then I took the deer-damaged truck to a friend that operates an auto body repair shop for a discussion about the damage. Upon returning home, I decided that I should make use of another vehicle to get to work Thursday morning, as an insurance adjuster was due to make a visit and have a look at this one. This other one was out of gas, so I went up the street to fill it up. I had the nozzle in the tank ready to pump, and reached back to my rear to pull out my wallet. The pocket was empty! I went back and retraced all my steps from the time I got home, in frantic search. No luck. I was sick with worry all night. I searched until I had exhausted what I thought was every possible location and then took it further. I returned to the workplace with a flashlight and searched the BUTT. Again, I was in vain and dejectedly drove home.

I thought the only option I had remaining was to return to where I delivered Wednesday. I got to Charlotte before sunrise. Strike One! Just after light, I got to Fort Mill. Strike Two! The guys at Fort Mill helped me look around. I then went back to Charlotte and employees there assisted. All the drive back I could only think about having to have cards canceled and getting duplicates of them and a duplicate driver's license and DOT medical card. The company I work for had a stake in this too. Motel corporate guest card and cash advance, fuel cards were in that wallet.

Upon my arrival at our terminal, I went directly to the BUTT and searched once again with the benefit of daylight. No dice!
Strike Three! As I walked away, the thought hit me to take a look under the cab...just in case. Shit! Not there.Facind the front bumper about ten feet out ahead of it, as I stood back up...Holy Shiite! Lo and behold, there atop the front step bumper... ! That damned thing had obviously ridden in that spot for...I don't know. I don't care. I've found it!

In reflection, in order to untie the Ford Explorer that was above the cab of the truck, I had to lay on the hood to reach the chains. When I slid off and to the bumper, it must have exited my back pocket and landed on the bumper. Then, as I turned to secure the chain for travel, my toe must have pushed it under the grille of the hood without my being aware it was out. Most amazing, it rode there all the way back to Walkertown from Fort Mill, SC. Due to ongoing construction on I85, I chose to return via I77 and I40. For any of you that have had the pleasure of traveling I77 just south of Statesville, you know exactly what an unsmooth ride that can be. That chunk of leather withstood all that bouncing and wind.

I'm glad I have a guardian angel, even if he does have to wear a suit of armor. Anyone else have story of loss return to rival this one? My brother once had to use the services of a pyschic to find a lost ring. It worked.

Great story and a nice happy ending! But funny you should ask about finding something almost lost. It happened just last week.

I stopped at the Zinc Imaging company on the south side of I-85/I-40 near exit 138 (just down from the Red Oak brewery) near Burlington. It was a "cold call" - I didn't know who to talk to so I just stopped. There was a speaker at the guard gate (no one in the guard shack) and I spoke with a nice lady over the intercom who told me to leave literature in the box provided and she'd get it to the right person. That was fine with me and I got out several pieces of literature and wanted to write a note on one of them, so I got out my spiral bound notebook that I use for phone call notes to use a backing while I wrote, using the roof of the car as my desk. I should note here that the notebook is a 3-section spiral and I'm on the last couple of pages - it has 2 plus years of notes in it, maybe 3. Irreplaceable but of value only to me - cost new, ~$3.00. Anyway, I finished writing my note and turned around and put the stack of literature in the box, walked around the car and got in, backed out of the driveway and headed down the access road, past the brewery (I thought about stopping but it was almost 5 pm), turned left and then right onto the access ramp of I-40. I happened to glance at the passenger seat and noticed that the notebook wasn't on the seat. Ooooh, shit. I quickly realized that I had left it on the roof of the car when I'd finished writing the note. I pulled over to the side of the access ramp, got out and looked on the roof of the car, but it wasn't there. I got back in the car, got on I-40 to the next exit, turned around and went back to exit 138 and back to Zinc, looking on the roadside for my notebook. Just before I got to the Zinc driveway, there it was on the edge of the road where it landed after sliding off the car's roof! No one had driven over it, the road was dry so it wasn't wet, and none of the pages had torn out! Whew! I was very glad and realized how lucky I was a) to realize so quickly how dumb I'd been leaving it on the roof and b) that it was found unscathed!

To both stories, I believe the following smilie is appropriate:

WOW!

Lavabe wrote:To both stories, I believe the following smilie is appropriate:

WOW!

is right. But the recovery effort for our Capt. would have been far more effort intensive. I would have just lost a resource I use when I want to know "what did I talk to that person about in May 2010?" I actually have a series of these notebooks going back to 1995 when I started working for myself at home. It's time for a new one anyway, but I'm glad I'll be able to put this one on the shelf alongside the others! Since I write the phone number of the person I'm speaking to, it comes in very handy as a phone number resource! I actually looked back to find one for someone who was my best customer back in 1999-2002, but hadn't spoken to in almost 10 years. He's changed job responsibilities several times, which is why I lost contact with him, but his number rang to his still active voice mail two weeks ago!

I think that Ozzie and Captain Mojo need to send their Good Luck Fairies over to CIS with instructions to soak the basketball team a few times with whatever elixir it is that they have poured all over Ozzie and Captain Mojo.

Mojo!!! You should write a suspense novel! What fun that was to read! All I can say is you must be livin' right!!!!!
Love, Ima

Ima Facultiwyfe wrote: All I can say is you must be livin' right!!!!!
Love, Ima

Damn straight!

OZZIE4DUKE wrote: Since I write the phone number of the person I'm speaking to, it comes in very handy as a phone number resource! I actually looked back to find one for someone who was my best customer back in 1999-2002, but hadn't spoken to in almost 10 years. He's changed job responsibilities several times, which is why I lost contact with him, but his number rang to his still active voice mail two weeks ago!

Glad you overcame your senior moment!
Back in the days of yore, when I was in the sales business, phone numbers were of most importance. Since calls came in through a switchboard and there was no caller ID, I always asked if they would mind if I called right back because I wasn't in my office. This was the one and only falsehood I would tell a customer, but essential for having their number. The exchange of the caller's number was at least 95% positive.

In the shadows, it's hardly seen.
My outline isn't good.

I'll double that WOW!! You were both lucky. Capt., sorry about your run in with the deer but it doesn't sound like you were hurt. That's the best part of the story.