The Mystery of The Lost Keys

"Where Are My Keys?"

Upon returning to Millry after our wonderful trip to Lubbock, TX for our granddaughter Cassie's wedding and getting to do our share of spoiling our Great Granddaughter, Button (Laura Kate Wiley), we stopped by the Post Office to retrieve a week's pile of mail.

JoAnne started to get her keys to open the PO Box. "Have you seen my keys?" "No." "I can't find them." Maybe they're in your other purse, we'll check on them when we get home."

Well, after we got home, we looked in both purses, through all the dirty clothes, in all the pockets in my briefcase and the suitcases, under the car seats, called the Motel where we stayed in Pearl, MS, called Andy and Robin. No keys!

I talked with Andy Thursday on our way back from Mobile for a doctor's appointment, and he said that they'd looked for them some around their house and in their car...No keys! He said that he'd do some more looking after he got home. On our way back home, I talked with the Ford place about replacement costs for the car key.... $29 for the key and $39 to program it to the car's computer. The PO key replacement is $70. The safe deposit key at the bank $90+. Plus, we will have to replace 2 church keys, 2 house keys, key to DTAB's house and a few more. Expensive loss!

About 6 Thursday evening, Andy called and said, "Found them!" They were in his office and something had been laid over them. JoAnne had apparently had them in her hands while in Andy's office Sunday and for some unknown reason had laid them down. Why? We have no clue.

But, we were feeling better than the Alka Seltzer commercial... "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, Oh, what a relief it is" when Andy called.

It is amazing how some habits allow us to automatically do various things, then when we break the cycle of those habits, wild things happen!

Big John & John Boy

New Kid on the Farm !!!

Well, the old Craftsman riding mower has lost it's last wheel! I recently got tired of all the little problems that I've had with that mower and did something about it. There was constantly the problem that when I'd bump anything with one of the mower deck wheels, the wheel axle bolt would break off. I have replaced over 30 bolts and about 8 wheels. At other times, the wide roller on the front of the mower deck would lose it's retainer pin and break off. Twice the right front wheel bracket on the mower broke off and I had to weld it back on. Sears replaced the lift arm that raises and lowers the mower deck under warranty. I had to replace the fuel lines once. Other than that, it did fairly well!
Then one day, the drive belt came off and hung up. That was the magic broken straw!

I did some research on line and called the John Deere dealer in Lucedale, MS where I bought the big tractor. They gave me a price that they require from any place that sells mowers of $1,999.00 on a similar tractor/mower with a 48" cut width. So we took the trailer with one day when we had doctors appointments in Mobile and headed to Lucedale on our way home. It has a 48" mower deck, shuttle transmission and a 22 hp, two cylinder engine. And, of course, it is John Deere Yellow and Green!

I took the Craftsman to State Line, MS to a repair shop and they replaced the battery and drive belt at a cost of $118. Then I decided to make one more roadside cut with the Craftsman. When I got back to the shop, I discovered that the blades were completely worn out and one was bent down at each end. So, I had to order blades at a cost of $82. I knew I'd have to have good blades on it in order to be able to sell it.

A couple of weeks later, I cleaned it up really good and put a sign on the front listing it for sale for $650. After about a week, a guy that works for the City called and said that he wanted it and asked if I'd take $625 for it. So, being a kindhearted fellow, I "LET ER GO!"

As usual, I name things, animals and people, so I named it "John Boy" as the big tractor has the name of "Big John."