Lost and Found All in One Day

Lee Highway

This morning I had an appointment in Staunton, Virginia and took the serene Lee Highway.  It is normally a 45+ minute ride but I like driving through serenity with views of a tranquil rural Virginia.  And on this bright, sunny day it felt like I was driving the only car on the road.

That was until the traffic jam caused by an accident up ahead.  First a 20 minute wait with the engine off and then a forced U-turn to start over on the Interstate.   Arghhh!

Lost – Time 

Being a woman of  iron will and firm determination I got on that hated truck-dominated freeway chewing on my cheek from nervous anxiety and made it to the appointment just in time to find the doors to my destination were locked.  Arghhh!

Found –  Destination

Lost – Nobody There

A strange looking fellow dressed in raggedy clothing came up to my car and said, “Can I help you?”  Putting on a nothing-scares-me demeanor, I said,  ” I have an appointment at this place but noone is there.”

And he said:  “No, you don’t have an appointment.  We are closed.”  Turns out the scruffy fellow was the one I had an appointment with.

It is possible I had the wrong date but not likely.

Nevertheless, after some not-so-polite words with the person I was supposed to have the appointment with, I moved on.

Lost – Time and Temper

I next wanted to find Milmont Greenhouses in Stuarts Draft, VA.  I don’t have a GPS but managed to muddle my way to this bastion of millions of blooming and budding things.

 I was on a search for Cat Mint!

Cat Mint is supposedly critter proof (deer and rabbits hate it).  It is also drought resistant, blooms almost all summer, looks a lot like Lavender, and “if you can’t grow Cat Mint you should stay out of the garden.”

O.K., so I miraculously found the place!

Found – Milmont Greenhouses

But then I couldn’t find the Cat Mint.

Lost – Energy (Staggering Around a Giant Nursery)

Cat Mint is listed under Nepeta.  Who knew? 

Nepeta – Cat Mint

After wandering around the greenhouses among crowds of manic gardeners I managed to look on the good side and said to myself, “At least you are getting some Vitamin D3 with all this sunshine!”

Found – A Positive Outlook on Life

And finally there it was – the Nepeta.

Found – Nepeta (or YES – CAT MINT)

But my sunglasses managed to disappear.

Lost – Sunglasses

I thought I lost my cell phone too but it was in the car all along.

Tension does this sometimes – causes you to lose your mind.

Lost – Mind

I did find my cell phone though.  It was tucked in the creases of the passenger seat.

Found – Cell phone

It was a very strange Lost and Found kind of day.

 

 

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A Charming Dog Christmas Story

I baked more cookies yesterday.  And then it was time to rest.

Bill announced he was going out to get the mail (a mile or so down our unpaved country road).  I was about to doze off when he returned carrying a sweet faced little Beagle, and we both forgot all about the mail!  I wish I had taken a picture but the lost dog looked something like this:

Bill found him wandering the road, stopped, whistled, and the pup came right to him and wanted to be picked up.  At our house he had a  big drink of water and then we began our search for his owners.  We thought the Beagle might be a guest dog with a visiting family at our neighbor’s house.”  Not so.

We noticed the little guy had two collars, and while Bill was gently patting him, the pup suddenly began to scream.  I thought he might be injured but then realized the pain was from a flashing choke collar! I think the device was being used as a finding tool since the dog’s agonized barking was so loud it could surely be heard over some distance.

I removed both collars and he stopped crying and buried his head against my legs while I reassured him.  On the inside of one collar was the name and telephone number of the owner. We called and, yes, there were people looking for the little fella.  They came right out and the pup seemed happy to see them.  There were three big men in  neon orange garb who looked like hunters.

• Bill thinks “Ace,” as we now know him, is well loved since he came and attached to us so readily.
• I think Ace is part of a hunting pack and does not have the happiest dog’s life.

He didn’t look malnourished but there was a rash in his ears.  Mostly I hated the idea of the shock collar. Using it to find a lost dog may make some sense, but my heart went out to that poor little thing who surely did not understand.  And listening to him howl was unbearable for me.

Ace’s owner was very happy to find him and said, “You will never know how grateful I am.”  He then put Ace in a “dog box” in the back of his truck.   Bill thinks there were other dogs in the box too.  Maybe it was a pack and maybe Ace was glad to be back with them.  I hope so.  He did wag his tail when he saw his owner so that was a hopeful sign.

In the end, Ace was lost and then found, and he may have a Merry Christmas after all.

And this could be A Charming Dog Christmas Story.

But I am not so sure about that.

What do you think?

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