Saturday 3 September 2016

Losing things – an oft-repeated event

I was just reading a post from ‘a geriatric grandmother’ and sympathising with her. Her husband lost his car keys and had to wait a long time in the cold for a taxi to arrive and take him home.

 I cannot blame my husband’s propensity for losing things on advancing age. For as long as we have been married he has lost things on a regular basis, habitually not discovering the loss until after I have taken to my bed and am about to drift off to sleep. I came to dread the words, ‘Have you seen . . . ?’ I think eventually he realised this was not the way to endear himself to me so now, under the pretence of looking himself and not disturbing me, he mutters something to the effect of, ‘I don’t know where I’ve put it,’ or ‘I know I had them when I was . . . ‘ These sentences are repeated ad nauseam and at increasing volume until, heaving a dramatic sigh, I get up and join him in the search. All too often, just as I start hunting he says, ‘Oh, just found it/them’ and I stumble back to bed, mumbling ungenerous thoughts.

Our methods of searching differ vastly. Barry opens drawers and cupboards and turns over the contents so that it looks as if an industrial digger has travelled through. (On another note, if he takes an item of clothing out of a drawer and decides not to wear it, he replaces it at right angles to the rest of the clothes!) Things not contained (and so much in our house is not) are turned over and over as though they are in a giant washing machine All the drawers and doors are left wide open, ready to bite at shins and attack heads.

When I look for things I tidy as I go, frequently finding things we had forgotten we had lost. I may not find the article that has currently gone walkabout but I develop a sense of well-being and calm as some order is restored.

The worrying aspect of all this mislaying is that it is contagious and I now lose things that I have just been using. Sometimes it can be explained by being interrupted in the middle of something – the telephone, the doorbell, ‘I need a wee,’ (Frankie) or ‘You haven’t seen . . . ?’ (Barry) All too often, though, there is no rational explanation and it is a matter of chance if I discover that which is lost. I bear in mind the advice to Little Bo Peep and comfort myself that my sheep will return home with their tails behind them, tails in the shape of scissors, pens, secateurs . . .

The other day, returning from the practice nurse, who had just examined Barry’s new knee, he suddenly said, with great urgency, ‘I’ve lost my glasses.’ I was about to turn the car round when he said, ‘Oh, I’m wearing them.’ I gritted my teeth as he proceeded to offer profuse apologies. To be fair, he was wearing two pairs of glasses – sunglasses on his hat and reading glasses round his neck. Why sunglasses on his hat? They’re ready to hand in case the sun shines– if he remembers he’s got them! As for the glasses round his neck – they have a magnetic clip at the front, all ready for use.
Image result for magnetic glasses
While he is still recovering, there is less opportunity for Barry to lose things – he is increasingly mobile, though, so it won’t be long before the poltergeists reinstate themselves.

14 comments:

  1. Hi Janice - sadly I think it comes to all of us ... sadly no doubt true - 'cept there's only me! I have to put things back as soon as I can - before disaster strikes. I must start writing things down too - my memory has served me well ... but ---- the time is a-coming.

    So glad his knee is improving ... even if the Poltergeists come with it! Take care ... Hilary

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  2. Aww Hilary - I think it's more likely that you have many more things to occupy your mind now. Your blog posts reflect that :-)

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  3. As I was reading this, and was ready to complain about my guy who leaves cupboard doors open as well as drawers, he came in and said, "Did you put the milk away?" What milk? "The milk we got half an hour ago...that I left in the car." Yeah it;s happening here, too. So glad you stopped by.

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    1. It's somewhat comforting to know that others have similar experiences.

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  4. I use the same tidy as I search method! The tidying often continues after I've found the item though, i seem to get on a roll and keep going until every room is tidied. Thank goodness I only have four rooms now. Lounge, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom/laundry.

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    1. Our state of chaos definitely increased as our children left home - more space to clutter . . .

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  5. Keys, phone, keys, purse, keys...yes I have a habit of reciting as I leave the house. I am hopeless with bags and go for large pockets!

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    1. Yes, we have a mantra, too . . . it's the only way to ensure that Barry leaves the house with everything he needs.

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  6. My husband has a great habit of tidying up things that I've just got out to use...

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    1. I do that to my husband when he's cooking . . .

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  7. This sounds so familiar! When Steve searches for something, he does so in a disorganized whirlwind and thus almost never finds what he's looking for. I, on the other hand, search slowly and methodically. It does make a difference.

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  8. . . . but will they ever learn??

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  9. In our couple it's just the opposite. Ever since we are married I am loosing things and poor Riccardo plays Easter the whole year long looking for what I have lost ... again ! Mostly it's my glasses and my keys. He says I should put them always on the same place, which I do, and it's not my fault when the place changes. The worst was when I lost my slippers and Riccardo found them in the fridge. How they arrived there will be a mistery forever !
    Apparently you disappeared from my reading list, so I thought you wouldn't blog anymore !
    I looked through your previous posts, the dogs, cats and babies have grown ! Nice pictures !

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  10. It must have been a very hot day when you put your slippers in the fridge. How funny:-)

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