Sunday, June 10, 2001

I locked myself out of the house today.

It's the new door, and the new lock on the new door. We wanted one so that we could simply lock it from the inside and then step out and close it without needing the key. Well...you risk locking yourself out that way. (Heh!)

I'd gone for a bike ride, to the beach and back, and was setting up the sprinkler on the front lawn. I was out there a good while and finally decided the water was covering enough green so that I could go in. But much to my dismay...I couldn't!

The deadbolt isn't in yet, though...so only newspaper was filling that space for the time being. I thought: "If only I could reach in and unlock the damn door..."

I tried, and I could barely get four fingers through. But Daisy-cat came by (our house is a split-level, so the second level is about even with the doorknob), and she could easily slip two paws through. I tried coaxing her to get my keys, but she wasn't understanding. (The keys were right there, too.)

I tried a basement window--but it was locked. I tried to pop off the screen to the dining room, but that window, too, was locked. (I was hoping I could just slide it open.) And I even tried breaking in through the back door using a hoe. (Hey...it would have been a very uneventful afternoon if I didn't get in at all, right?)

I thought: If only a little kid could come to my rescue. I considered my nephew a few towns away. And then I paged Joe, who was at work. He called me back and suggested I unscrew the screen to the living room--one level up--and lift myself in. But I'd need a screwdriver, which was in the garage, which was locked. Unless I borrowed one from the neighbors.

Oh God, how embarrassing! The neighbors!

I called my sister-in-law to see if my nephew had any plans.

Alas, waiting and waiting was driving me nuts...so I finally decided to ask for help--from the neighbors.

I went across the street, where I knew little-girl Amanda lived. But much to my pleasant surprise, Amanda's cousin Justin was there visiting. He had just the skinny arms needed for the job at hand.

So Justin, Amanda and their moms escorted me across the street. I explained to Justin, who couldn't be more than 5, what he needed to do to unlock the door for me. And in less than 60 seconds, I was in!

Keep in mind--it's a new door. Only Joe and I have the keys. (My parents have a spare key to the OLD door, which is pretty much useless now.) And Joe doesn't get home till 12:30 A.M. on a good night.

I was tremendously grateful for Justin's efforts, and I tried to express that by way of ice cream. Only the options in our freezer were limited. Apparently, Justin's picky. Of two kinds of pops and three kinds of ice cream by the half-gallon, none of the options appealed to him.

So off to Friendly's I went to repay my hero of the day. Vanilla was his flavor of choice.

I'd have broken a window by now--or still be jamming the hoe in the back door--if it wasn't for Justin. Do you have any idea how grateful I am right now?

Quote Of The Day:

"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer." -- Denis Waitley

Background Music:

"Thank You "
--Dido

Today's High:

Vegging at the beach.

Today's Low:

Well, after reading this entry, what do you think?

Top Five Things
I'm grateful for today:

1) Justin's skinny arms

2) A house that is so close to the beach

3) A precious kitty cat that needs to learn how to open the front door

4) Beautiful, 80-plus degree weather

5) Butterflies, as I saw bunches of 'em today

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