Wednesday, May 26, 2010

~MY MORNING ON THE FRONT PORCH..AND THEN SOME.~

This morning at 7:45, Sweet Husband headed off to the hospital to see about his sore knee. He kissed me goodby (I was in bed) said he would let the dog in and left.


Since it was nearly 8 o'clock I got up and began my day by opening the front door to let in fresh air and check the front fountain for water.

Yesterday I double locked the front security door when we left to go shopping and left the front door open so Mele could look outside whilest we were gone. :)


I always leave the bottom button unlocked so I won't get locked out..and when I returned, I forgot to UNLOCK it!! You see, you can turn the knob from the INSIDE even though the door is locked...however...when you go out..and the door closes....IF you do not turn that little center thingy on the knob...YOU ARE LOCKED OUT!

See that little center thingy there? Uh huh...



And yes, you guessed it!




I went out to water one of my new hanging plants, IN MY NIGHTGOWN, the door clicked behind me.... and I got locked out!

The poor thing was drooping and all else left my feeble mind except getting that plant watered! Southern California is not great for hanging plants. They dry out FAST! But these were so pretty...



I sat on my front porch looking at my plants for FOUR hours. Our gate to the back yard is kept padlocked. Our back patio door has double..... no TRIPLE locks on it!


The door to the garage has another iron security door on it, double locked and there are another two locks on the wooden inside garage door!!





Of course I didn't have my cell phone with me, and I can't remember ANYONE'S phone number so there is no use going to a neighbor. So...I sat..and I sat...felt like crying. Tried to think of some way, ANY way to get into that house.





We have a box on the porch post with a code to open the garage door..but...I had forgotten the code as I have never had to use it in the two years I have lived in this home. I tried every combination of numbers I thought might be it...no success.



So...I sat...right there in that there chair! I finally turned the other one around and put my poor feeties up! It helped..some...




I met lots of birds who came to drink at our fountain, a Humming bird who checked out my glasses at VERY close range, lots of ants, spiders to watch. The mailman came and there I sat, in my nitie! I explained...and no my nitie was not .....it was flannel! Ok? Besides I have nothing to show off at this age. Believe me!!




I read all the mail after meeting the mailman. I neatly folded all the ad's and there were a lot of them. I picked every dead blossom off of every single plant on the entire porch!


Elaine and Jim from across the street introduced themselves to me offered me their bathroom, some coffee, sympathy and finally their company. :) I had never met them before. What NICE folks! :) They asked if I wanted to come to their house and watch television..I declined.



An "older" gray haired woman on her porch for FOUR hours in her night clothes, uncombed hair and sobbing wildly (I'm kidding on that last one) had to be a sight!



In total I met Elaine, Jim, John, Mike, a couple of stray dogs, the mailman, some ladies taking their walks and carrying big sticks (who smiled rather curiously at me but kept walking...faster!




The phone rang many times, a few times it was Sweet Husband (getting more worried with each call) and finally, FINALLY, Sweet Husband pulled into the driveway. It was NEARLY NOON!
I introduced him to our neighbors from across the street whom he had never met. Of course we all had a gab fest...until I couldn"t take it anymore and headed for the bathroom! Everyone laughed and my world was back on track! What a morning!! :)


Four hours on the front porch. You should try it some time... :) Be sure and wear clothing though...




Love and hugs,



Mona




p.s. Did I mention that I picked every single dead blossom off every single plant out there..on the porch?










26 comments:

  1. Oh, Mona. I can just see this going on. Bless your heart. But what a neat thing to meet such friendly people!
    I had something similar happen to me one time only I was not in my flannel gown. Husband was out of the country. It was very late at night. I thought about just sleeping outside but then the yardman was due early in the morning. Not good! I ended up breaking a part of the kitchen window, opening it and climbing in and then falling into the sink! I had to stand on a folding chair to get into the kitchen window. I was laughing so hard I could barely do all the climbing. Lesson learned. I hid a key outside a couple of days later.
    Life sure is full of little jokes on us!
    Hugs,
    Karen
    Ladybug Creek

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  2. Sounds like a long morning...but you kept your sense of humor!

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  3. Haha, I can sympathize with you. I once did the same thing only I caught my nightie IN the door and it locked closed! I won't tell you what I said, just use your imagination lol.

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  4. I'm sorry, but I'm laughing and smiling and laughing more, over your misfortune. You painted a wonderfully vivid picture, wait, more laughing.
    Many moons ago I did the same, but I got to wait it out in our backyard.
    I'm glad you were rescued!
    Hugs & Love,
    Laura

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  5. Why you poor thing! I don't know what I would do if I got lock out of my front door. I have no chair and nothing to look at for four hours. Now the back yard, well that would be different. I could spend four hours working out there and still not finsh!

    But, how was hubby's knee?

    Hugs,
    Joanne

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  6. Oh my goodness! The last time I got locked out I had gone home for lunch and to walk the dogs - locked us right out -- but not for four hours -- I did get a lot of raking done in my back yard though. (and thankfully I was fully clothed!)

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  7. Mona,
    That is not good :( You need to get that code memorized, but hopefully there won't be a next time. Well, my neighbors have learned that I do walk around in my nightgown to get the mail, take out the trash, etc. I wondered why their blinds are always down??? hehe
    Have a good day, dear.
    Robin

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  8. oh sweetie what an ordeal, funny in the telling though :) at least you know your neighbors now and your plants look lovely no doubt!

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  9. Oh, Mona!!

    What an adventure!! I think the only thing that would have bothered me is not having a BOOK at hand. But I'd have been dead-heading those flowers and reading the mail, cover to cover, as well.

    You poor Dearie. But the meeting with the nice neighbors and their kindness is a sweet moment in your morning, and I know that is a good memory.

    And I cannot think of a lovelier spot to be stranded than your beautiful, welcoming porch.

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  10. Oh Mona, Mona, Mona... I am laughing soooo hard at you after reading this. At least you made good use of your time and for that I am very proud of you girlfriend!!

    LOL
    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

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  11. Thank You for the giggle! I so need that these days, sorry it was at your expense! A week or so ago, I was locked out of my own house too. DD#2 finally decided to lock the door when she went to work and I was at a soccer game and hubby was not home from work yet. Did I mention hubby had my set of keys and I only had the spare for my car, with no house key!! It was chilly and rainy, so I sat in my car, although not for 4 hrs. Well, maybe you were supposed to meet some neighbors that day, lol. Your porch looks like a great day to spend an early morning!

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  12. Oh Bless your heart Mona! You need to find a place to hide a key outside...or learn that code!! Thank goodness the weather was nice and your neighbors sound very sweet.

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  13. Poor Mona, beside I must smile about your unhappy story, I feel soooo sorry for you at this four hours. I can so well imagine how you have felt. Oh, I guess, everybody has been at least once locked out of his home. That's the reason why I ALWAYS have my keys with me, what reminds sometimes to a housewife in the Jane-Austen-time with her huge keyring. But look, the world is good! Isn't that a nice experience that so many people came and tried to help you. And you had the time to look at all the birds, even a humming bird, which I have never seen in Nature. And how lucky to have such an inviting porch for that.
    Greetings, Johanna

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  14. I'm sorry you had that experience Mona! I am also glad that you had a chair to sit in and a porch! I was locked out on our patio once and had to wait for L to return from work, but it was only an hour, not four! We live in such a security conscious world these days, don't we. I always lock our front door to the apartment when I do gardening and take the key out there with me because the garden is round the side of the building, out of sight of the front door. Next thing is to be sure I don't lose the key. Where do I put it? Round my neck on a chain? in my pocket? in the flower pot? wherever I put it, I could lose it, couldn't I.
    Blessings, Star

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  15. With a porch like that I would try to get locked out every morning! It really is very lovely. Too funny.

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  16. Mona....With every word you wrote I felt like I was right there with you! I can only imagine the feeling when you turned around to go back in the house when it first locked! You have a LOT of locks on your house! I am glad you met some new neighbors and that the weather was decent! I bet you won't forget to check that lock the next time! Have a great weekend!~Hugs,Patti

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  17. Poor girl! No book, no camera, that would have been hard to bear. Now you must have a place to lay down if this ever happens again, you can just nap.

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  18. I enjoyed reading about your little 'adventure' very much. You sure know how to tell an interesting story. You found the good in an upsetting situation. Besides, your front porch looks like a really pretty place to spend some time...well, maybe not four straight hours!!!

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  19. Mona, I think I would have cried! At least you got to meet your nice neighbors. I agree, you need to hide a key outside in case this happens again.

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  20. Been there, done that with those types of locking mechanisms on the door knob. I hated them- thank goodness I only locked myself out of the house through the garage. I just waited until Mr. S got home. He didn't get my frustration until it happened to him one day. But Mr. Smarty keeps his keys in the car when he parks in the garage. So he had ready access. We now have a different brand of door knobs....
    Learn that garage door code, toots! But could you even have gotten into the house from the garage? You have too many locks! LOL
    hugs, Sue

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  21. Oh, I am so sympathetic. Last summer, Baby Bee and I were enjoying coffee and hot chocolate out on the back patio when I realized I had to go the bathroom and the doors were locked! Baby Bee had done the save exact trick you did on our French doors! No cell phone or anything. We live across the street from a school and no one was home on either side of our house. Finally, I decided we needed to find somebody and a nice man was mowing the lawn for a neighbor and he let us use his cellphone. Luckily my mom lives in our town and she hurried right over to save us. So Baby Bee and I learned our lesson that day - at least for now! Glad you survived and met your neighbors.

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  22. Oh Mona...I am laughing hysterically because I did the same thing, only I took the dog out to relieve himself one morning...as soon as the door shut behind me, I knew what I did. I even tried to coax the dog in through the doggie door to retrieve my keys. But alas, Lassie he is not. At least you got to meet your neighbors, a rarity here in SoCal.
    Nice to meet you neighbor, Patty

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  23. Oh Mona! What a way to start the day! I can only imagine how frustrated you must have been. I once left for work and locked the door behind me...my hubby was watering and I locked him out. I got half way to the office when he called me on a neighbor's cell phone. Now anytime he is outside and I leave he says "don't lock that door." He also tucked a hide-a-key in a safe place. We have the same screen door as you....and there is no way back in if you don't have a key!

    I love your hanging baskets by the way!
    Hugs,
    Dena

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  24. omgosh mona what a story i felt like i was reading a book glad it had a happy ending .And you got to meet new people love yourbaskets so colorful and your porch is lovely hope hubbys knee is ok .you have a great holiday week end and stay safe Linda:)

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  25. Linda dear...you have a safe weekend too! :)

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  26. OH MOna! I'm so sorry you locked yourself out of the house with your flannel nightie on!!! LOL!! It really is pretty funny when you read about it, although i'm sure you didn't feel like laughing when it happened to you.
    My sister used to drive the kids to school in her nightgown... until the day she hit black ice and had a car accident and had to stand in the road with the owner of the other car and the policeman in her little nighty... I don't think she ever leaves the house without getting dressed anymore. :-)

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