June 4, 2023
Chris’s love is gardening and he spends most every day engaged with some aspect of his hobby. While finishing up the spring clean-up and some planting prior to mulching the garden beds his father’s wedding band slipped from his finger. More than likely it came off when his gardening gloves were removed to answer a phone call.
Over the next two days Chris spent hours looking for his ring. Some of the time he used a metal detector loaned to him. All his efforts were to no avail. At this point Heather, his daughter, contacted me for help. Of course I would help. I packed a few land detecting tools into my car and I was on my way. I parked in front of Chris’s home which was adorned with luscious green grass and many plants in the process of being set along walking paths and others into the many garden beds. I was glad I would not have to dig to retrieve the ring after finding its location. Locating the ring proved to be no easy task. The first two days of searching turned up one of three old pewter Christmas tree ornaments that went missing many years ago, a wheat cent and a few other odds and ends, but no ring.
With another day of searching in mind, I was getting ready when I received a phone call. A wedding band had been lost on a sandy ocean beach. There is always an urgency to recover a lost item from a public area, open to all. Not that Chris’s ring was not important, but his was on his own private property where it was very unlikely anyone else would find his ring apposed to a lost ring on a public beach. I made the decision to go to the beach where I was successful in finding and returning the beach band. I would go back to Chris’s another day.
The “another day” came and so did the bad beach weather, overcast sky, and light rain; nothing that would daunt my spirit to find Chris’s ring. I pulled up to the search area as Chris was on his way out to dinner. No problem, I knew where to search. The front yard was searched first, the leaf piles next, the cut off hydrangea followed. All proved they were not aiding in concealing the elusive ring. The brick and stone edging was last on my list before I would call an end to the day’s search.
Chris’s son and his wife stopped by to say hello before leaving to meet up with his family at a nearby restaurant. Another fifteen minutes passed with no signal from the ring. On my path from the far side of a tool shed I headed to a patio where Chris did transplanting of flowers. I went close by a brick paved area and at the very corner and I heard the sound I had been listening for. A close look at the ground and there was just a few glimmers of gold. I had found the ring. It was now time to capture the ring’s hiding place in my camera. My searching was over and it was time for the return.
Chris, I knew, was at the nearby restaurant and I had no problem gaining entrance and finding the family dining party. I normally would not interrupt a family gathering, but I knew everyone would enjoy being a party to the return of the ring. And so it was, a quick return one picture and several hand shakes and it was done. With the ring returned, my goal for the day was complete. I left knowing that the subject of dinner’s conversation would be of the ring and family, not the fabulous clam chowder. Unfortunately Heather was in Europe and was not present at the ring’s return. Had it not been for her effort, the ring may have stayed “lost” for many years.
I thank everyone for their part in making this happy ending to a lost family heirloom and more great memories of my hobby.
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