leaf pile Tag | The Ring Finders

A not so happy ring return to end a year of many quagmires. Bryant had known his wedding band did not fit his finger as it should. It is a downfall of Tungsten Carbide as a ring material is that it can not be resized. As so it remained on his finger until this years fallen leaf removal had to been accomplished. A friend offered to show off his new leaf vacuum and “pick up” the pile of leaves and take them to a dump.

Unfortunately, Bryant did not realize his band had slipped off his finger before the leaves had been removed form his yard. A visual search of the yard did not help. Bryant knew his access to a utility pipe locator might find the ring in the pile of leaves. No it did not. It was a non-ferrous metal detector for locating iron. Next a purchase and use of a low end metal detector did not locate the ring either. It was time to ask for help from J&E Enterprises, a local metal detector dealer. The owner, Eleanor, gave Bryant my phone number.

Bryant’s call gave me the necessary information for a search which was set for that afternoon. A two hour search in rain and fading light, even with one of my best detectors, I did not find the ring. A few pull tabs, aluminum and pieces of wire, but no ring. It got too dark to see targets in the leaf pile. I went home with no good news for Bryant.

Arrangements were made to search Bryant’s yard in two days. The next day I could not get it out of my mind that I could not find a few targets the night before. Now the sun was out, but the temperature was below freezing and I had to go and give the leaf pile another search. And I did search the ice encrusted leaves. In doing so I found two of the targets I could not locate in the dark the night before. Bitter sweetness came over me as I knew I had found two pieces of Bryant’s ring. The ring had been shattered by the impeller blade of the leaf vacuum.

I could not detect any more, my fingers too cold to hold my detecting gear, let alone pick up another small piece of the ring.

Bryant met me after work to offer his thanks for putting an end to the search. A closure of a sort. I offered to return for another search after the ice and the next day’s forecast of a foot of snow had melted away. On the light side the return of the parts was a better ending to our searching than if I had searched Bryant’s yard, finding nothing and leaving Bryant with no closure.

We parted with hopes of 2021 being a much better year for everyone.