A key lesson learned

[northumbrian_k]

Relaxing in our enclosed garden with the dog I hear my wife mutter something before slamming the french door. A few minutes later I get up to go into the house only to find that she has not just closed the door but locked it and gone off with my keys. So we are trapped in the garden, me wearing a tee-shirt and trousers and with just socks on my feet. Is she still in the house? Extensive knocking suggests not so we sit down to wait on a fortunately warmish and dry August day. About 20 minutes later she reappears. I assumed that you had taken the dog out says she, so I went out to look for you. Oh really, with my shoes on the kitchen floor, the collar and lead on the bench, the door ajar and my keys in the lock. Why not take 2 extra steps and actually look for us rather than just assume? She just looks blank and tells me it is my fault. Of course it is dear, says I ... not really, as my patience had worn thin, but that is what I aspired to say.

A lesson learned - always put keys in pocket when going outside the house.

 

[cobden28]

I always keep my bundle of house keys on my person, ie in my jeans pocket, or if I'm wearing a skirt with no pockets then the bundle of house keys is worn round my neck .

 

[Tin]

I have one house key on a long shoe lace around my neck - 24 hours. Spare key hidden under a rock somewhere in the garden and recently I have removed the safety chain from the front door. Mum has locked me out so many times. She stands on the inside of the door telling me repeatedly to come in and I stand outside saying, I can't you have locked the door! What fun, learning on the job.

 

[karaokePete]

At least your OH's lock the doors. Mine just wanders out without keys and without even closing the front door, never mind locking it!!!!!

However, like the OP - it's always my fault.

 

[Casbow]

Hi there. I got shut out 3 times. Ended up with door keys on my car key ring, A key safe down one side way. Back and front door keys in the garage and also a key hidden under a stone that I could never find.!! Still managed to ruin a waterproof jacket trying to squeeze through the side gate that I couldn't open as it was barricaded with 2 bikes and a barbeque to stop him getting out. What joy. xx

 

[northumbrian_k]

Going back before my wife had dementia I had an incident on a cold day that should have taught me to be more careful. It started with her 'losing' her keys so that I had to change the locks on the front door. But in doing so I managed to close the door with the keys inside and my wife out shopping. The keys were lying on the floor and visible through the letterbox. After foraging around the back streets I had enough material to make a 'fishing rod' which, with several modifications, finally enabled me to pull the keys out through the letterbox. Not one neighbour came out to see what I was up to or offer a warming drink during my 2 hour fishing session.

And the lost keys? They turned up in my wife's bag. An amusing precursor to what has become an almost daily search for her keys - in her purse, makeup bag, and finally the zipped compartment of her handbag where they nearly always live!

 

[Clunchman]

Going back before my wife had dementia I had an incident on a cold day that should have taught me to be more careful. It started with her 'losing' her keys so that I had to change the locks on the front door. But in doing so I managed to close the door with the keys inside and my wife out shopping. The keys were lying on the floor and visible through the letterbox. After foraging around the back streets I had enough material to make a 'fishing rod' which, with several modifications, finally enabled me to pull the keys out through the letterbox. Not one neighbour came out to see what I was up to or offer a warming drink during my 2 hour fishing session.

And the lost keys? They turned up in my wife's bag. An amusing precursor to what has become an almost daily search for her keys - in her purse, makeup bag, and finally the zipped compartment of her handbag where they nearly always live!

Your neighbours sound like mine. There used to be Neighbourhood Watch around here. Certainly true. Three times they watched attempts to steal my wife's car without 'phoning the police or even shouting out.!

 

[Philbo]

I have one house key on a long shoe lace around my neck - 24 hours. Spare key hidden under a rock somewhere in the garden and recently I have removed the safety chain from the front door. Mum has locked me out so many times. She stands on the inside of the door telling me repeatedly to come in and I stand outside saying, I can't you have locked the door! What fun, learning on the job.

We have a key safe round the side of the house, with keys for the front door (inner and outer), but like Tin, my wife decided the other day to put the chain on the inner door, whilst I was out the front! I've now removed it (managed eventually to get her to unchain it [there's a song there somewhere]) so now I've just got to see if I can disable the latch mechanism on the Yale lock (has a habit of putting the catch on too).

 

[karaokePete]

Going back before my wife had dementia I had an incident on a cold day that should have taught me to be more careful. It started with her 'losing' her keys so that I had to change the locks on the front door. But in doing so I managed to close the door with the keys inside and my wife out shopping. The keys were lying on the floor and visible through the letterbox. After foraging around the back streets I had enough material to make a 'fishing rod' which, with several modifications, finally enabled me to pull the keys out through the letterbox. Not one neighbour came out to see what I was up to or offer a warming drink during my 2 hour fishing session.

And the lost keys? They turned up in my wife's bag. An amusing precursor to what has become an almost daily search for her keys - in her purse, makeup bag, and finally the zipped compartment of her handbag where they nearly always live!

I've hung a key ring on such a zip in the hope that that will help my wife find the keys in her bag as she can dig around for an age without finding what is there all along. Time will tell if my cunning plan works!

 

[Mimi5]

I got to MIL today and the security chain was on the front door! This is the second time in recent months, but we do have a key safe with front & backdoor keys in So ok to get in.

I think first chance we get I'll remove the chain though

 

[PalSal]

We have a sliding door to the garden which has no key. It locks from the inside by pushing the handle down into lock position. My OH locked me out in the garden a number of times..... But he struggles with that door and getting the position right (I have a sign on the door about the positions for opening and closing) He managed to break it and I had to have it repaired it cost 1250 CHF to replace it all.
Luckily, my household insurance picked up the costs but 200 CHF.

Keys....hide and seek. My OH misplaced his keys constantly for 15 years....we got him a lanyard for hanging on his neck. It was bright blue material. After a while he became obsessed with hanging more things off this lanyard and it go heavy. then he wrapped it up in a tight ball so he could no longer hang it around his neck, still attached to other heavy bits he would find around and then he began wrapping andtying bits of string to this lump. All these things were suppose to help him remember his keys.
Finally just before our Italian vacation he lost the keys once and for all. I went to the Police, and to the lost and found for the area which is in another village , registered the keys as lost. Went back over his activities, but the keys are gone.

I am not giving him keys anymore.

He has replaced the key fettish with an eye glasses case which he now losses multiple times each day. He hangs it with stuff and puts stuff in it which he finds....skrews and bits of metal ....God knows. It is becoming a big lump in his pocket.

Perhaps some of you remember the OMEGA watch story. He lost his watch and I went everywhere trying to find it and posted signs at the grocery and the coffee shop, to the police, geimeinde and lost and found. In the end, I got him a new watch. Not an OMEGA. Six months later I was cleaning the laundry room and found the OMEGA in the rag box at the very bottom. Yeppee.