It seems that I have lost more things in the car I have now than I have ever lost before. I guess you could question if some of the things were actually lost. Maybe some of it relates to my age. I am just not sure what is going on.

My granddaughter and I attended a craft show where I sold my books and she sold cards and articles with personalized art. Of course, I had to have my glasses with me so that I was able to see to sign the books. When we cleaned up we were in a hurry. It was her mother’s birthday and we were celebrating.

When I unloaded the car I removed everything that was jammed into the back end. My glasses were supposed to be in my purse. They were not there. I called the sponsoring organization of the craft show to see if any glasses were turned in no luck. I called the college where it was held. No one had found them there either. The next time I went to the eye doctor I found that my prescription had not changed much. The doctor told me I could get new glasses or I did not have to. By then I had found the errant glasses buried under some of my reusable bags, not in a case mind you! That was enough to scare me though so I ordered a new pair.

The next thing lost was a small notebook that I kept in the car for taking notes. One day the grandchildren noticed something in the pocket on the door. Guess what? There was my notebook.

My cell phone was the next thing that disappeared. To say that I am not a big cell phone user is an understatement. The only ones who have my number are the children and grandchildren. I was sure it was on the seat at one point but it had completely disappeared. The grandchildren and I looked but were not able to find the phone. I ordered a new one that one did not owe me anything. It was not keeping its charge very well anyway. The only problem I had was that I did not have my old phone to be able to transfer the minutes that I had left. They gave me a hefty amount but not all of them and I was once again in business. As luck would have it several months later my grandson found my phone. It must have been stuck under one of the seats. Since I had declared it lost, I simply gave it away to a charity that collects old phones.

After this year’s fair my newest pair of glasses came up missing. I used them when I read each night before I fell asleep. I knew they were on the counter right near the door when I was cleaning things up so I suspected they had come home with me. I did not miss them until I used my purse the next time when I went out to lunch.

All of my things from the fair had been cleaned out. My grandson helped me bring everything into my house. The laundry was done. All of the containers had been emptied. I looked everywhere that I could think of to no avail. I even went back down to the fairgrounds. I had reported critter damage to my insurance company and had to meet the adjuster anyway. He took pictures of the damage and told me I would hear from the company. That trip was not successful either. My glasses were definitely not there.

I have learned through the years not to panic. Eventually I find things If I do not stress about it. It has now been a month since I have been back. I had to use some old glasses on the trip to Chautauqua Institution because I do a lot of reading there. I also used the old pair as I resumed my volunteer duties after Labor Day.

Last Sunday I took some things to give my daughter to church with me. I sent her son out to the car to get the things. When I got in I found my glasses on the seat. They had not been there before church. I rolled down the window to inquire if my grandson knew about the glasses. He told me he found them down by the bottom of the seat right next to the door. I have opened and closed that door many times since I came home from the fair. It is a wonder that they did not fall out somewhere. I am very thankful to have my glasses back. The old ones were working, but not as good as the ones with the newest prescription.

I had looked under all of the seats and there was no glass case to be seen. I am not sure where it hid for the past month, but I am so glad to have it back. I did not want to call the eye doctor once again to tell him that I needed a duplicate pair of glasses. Besides being a pain, it is also expensive. My insurance only covers the basic cost of the physical eye exam. There is no provision for the glasses themselves.

There are just too many nooks and crannies where things can get lost in this car. Things are tight. Everything is close together in that front seat, but certainly not close enough to prevent things from falling in between the seats. There was some important piece of paper that slipped between the seats recently but I was able to retrieve that. My keys have slid down between the seats and they are not retrieved easily. I know that I am lucky or should I say I know that someone was looking after me. I feel fortunate to have found all of the things that were “lost”.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, PA. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net