I received a message from Tamy saying she had lost the wedding ring she had worn for 43 years while doing yard work.
The first question I asked was how confident she was that it was actually in the yard. She replied “60 to 70%”
Being that we are practically neighbors, I made the short drive to her home the next morning. Tamy and I walked through the events leading up to the loss. She said she had placed both her rings in her pants pocket, along with her cell phone. She filled two containers with birdseed and walked through the yard to fill the bird feeders in an area below the lawn. She then walked back into the yard, doing a couple of small chores as she went. During her time in the yard, she had taken her phone out of her pocket, but wasn’t sure where that had been. We agreed on the most likely locations to search. She went inside to work, and I began a systematic search of the thick lawn and bordering plants.
I was about a hour and an half into it, only hitting targets much too deep to be a freshly dropped ring. I began thinking I was taking the wrong approach.
About then, Tamy came out with her two beautiful shepherds to check in. I told her I thought it was unlikely she had dropped her ring in the area I had been searching since her hands were full and she wouldn’t have been using the phone. She recalled talking with her sister on the phone after filling the bird feeders, while walking through the yard and past a particular landscape feature.
I decided to focus on the area of yard between the bird feeders and the afore mentioned feature. Soon after I started, Riker the shepherd came over to help. (Actually he was bringing sticks to try and get me to play) A short time later, I hit a faint but promising sounding signal in the grass. I couldn’t see anything, so I used my pinpointer, I located the target, moved the thick, green grass, and there it was.
Tamy was in the house, so I sent her a message asking if she could come get the dogs.
She came out and I told her “I’m 100% sure the ring is not in the yard.” She looked disappointed until I held up her ring and said, “Because it’s right here.”
It took her a second to realize she had her ring back, followed by a series of “Oh my gods”, then a big hug.
We walked back into the yard so I could show her where I had found it, and she told me the amazing story husbands proposal and the history of the ring.
It’s always awesome to help someone find something so special. I also got to meet a neighbor and make a new friend.
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