Deja Vu All Over Again!!
Many of you know that I have pulled off some epic April Fool’s Pranks on my birthday. This is not one of them, this is a true story!
Joe contacted me 2 weeks ago. He thought that he lost his ring in his yard while raking leaves in the fall. He said that this isn’t the 1st time he has lost his ring. It is the 5th time and I found it for him several years ago. That time he also lost it while doing yard work.
He said he would be home on Friday & I had some free time, so I headed over. The last time I found it within 10 minutes. I noticed that the yard has changed. The back yard has a metal fence, not good. Plus, there is a large garden in the middle of the yard that also has a metal fence around it.
Joe stated that he bought a $150 metal detector. He has been trying to look for it, but the machine is always beeping. So he thought it was time to reach out again.
Joe showed me what he was doing that fateful day. He was raking leaves & dumping them in multiple locations. I started searching in the areas that he thought that he lost it. All of those spots were near the fences. I brought multiple machines and lowered the sensitivity really low, but the fences are just to overpowering to my metal detectors.
I moved to other areas of the yard. I searched out front where he said he piled the leaves for the township. I was hoping that the leaf machine didn’t get his platinum wedding band. After 2.5 hours of searching I had to leave, I had another appointment.
Our schedules wouldn’t line up till 1 week later on April Fool’s Day. After leaving work at 8:30 am and getting my equipment. I called Joe to make sure we were still on. He said that he completely forgot. He had made an 11am appointment to get a newer car. He said that I could come over to look even if he wasn’t there. I told him that I would be there in 20 minutes.
Joe was out back moving some of the tomato cages out of the way in hopes that he lost it in the garden while he was dumping leaves. I did a quick search and I couldn’t get close to the edges because of the fence. It wasn’t in the rest of the garden.
I only had a small area in the back yard that I didn’t finish the last time that I was here. So I detected that. No ring. I got another machine with a 3-inch coil to try to get closer to the fences. No luck. I’m getting frustrated and getting ready to give up. I really wanted to find this ring, AGAIN. Joe would be my 1st repeat customer and 1st successful repeat customer.
I saw a rake in the garden and decided to rake all around the fence at the garden, both inside and out. I did it twice. The second time around I was down to the dirt. I moved some more dirt & leaves and there was a platinum ring right up against the fence.
I took a few pictures and went to the house to show Joe. He couldn’t believe it. He was so excited; his expression was better than the first time that I had found his ring. He asked if he could hug me. We hugged. He said that his wife isn’t going to believe this. I suggested that he puts the ring on a chain or gets a replacement that fits. He said that he would look into it. I also told him that I had a good feeling about finding it today since it is my birthday.
He now has my magnetic business card on his refrigerator for next time. I said it better be for a referral.
If you lose a metal item, call a professional. It takes a lot of time to learn what a metal detector is telling you. Most people think that you can just turn on a metal detector and go. You need to be able to know how to adjust the detector to different types of minerals in the soil and different metals. Save time & money and call your local Ring Finder!!
The overwhelming satisfaction with returning a cherished lost item to someone is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. For me the thrill of enjoying my hobby, getting a little exercise and helping strangers at the same time is very fulfilling! Once I find their item, it is as if we were long lost friends as they are so grateful and relieved at the same time.
