It takes a licking...

and keeps on ticking. That was an old advertising slogan for Timex watches, and I can vouch for its accuracy. Last month I told you about losing a watch the day after Ron gave it to me.

Yesterday, I was out with one of our dogs who was exploring a flower bed. I was keeping a close eye on him in case he deposited something I needed to pick up, when a sparkle caught my eye.

The sun was glinting on something gold and shiny. Could it be my long-lost watch?  I bent over to look more closely, and sure enough, it was! I picked it up. brushed it off, and brought it and the dog inside, where I proudly showed the watch to Ron. It was a little dirty, but still showed the correct time after being exposed to the elements for half a year. The little light even came on when I pressed the stem. I wore it proudly the next day, with a strip of electrical tape over the clasp to be sure it wouldn't go wandering again.

 But that wasn't the only watch to be lost and found. Pictured above is another watch Ron gave me. I loved it and wore it often until one day it disappeared. I searched everywhere but was unsuccessful, so I ordered another one just like it. 

About a year later, I was tidying the area around my desk. I moved a stack of saved bubble wrap next to the wastebasket and lo and behold, there was my watch! Now that was very odd, because I only take a watch off in the bedroom and store it in the dresser. What was it doing on the floor in another room? 

Fast forward a year or so. That particular watch suddenly went AWOL again. Some weeks later Ron discovered it in the drawer of a bookcase in the living room, where we store greeting cards, batteries and other miscellany. How did that watch get there? We'll never know. Perhaps it just likes to go walkabout.

Slava Ukraini
Glory to Ukraine