Summer of 2019, remember that? People came to visit and we got together to enjoy one another? It was during that time when my good friend Hattie had both of her adult children home for one such visit. I like to leave families alone at times when they can get together so they aren’t distracted by the eccentric ladies down the street.

Rosemary and I had returned home from errands, to realize that we had left the house key on the key hook on the other side of the now-locked door. We believe in safety, so all of our windows were secured. There could be no climbing through.

I called Hattie and asked if she had a spare key for our house. She didn’t. (We’ve since remedied that.) She sent her son Tim down, because he’s big and could break a window if necessary. His sister Lynn came along because we hadn’t seen each other in a long while and let’s face it, Jo and Ro being locked out of their house had all the elements of a comedy in the making.

I left a message with a local locksmith to come over as soon as possible.

I talked Rosemary into grabbing the hatchet and trying to smash the door lock. She had taken a few tentative smacks but her heart and head weren’t in it.

Tim checked all of the windows. He checked any other door that might have been left unlocked. Nothing. I wanted him to lay into the full-length window in one of the doors so we could reach through and unlock the darned thing. He wasn’t keen on smashing a large window with a hatchet.

Lynn picked up a paint scraper in the garage and asked to try something. She deftly slid that scraper between the door and the door jam, jiggledy-jiggled it, and the door opened. Not so much as a scrape of the paint.

See, a younger person who has moved a few times and has perhaps locked herself out of her home a few times, has the experience and know how to open a locked door without the expense of a locksmith, or a new door after damaging the locked one.

I loved that both “kids” giggled at and with us. The age gap was genuinely and enjoyably apparent. It was a treat to see both Tim and Lynn. They were able to help us out of a tough spot and treated us as though we were still worthy of their respect.

And yes, we have since put a spare key outside of our house, just in case. And it isn’t in one of those fake rocks, but please, don’t disturb the flower pot right by the door on the left …