Forgetfulness leads to rude awakenings

Sunday night at our cabin I managed to go to sleep reasonably soon and was dreaming.  Suddenly, I was bolt awake.  Did I put away "the saw"?

"The saw" is a nice, sharp pruning draw saw that our son gave me one Christmas.  It also has a nice thick leather scabbard that one can strap to the leg.  It is the middle way between nippers and a chain saw.  My wife and I have both left it out overnight or longer.

I looked in the corner where we usually keep it.  I no see the saw:(  Nippers, yes, but no saw.

I put on a rain jacket and rubber boots.  Of course it's raining when something gets left out.  I took a flashlight and looked at several likely spots, including the cart by chipper where I had last used it.  I came back discouraged.

By now my wife was fully awake and suggested I use a big flashlight from our car.  She also said that I didn't have it in my hand when I greeted Kevin.  Kevin plows our drive in the winter, does heavy equipment work for us, and has cut down some really big trees.  The current job is replacing a rusty culvert along the road.

Now memories of the day came back.  I was just finishing up with the chipper when I heard a heavy truck maneuvering on the road.  I picked up my saw and went down the path.  As I got to our parking area I saw a dump truck backing down the driveway.  Why is Kevin bringing us gravel now?  Kevin stepped down from the truck and greeted me.  I greeted him back and we shook hands; I remembered taking off my glove.  He said he came for his Lo-Boy to move a skidder for another job.

We chatted about a few things, looked at the work he had done and he told me what he still planned to do.  We discussed a few other odds and ends.  He hooked up his trailer and left.  My wife and I went on about our evening.

With these thoughts in my head I went out again in the drizzle.  I got the big flashlight out of the back of the SUV and started walking toward the chipper.  Oh, wait!  If I was walking toward the backing truck with the saw in my hand, could I have put it down on the hood of the SUV?  I turned around and went to the front of the SUV.  Sure enough, there it was on the hood with a soaked scabbard.

When I got back in the cabin I pulled out the saw and found that it was still reasonably dry.  I set it aside and hung up the scabbard to dry.  With a few kicks to my own butt, I was able to get back to sleep soon enough.

The story doesn't end there.  The next day I noticed a chewed place on the scabbard.  It might have been chewed before and I hadn't noticed.  More likely a squirrel hopped up on the hood and had a small feast of protein.

Hey, Darryl!  Despite our careless handling of your gift, we really do appreciate it.