My trash pick up is on Tuesday mornings. The trash receptacles can be and are unruly, too heavy full and empty.
I'm in ill health and at times difficult to stand and not fall.
I had a difficult day and decided close to 4pm to bring my one bin in.
I went out my front door with my beloved senior pup, I shut the door and did not lock it.
I went out the gate and locked the gate. My pup was inside the yard, safe.
My house has a picket fence around three sides, one side has a five foot solid gate which when opened leads to a side yard. But there is a gate there, old and wooden. Both gates are unlocked.
Unknown to me a neighbor had lined up the old wooden gate to stay shut and had built up gravel, dirt and rocks along the bottom of the gate.
He meant well. I'm not upset with him.
I went out my front door door without my keys and had only a pair of lightweight sweat pants on and a long sleeved t-shirt. It was already 40 degrees. My pup had on a sweater.
The driveway is huge and there is two large RV gates which I keep locks on which are on the front of the gates. Also a narrow gate to walk through, I have a lock which is inside the gates. I keep that gate unlocked on trash days.
I struggled to walk down the driveway to pull the bin onto it and not fall.
I pulled it up and pushed it through the narrow gate. I locked the gate and did what I always do. I tried to open the side door into the garage, the door was locked. I tried to open the slider door and it was locked.
All windows were locked.
I started to panic and cried. My first thought was for my pup, he would freeze to death in the front, it has been in the 30's at night.
I did not have my cell phone it was locked in the house with my keys.
At this point I didn't have enough breath to yell for help and one neighbor's son his parents have told to keep an eye out for me, he wasn't home.
It gets dark here about 4:30.
At this point I wasn't thinking clearly, I was so very worried about my pup.
I stopped for a minute and remembered the old wooden gate in the back yard and remembered it was open a bit, I wasn't able close it entirely th the last time I was out there. This time it was completely closed. My neighbor had closed it.
I tried to open it but it wouldn't budge.
I had to get on my knees on rock and with my bare fingers try to pull out enough rock and dirt to open it. It took me 20 minutes. I crawled to a post to pull myself up. At this point I had to push the old fence and lift on the gate to get clearance to fit my body sideways through the gate,I must have half a dozen bruised on me where the gate would lock me in between the fence and gate.
There is 40 feet from the gate to the gate leading to the front. I struggled to walk it and breathe.
Once in the front I saw my pup curled up by the front door. We got into the house, it was unlocked.
This was the only time I walked out the front door without my keys and cell phone inside my pocket.
There is another thread today about what is the last thing you think about before you sleep. My last thought and prayer is always my beloved pup passes before I do. He would be so very frightened to be left alone, he's also ill and 14.
I now have to find a place to hide keys in the front and backyard.
Folks, I am alone with no family.`
I'm sorry this post is long, but it's what many of us can go through.
To give you an idea how big the property is, it's just shy of a quarter acre, it's what all the houses are in this old subdivision.
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