As we were getting ready to walk the three dogs on Christmas Eve, I announced to my two adult kids that I wasn't bringing a key. My son said he would bring his. As we left through the laundry room door, I turned the knob on the doorknob. My son came out after me, pulled the door shut, and then realized he didn't have his key, just a wallet and a phone.

It was his fault. It was my fault. We walked the dogs and then tried to get inside the house.

"I have a couple of broken latches," I said.

But I'd forgotten that I'd put wooden rods in the tracks. No luck. We checked every single window. They were all locked.

"Nobody's breaking into this house!" my son said.

I didn't have my glasses. The I saw the neighbors leaving for Grandmas, three little girls in velvet dresses. I asked them if they would crawl though the doggie door to let us in. The middle duaghter didn't fit. The youngest daughter tried while her mom looked on. She got inside, but then she was afraid. We were holdiing onto the dogs so the house was empty, and strange.

"I don't want to!" she said.

"Aw, she's scared," I said. "That's okay. thanks for trying."

The family left for their Grandma's house, and I turned to my own kids.

"Would one of you find a locksmith and call to see if they are working today?"

The first locksmith didn't answer. The second locksmith picked up.

"Its $200.00," my daughter said. "They'll be here in twenty minutes."

We were lucky. It was 12:30.  At least they were still working.

Another good thing was we had a sunny day. And my Prius was unlocked. I tried to start it, but it wouldn't.  I was hoping I'd left a key in the car.

The two guys arrived pronto and I wished them a Merry Christmas. Then I explained that the front door was sticking, and that they could try the deadbolt in the garage (the side door to the garage was not latching so we were able to get inside the garage).

The first guy couldn't get it open. The second guy couldn't get it open. The dogs were barking inside (they went through the doggie door).

"Pepper is the black dog," I said. "Just say her name."

"Oh, we're not meeting any dogs today," the second guy said.

Then the first guy asked if there was another door he could try. I led him to the laundry room.

"The big dog is named Pepper," I said. "Just say her name, and don't reach your hand over her head," I said. "Offer it up from under."

"How about I keep them in my pockets?" he said.

The dogs came flying around the corner. I greeted Pepper, and the man stood still until she left. Then he pulled out some oval-shaped plastic pieces and slipped one up the door near the hinges. With a quick snap, he popped the lock, and yelled to the second guy, "We're in."

I asked him about the plastic, and he said it was cut from an apple juice container.

"But don't think there's no skill involved," he said. "One woman was mad she paid me $150 to open her door . . . I mean the regular price since it wasn't a holiday . . .   So, I relocked the door, gave her the plastic, and she couldn't do it!"

"Thanks for working today," I said.

Coudda Wouldda Didda

I will get a key made and will hide a key.