What is That Strange White Woman Doing Now?

OK no one actually said those words to me on Friday, but there's no way my neighbors weren't thinking it.

See I decided to take my dog out to walk around the block a couple of times when I got home from the gym and from work. Since I was staying in view of the house, I just locked the outside door (a wrought iron door with a screen) using my single spare key and dropped it into the pouch on the inside of my shorts.

About 2/3's of the way around the block, I felt for the key. No key. Shook out the pocket. Nothing. Wiggled the running shorts around. Nada.

So for the next hour I walked in circles around the median park in the middle of the street, bent over and staring at the ground and hoping to catch sight of a glint of metal. On the 3rd time around, I put the very bored dog in the backyard. At least 4 neighbors asked if I was ok and where my dog was.

It was great to know they were watching and were concerned about me. It was embarassing to admit what a dingbat I was.

And lest you worry, I didn't find the key in the street and had to force open a window to the laundry porch to retrieve another spare key that is no longer hanging within reach of that window. (this is not good news, security-wise). A little while later, I discovered the missing key lodged inside the elastic lining of my running shorts.