Friday evening I was working in the garage when my 11 year old asked if she could walk the dog and get the mail. Our mailbox is down the street a ways and requires a key, which doesn't come out unless the door is locked. I gave her my keys and she and my 8 year old walked down and got the mail. They came back and I didn't think anything about my keys for a while. My son went to the neighbor's house and my daughter rode off to her friend's house. I hadn't heard from her so I decided to drive down there and check on her. I didn't have my keys, they weren't on the table with the mail either. I went next door and my son said my daughter had them. So I went back in the house for my spare key, drove down to where my daughter was to hear her tell me my son had them. I had her come home, got my son from next door, while we're standing outside talking about what he did with my keys someone had hit the panic button on the remote causing my horn to blare. Needless to say we looked everywhere for those keys. I had to rekey the house, luckily all I had to do was pull the cores and take them to Home Depot, they rekeyed them for free. I called a locksmith but couldn't get my truck rekeyed until Monday so we took my truck to the in-laws for the weekend since it won't fit in the garage. Monday I had a locksmith come out to the house and rekey my door and ignition. I called Monte on Friday to find out about having it rekeyed and getting a replacement remote recoded. He told me to bring it out and he'd take care of the remote since he had a couple in his desk that would work.

Lessons learned:

1. Remove mailbox key from main keyring
2. Cost of new keys and lock for mailbox $11
3. Cost of new trailer hitch and boat lock $25
4. Cost to have locksmith rekey ignition and door $150
5. Cost of new remotes unknown (probably over $100)
6. Meeting folks like Monte Coon on the TFF... Priceless

Monte, I can't thank you enough for helping me out.

I'm glad it worked out for you.

I guess you can say it worked out for him, porrly are first but in the end it worked out!!

Good stuff Monte

Kingfisher, At times like this, just remember that in about 10 years you and your wife can say, "grandkids are the reward we get for not killing our kids".

Please tell me it will be more than 10 years!!

I remember my uncle telling me when I was about 12 years old that he couldn�t wait till one day when I had kids so I could get paid back for every thing I put my mother through. Now I know what he meant by that.

Me too, my son is my twin 27 years later.

Yep, I think we all have the Mother's curse on us. My mom looked at me when my daughter was born and said, "I hope she puts you through all the carp that you and your brother put me through. Sigh. That's why I keep such a tight rope on my daughter."

They say as you get older the more and more you become like your father. I guess my dad wasn't the doofus that I thought he was when I was a teenager.

For Monte :

Great story!!! Although not suprised that Monte came through again!