My Home = Lost and Found

It's nice to have a home where others feel comfortable enough to swing by and hang out.

Watch some TV. Have a drink. Play Wii. Eat dinner.

Lately, I have noticed that when my friends depart, however, they have been leaving their stuff here.

• Umbrellas (multiple people)
  
• Nintendo Game Cube (Kevin)
• Chicken broth, apples, and an onion (Jamen)
• Board games (Jamen)
• Folding chairs (Chris)
• Travel mugs for roadies (Doug)
• Spare change (Ryan)
  

Now these aren't leftovers. Leftovers are meant to be consumed by the host and/or distributed in containers to the guests.

These are items that were meant to be claimed upon departure, yet were not.

Kind of like a Lost and Found.

I thanked Kevin for his gift of an older Nintendo game system, to which he laughed and said that it was a leave-behind so he gets invited back. Strange. I thought it was a present for me.

I think Doug can do without the travel mug. He's left it here multiple times.

Jamen's ingredients were left over from the turkey on Thursday. He probably doesn't want them, but will likely be over when I use them to prepare another meal.

Umbrellas are hot commodities, but I don't need many. I usually return those to their respective owners.

Spare change, if unclaimed by bedtime, goes into the change pot.

And Chris' folding chairs. they were helpful for Thanksgiving dinner. Since then, however, they have been in the way. I think he wants them back. Just not "that badly." Maybe I'll leave them on the deck for now.

I usually utilize leave behinds.

I'm staring at a beach towel right now that a childhood friend left at my parents' house during a pool party. I don't remember the kid, but I sure remember the towel. I use it to dry Rosie after walks in the rain.