So another week is upon us and I find myself wondering: what left behind items am I going to find today? Last week was epic for people forgetting stuff. We hit the Mother Lode of things forgotten. Every day we came upon some poor item left behind in one of the guest rooms.
Oh sure, we’ve found items before now, but nothing of significance. Quite a few times I find little pills on the floor or on the bathroom vanity or even in the bed. I’ve often wondered if I should call the departed guest to let them know that someone forgot to take their medicine (I’d hate for someone to have a heart attack because they failed to take their preventative pill). But then I follow that up with, “what if an extra pill just dropped out of the bottle and if I call them, they’ll panic and take an extra one and have a heart attack or something because I’ve frightened them?” It’s such a quandary.
We find granola bars and little packages of snacks and such on a regular basis. So far, the most exciting stuff has been a man’s t-shirt and a pair of lime green boxer briefs, the latter I discovered on St. Patrick’s Day – I kid you not.
But last week, last week we found some doozies. Here’s a visual list of some of the items left behind:
Original photo by P. Rickrode, May 2016
Some little girl was undoubtedly very sad to discover her cute little pink skirt missing.
Original photo by P. Rickrode, May 2016
This woman’s blouse was rather pretty and it looked quite comfortable and VERY new, like maybe even never been worn new. Alas, ’twas a size 2x, about 4 times bigger than me.
Original photo by P. Rickrode, May 2016
I got quite excited when I saw that someone had left behind a book – a sacrilege in my opinion. Despite it being a Jonathan Kellerman book (whom I have never read), I knew it would fit into my library quite nicely. Until I discovered that its previous owner was a heartless, uncaring, irresponsible book owner. Who does this to those precious pages. Mr. Kellerman slaved for hours writing them down – do NOT bend or otherwise mar his work. I’m so glad this book got left behind because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to protect it from further abuse. That’s right – I saved this book from harm!
But, I digress. Let me leave you with lovely little gem that I found hidden in the back of a bureau drawer last week:
Original photo by P. Rickrode, May 2016
Yes, that is soiled women’s undergarments. It’s hard to see the sports bra because it’s black, but rest assured, the underwear needs laundering – badly.
But wait, there’s more. There was also another really pretty, and undoubtedly very expensive (based on the silk and lace nature of the garment) negligee, which the owner did call about and ask that it be returned. This is not the first pretty nightie I have mailed to someone.
Someone also left a mini ice chest on the back porch. When I finally got the nerve to look inside I discovered a pleasant surprise – chocolate! That’s right, mini Snickers bars. Yeah, there was some other stuff too, but that all got dumped. I guess the Goodwill store will get a nice little donation of an ice chest in the near future.
There was also an unopened bottle of wine in one of the rooms. Score! Usually people leave an opened bottle with nothing but the dregs in the bottom. I thoroughly enjoyed that bottle of wine, thank you very much.
And so, as we go into this new week, I look forward to finding new and exciting treasures to add to my collection, which I keep about 2 weeks then dispose of, unless it’s wine or chocolate. I gobble that stuff up right away. Better yet would be to find nothing left behind at all. But, the best find would be a nice pair of diamond earrings! Nobody ever leaves those behind. And, if they did, I wouldn’t have the conscience to keep them. I’m that kind of girl.
The most common item left behind? Power cords for electronic devices. Usually they’re still plugged into the wall.
Have you ever left something behind in a hotel room? Have you requested that it be returned? Would you be embarrassed to discover that you’d left your dirty underwear at an inn?
Word of the Day: legerdemain
Fun fact about me: I always look under the beds when I’m cleaning rooms. That’s where the best stuff ends up.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, May 2016. Original photos by P. Rickrode. Stock photos, courtesy Google Images.
jansenschmidt 
I guess there are some unexpected bonuses to being an innkeeper…not that finding dirty underwear is a bonus, but surely that’s canceled out by chocolate and wine. 🙂 I once left my favorite dress hanging in the closet of a motel room and was lucky enough to call management before the next guest (or a dishonest maid) found it. Hubby has left many an item behind, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a few pairs of underwear have been lost along the way. And you’re right about looking under the beds – there’s always something there!
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Yeah, the dirty underwear was like – ewe. I figured nobody would call asking me to mail that to them. I understand why both ladies wanted their night gowns returned; they were really pretty and soft and silky.
The most common thing people leave behind are power cords for electronic devices. We get those all the time.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing. I’m glad you got your dress back. I once left a diamond and ruby ring sitting on the bathroom counter. I almost had a heart attack when I realized what I’d done. Fortunately we were at Disney World and our “key to the world” card was still active so he ran back to the room and swiped himself in. Sure enough, the ring was still there. Whew. That is probably the only time I have left anything in a hotel room. Thank God.
Have a great week.
Patricia
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Well, I guess you don’t have to buy power cords often.
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My husband left his pillow in a hotel once (yes, he used to take his own). No big deal, except the pillowcase matched our sheets and bedspread, and couldn’t be replaced. Kind of annoying to me! My daughter left a book once. Also annoying because it was one of mine, and I hadn’t read it yet – I bought another copy.
Whenever I manage to get to Vicksburg, I’ll be sure to “forget” some chocolate, LOL!
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I take three pillows with me when I travel, because I can’t breathe during the night if I don’t have them. I may look silly hauling them across motel lobbies, but I can’t help it.
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Dave – you can bring all 3 pillows to the Baer House when you visit. I won’t laugh or point or anything. I’ll even haul them upstairs for you.
Patricia
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You’re sweet, Patricia.
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Jennette, I have traveled with my own pillow on occasion as well. I used to put it in my suitcase, before the stupid weight limit was enacted.
And, you do not have to leave chocolate behind – just come visit. If your hubby forgets his pillow, I’ll ship it back to you. I’d be annoyed if one of my pillowcases got left behind as well. Must be a girl thing.
Take care and thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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Legerdemain describes our last experience with such a situation. When we got home from attending one of our grandsons’ graduation, one of my wife’s pantsuits was missing. I have photos of her wearing the pantsuit at the graduation, so it was definitely there. There was only one place to hang clothes, so I know I didn’t overlook it, but when we called the motel they said no one had found any such garment. Webster’s defines legerdemain as skill in performing magic tricks, and someone certainly performed a magic trick in making this garment disappear.
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I smell trickery. That’s an interesting story. Here at the Baer House there are stories of such happenings as well. Supposedly, if you believe such things, former owners of the house, now deceased, have returned to claim their booty. But, since you and your lovely Missus were not here, I cannot explain the pantsuit incident. We’ll make sure all is accounted for when you depart Vicksburg.
Thanks for sharing the story and using such a great word! Have a fantastic week.
Patricia
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Since I have a cousin living in Peachtree City, GA, we could end up with you sometime.
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