Despite garyomaha's observation that it was so hot in Portland yesterday that someone was clearly looking for a tank top, the true culprit behind the toilet gnomes' theft of my toilet tank lid has been flushed out.

The case unrolled when I talked to my Dad. As it happens, I've been having some work done here at Nuevo Rancho Lake (not in my upstairs bathroom) by his usual handyman. Dad had asked the handyman to replace the upstairs toilet without mentioning this to me in advance. This resulted in the handyman taking the lid off for some handyman reason, then realizing he didn't have all the required parts for a new toilet on hand. However, by then he'd put the lid in his truck, and simply forgot.

All in all, far less mysterious than some of the more baroque theories advanced in my comments section. Though I still suspect csinman of being involved somehow. (calendula_witch is in the clear because I know how heavy her luggage was when she left yesterday.)

Originally published at jlake.com.