While the plumbers were excavating the septic tank in the front yard, they heard a commotion and got my attention.

They lifted the lid and there before us, a whole family of sock puppets were living inside, explaining years and years of single socks disappearing from the clothes washing machine.

An argyle sock.

Several athletic socks — knee-length, ankle-length and arch support.

Twenty-six years of my dress socks forming the extended family members.

A few of my wife’s decorative leggings were used by the sock puppets as a bed.

Two pairs of tights covered the bed to keep condensation from dripping down on the comfy puppets.

Another mystery solved!