The Special Gift From MARY

A lady I met at the beach when we had our place in SC has been my friend since we first met in the pool. It has been many years and we developed something special that has continued. Mary lives in Canada. Every year she and her husband and other family members would travel to the campground and reside in rental units for many of the winter months. Those were grand times!

Sharing is something we have in common. Sharing projects, creations, talents, and thoughts were common and still are! I'm not going to elaborate here but just want you to know how talented this wonderful friend is. She's a knitter, a jewelry maker, and so much more, including nursing skilled. 

I just received another pair of her special slippers! They were mailed to me (airmail!) on December 17, 2020 and I just received them January 21, 2021. The coincidental part is that I was wearing my maroon fleece trousers when they arrived and there was maroon yarn in the pattern. She had asked me earlier what colors I would like when she made another pair (5th!) for me and I suggested red or brown. She had contacted me again to say her supply of red was not going to be enough but she had an idea of how to fix that predicament.

Oh! how good they feel! My older pairs of two brown, one blue, one yellow still have life left and are worn daily. Now I'll be sporting these. I have to ask her what type of yarn she uses because they last like iron! They surround my feet with warmth, unselfish love and art!

Please tap on image to view larger

 

Phentex Yarn is a synthetic yarn made from olefin fiber. It's made to be long-lasting and well-worn, making it a popular choice for big projects and apparel that's meant to last.

Olefin fiber is a synthetic fiber made from a polyolefin, such as polypropylene or polyethylene. It is used in wallpaper, carpeting, ropes, and vehicle interiors. Olefin's advantages are its strength, colorfastness and comfort, its resistance to staining, mildew, abrasion, and sunlight, and its good bulk and cover.

Link to Video of pattern demonstration: slippers

Another link to Video of pattern demonstration: slippers

(please read comment BELOW from my Mary!)

Threes

They say good things come in threes. Today it happened. A box from friends in HI with frozen specialty foods was delivered via UPS this afternoon. The snail mail delivery person stuffed a book-sized box that was full of homemade cookies and candy from a dear friend in PA in the mailbox. Every year this friend also makes gifts of little angels and items that are unusual. I treasure these very much. Another sweet lady supported her local business and purchased goods that have significant meaning for us. That package came with a nice card and is a lovely and useful gift. Several other beautiful cards arrived, all with notes. The Christmas and holiday cheer surrounds us here. 

I had fun with the dry ice. Mike Stevens, our local WNEP News journalist who puts together slide shows among other wonderful efforts to entertain us once said, "We are products of our childhood."  How true!

The snow is coming down at high speed as I write this. Tomorrow we'll see if the Mister can use the blower to open the driveway. If not, our lawn and yard man is ready to help out. (The cold air is a problem for the Mister as it makes him cough, due to his lung disease.) The plows will plow us in for sure! We have all we need and are prepared very well as far as food and shelter are considered. Not everyone is. 

Here is a sample of what we expect to see tomorrow morning. The forecast says 18" to 24"! It should be finished falling around 10am. 

(These are last year photos, not nearly 18-24")

please click on image to view larger

 

The Card Saver

Yes, I save greeting cards, and some invitations, thank you notes and letters from special friends.

Today I tore apart the box I keep these in and reorganized the collection. It took me ALL morning. I can't remember when I started saving these and it has not been very long, except for the thank you notes - I have always saved them.

I divided them into sections in a file box. Some categories are: "Friends," Thank You's," then one for each of my living offspring, "Close Relatives," "Wedding, shower, and birth notifications."

After I'm gone I hope someone will enjoy seeing these beautiful and very decorative and/or simple cards that friends and family have sent. There is something very special when the time is taken to buy or make a missal, sit down and sign it, sometimes with a nice note, and address the envelope and get it to the mailbox. If someone doesn't look at them in years later, well at least I had a wonderful time this morning reviewing and enjoying the thoughts of them all! PLUS, some are either too pretty or too funny or too inspirational to throw away. I couldn't do it.

by Tyler Spangler

Mundane Occurrences

I forgot to expect the unexpected! I should have remembered.  First, a favorite newsletter arrived in the mail all chewed up. I enjoy reading this publication and was irritated. Thank goodness I have a friend who can obtain and send me another. 

Next, while preparing lunch, I kept hearing a drip! Drip! It was raining hard outdoors and I thought, but sure hoped not, that we had a leaky roof. Upon further listening I realized the soft sound was coming from under the kitchen sink. Yep! the old drain trap - you know, the one that is "J" shaped, was leaking. The good thing is that I keep some cleaning supplies under there and in plastic tubs. The water was halfway up and some items were floating - in a tub! Mess cleaned up. Call the plumber! Call the plumber! I'll never be able to drain the boiling water from my spaghetti tonight. (He may come later or there will have to be a change in supper plans.)

Plumber Update: It took him only 1/2 hour to repair! Spaghetti for supper after all.

And, how did the spider build this web so fast? It wasn't there a couple of days ago. It wasn't. I think it wasn't. Well...maybe it was. 

If you care to see the image stuff please click on an image. I'll understand if you don't.