Pen Pals going, going....

not quite gone. I was talking to one of my customers (85) today when she came to mail her son a package. She also bought some stamps and said part of them were to send to her Pen Pal. I told her just last night I was thinking about her Pen Pals and wondered how long she had them and how she got them. She said she had had them since the early 70's. I said "Wow, basically as long as I have been alive". She said "my Mother took a paper back then, it was just in black and white print, no pictures. (If you said she took a paper now a days it would something different) There was an ad in there from a lady saying she could match you with Pen Pals that shared the same birthday as you, so my customer mailed in her info in. She received back a list of Pan Pals who shared the same birthday as her, some even the same year. She wrote all, didn't here back from a couple, but heard back from 5, all were from different states and 2 were even from different countries. She said in the beginning they wrote at least once a month, except around Christmas, then they would just send a note saying talk to you after Christmas. As the years went by they aged, their eye sight faded, writing became harder to do and the letters aren't quite as regular anymore. A few times now she has sent letters only to receive an obituary notice back. I asked if she had ever met any of them in person and she had. Some just once, a few she has went to visit more then once and they had also come to visit her a time or two. I could have listened to her much longer and asked more questions, but another customer came in. How cool is that to have made friends that way and to still be friends after all these years? It really is sad that such simple things in life are going to the way side. Oh the joy of receiving a hand written letter in the mail and the joy of writing one back. As the saying goes "It's been a long time since the morning mail could be considered correspondence." How many years before no one knows what a Pen Pal is?

Lucky or Unlucky?

Yesterday I stopped over to my friends Larry & Deb's to discuss something with them. Deb said to me "if it weren't for bad luck you wouldn't have any luck at all" I totally agreed with her. Today I got home from work only to find my floor wet and I knew right away that it wasn't a wet spot you could blame on the dogs. I changed my clothes and got down on the floor to drag everything out from under the kitchen sink. ( Where did I get all that stuff?)  While I was wiping up the water I bumped the garbage disposal and down it came. Really, how unlucky can I be, part of it has broke and that is why I had the water all over the floor. First lucky moment: this is an easy fix and doesn't require a plumber. Off to Menard's to get parts to fix it. We are driving in the driveway and they have their 11% rebate sign out, lucky me I get a rebate for fixing my disposal. Turns out they didn't have the parts I needed, but new ones aren't too terrible expensive and I can use my new card that earns me points. Back home to get it installed. I did swear a few times, I won't lie about that. The luckiest part of all of it: I can now say I put in my own garbage disposal in, how many other women can say that? So maybe now no matter what the situation is there is always a lucky side to it? Do you consider yourself lucky or unlucky? Maybe you don't believe in luck at all.

Postage Stamps ~ Going & Coming

Some of the stamps the USPS puts out are cool, others you wonder what they were thinking. It is interesting to see who will like which stamps when they come out. Some stamps you sell out in a matter of days and others you sit on until they go back for destruction. This coming week there are a bunch scheduled to go off sale on July 1. I only have a few of them in my office, so those are the only ones I'll be posting here. If you want to know the others you can contact me and I'll look them up for you. Two of the three I have that are going off sale I'll miss, the other I'm very happy to see go. 

 

 

 Really? How can you get rid of Rudolph? He and his other stamp buddies are so cute. I only have a few sheets of these left so I hope someone buys them, Christmas will be here before you know it. 

Johnny Cash, truly a musical legend. I sold out of him twice. The only reason I still have some left is I had another office send them over since they weren't selling them. I just sold a sheet yesterday, people will miss this stamp. Speaking of which... you can have your own Johnny Cash Postage Stamp Necklace. I still have one available in my Etsy Shop. Johnny Cash Necklace 

 

Harry Potter, sorry I'm glad to see these stamps go. I've never read the books or seen the movies, so I don't see the fascination with him. I'm guessing most people in town feel the same way because these stamps have been gathering dust since they came out. The Library in town buys them when they need them, but I don't recall anyone else buying them in sometime. I do think they are a great stamp for the library. 

Now for new stamp that is coming out June 30, 2016.......

Soda Fountain Favorites 

I love this they are so fun looking, they do make me crave Ice Cream though. Ever since the day they came in I have been wanting a Banana Split.  They are sold in sheets of 20 for $9.40. According to the description the five illustrations: are a double scoop ice cream cone, an egg cream, a banana split, a root beer float, and a hot fudge sundae. Can anyone tell me what an egg cream is? (Looks likes a drink of sorts)

If you are headed to the Post Office this week that gives you a few stamps to choose from. Maybe some of them will even inspire you to start stamp collecting.

Poison Ivy or Poison Oak or Poison Sumac

What ever it is, I have it!!! I can't believe I have gone 45 yrs and 347 days without it, why after all this time? I actually think it's because where I have it I cut myself while gathering weeds and since I had a open area I got it. Or maybe because they say our bodies change over time and now I'm always going to be allergic. I really hope not. I look at pics of all of them and go outside to find it and can't remember what the pics look like. Now I'm avoiding all weeds, the chickens aren't happy. Once this clears up I will give the weeds another try and see if it happens again.

Way back when I was in the third grade, 2 of my best friends and I went into the woods and found a big patch if it. We picked leafs and rubbed them one ourselves, we rolled in it, we just in general had a grand time of playing on it. We knew some that had a week off from school for catching it and we wanted a week off. My 2 friends, well they both got a couple weeks off from school, because they got it so bad. I didn't have a single mark on me. 

I have tried a few suggested items: Calaclear, I had to apply it every hour to keep the itching at bay. Bleach., I hate the smell to start with, but I think it made me itch more. So far Hydro cortisone with Aloe has helped the most, it will last 1/2 the day without needing to reapply. I just got some prescription steroid cream today, we'll see how that does over night. I have to admit positive thinking really helped one night. I was laying in bed and it was so itchy I couldn't sleep. I kept repeating "it doesn't itch" over and over. I started to believe it and fell asleep.

Reason for my post, I have to share my favorite "cure". You can use Urine, but it has to be your own. Really? That takes all the fun out of randomly asking someone for a cup of urine to rub on your Poison Ivy. Seriously, how do they know it has to be your own, have they tried their own as well as friends? I guess as long as what I'm trying keeps working I will skip trying this one, but won't say never, because who knows what the future holds.

Are you allergic? What do you use that works? What have you tried that hasn't worked? 

My Boys

I have a terrible memory, I tell people all the time "I will if I remember". Tonight I remembered it's been a little while since I added anything here. I was right, kinda, it's been over a year. So what better way to get back on track then to introduce the 2 handsome boys that entered my life and added so much happiness. Apolo was first, he came last fall. He's a Saint Bernard, his family was moving and couldn't take him with. This spring right after we lost Pogo, Fonzie came into our lives. Fonzie is a mix, feel free to make a guess. He harassed the older dog is his last home and was looking for a place he could be a wild man and not scare the other dog.

Apolo with his new ball pit

 Fonzie posing so nice

Look close. They aren't cuddling, Apolo is 

holding Fonzie down so he can sleep.

See Fonzie's pouty face? 

They both have added so much life around here and I couldn't imagine a day without them. Right now Apolo is outside barking at the train off in the distance. Fonzie, well he's hiding under the bed, that train could jump the tracks come 3 miles down the road and eat him.  

Hope your day is special. Any furry friends that make your day better just by being there?