Penpals

When i was in 7th grade, our French teacher told us that we could be penpals with students around the globe. Apparently, there was some scholastic group that was a clearing house for this sort of thing. You requested what country, age, and sex of desired penpal, and sooner or later, a letter would arrive for you, or, if you were the self-starting sort, you wrote your penpal immediately.

Of course, our French teacher thought it would be wonderful if we all chose French penpals so we could practice writing our French, and i dutifully asked for a male French penpal. His name was Marc, he was from Vendôme, and he collected stamps. My father collected stamps, and tried to get me interested in it as well, but it never really took. Marc always responded promptly to my letters, and i wondered if he really stared at mine the way i did his. His penmanship was far nicer than mine, he crossed his 7's, fountain pens were his ink of choice, and even though i wasn't a collector, i was taken with the different stamps on the envelope. It seemed a marvel to me to think that thousands of miles away, someone i had never met was writing to me. We had struck up a conversation, however halting it was, and my father would give me stamps to send Marc and would tell me about them so i could let him know a bit about them.

Since so many of my....well, we have no word in English for it, really. They're not quite my ancestors, as i think that word means ages ago, but yet aren't really my relatives, as they died just before i arrived on the planet—I suppose i shall stick with "forebearers." As so many of them had come from Wales at the end of the 19th century, i thought it would be nice to have a penpal from Wales, too. I again requested a male penpal and got someone named John Davies, who was 14. I was 12, and in my introductory letter, i told him i had a brother who was 14.

It was ever so much easier writing someone in English, and after a few weeks, i got a reply. It was thrilling to get a letter with my name on it from another foreign correspondent. I opened the letter eagerly to find that it wasn't John writing me, but John's younger brother, Robert, who was 12, just like me. I instantly felt that John had no interest in me because of the two-year age difference, and how my brother had often thought me a bother as well. I shrugged, was glad Robert wrote, and replied. 

Others also wrote me and i them; Brigitte in France, and Norma in Ireland. But the correspondence with them was short-lived; whereas Marc and Robert remained my penpals for a few years.

In one letter, Robert sent a photo of himself and asked if i'd do the same. His looked like one of those taken in a photo booth. He looked like a nice enough lad, and by this point, we had written often enough so we felt we knew one another.

I have never liked having my photo taken, and i'm not terribly photogenic. I'm sure i don't help any, thinking that i'd rather be anywhere than on THAT side of the camera, but my cousin convinced me that i shouldn't disappoint Robert. We had had our pictures taken in a similar type photo booth and had been in hysterics when the bulb flashed off. As a result, the pictures actually captured our essence because we were too busy laughing. She thought one of those to be good to send, and i could explain how we got all silly and couldn't stop giggling and settle ourselves before the flash went off.

With much misgiving, i sent the photo and explanation. I told of how we were visiting our grandmother, that she lived miles away, although we visited fairly frequently. I don't recall what else i said in that letter, but i distinctly remember Robert's reply. He thanked me very much for the photo and said that John was now a bit sorry he hadn't decided to be my penpal. I could hear the triumph in Robert's words and appreciate them as only a younger sibling can. I replied that i was glad he had decided to write back, even if John hadn't, as i had written other penpals to get no response, leaving me to wonder if my letter arrived at all.

I still remember his and Marc's handwriting very clearly and kept those letters for a long time.

Flash forward 40 years (good Lord, has it been that long?), and here we are in the Internet age. I can email people all over the planet, and through emails or on a blog share snippets of my life with them as they do with me. We can encourage each other, send jokes and funny pictures, post photos of ourselves, if we have a mind to do so. Just this week, I've found myself wondering about a man's garden in France, a woman's flower garden in New Zealand as they head into winter, what it's like to live in a historically rich place like Bath and work on creating things that look 17th century, how construction is going for someone in Angola, and crying over a bulldog named  Mabel who lived in Wales whom i've never met and yet feel i know.

I do like the wide variety, and i'm saving ever so much in postage. I do miss the thrill of opening the mail box, seeing a letter with my name on it from some faroff place, and examining its contents intently, but i daresay since my penmanship was never good and has plummeted to the depths of  "worse than a doctor's," that typing it out makes it far easier on others to read.

Sunday Night Chit Chat 29 April 2012

Carla says this can be a photo or saying.

"No one is ever too old to learn, but some people just keep putting it off."  As seen on the Farmer’s Almanac Facebook page, 25 April 2012.

Reading
I finished reading Captain Caution by Kenneth Roberts. Not sure what to read next, although since i'm gearing up for getting the boat ready, it might be snippets from different boating books in our home library. We've amassed a small collection.

Watching
I haven't watched anything noteworthy this week. I did watch a bit of some stand-up comedy, but i didn't find it funny. Guess i'm a tough crowd.

Listening to
Phoebe racing up and down the stairs playing with a sparkle ball. The heat just kicked on.

Cooking/Baking
I splurged on some hydroponic tomatoes, sliced them, and poured over a simple vinaigrette comprising balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and dijon mustard. Yummy!

Happy you accomplished this week
My neighbour installed the light switch in the wonky light fixture in the dining room. Wonky no more! I mentioned that we'd take him and his wife out to dinner as a thank you. They both agreed that we can go out for dinner, but we can go Dutch. He said we can repay him in sailing time.

I went back to the animal shelter yesterday to see if any dogs needed walkies. All the dogs have been adopted!! There is a new dog coming, but she won't be ready for walkies until later in the week. I did see a wonderful, shy, black cat i'd like to bring home. Phoebe was very needy all day today, her tail got bushy for no reason that i could tell, and even though i washed all the clothes i wore at the shelter, i realised finally, that i was wearing the same shoes today. She must still smell the other cats on them. I did ask for a sign if i could consider bringing this new kitty home. Not the sign i wanted, but the message is clear: for now, the answer is no.

Updated my spending log. Ahem. I totally fell off the waggon for March and April, although i had receipts and made a few half-hearted attempts on the back of a few envelopes. So, i didn't even try to track my no spends or no drive days. Here's hoping i'll be more diligent in May.

Made out the boat list. The weather should be warming up this week, so i might be able to get started.

I got the lawn mower started. It wouldn't start for me on Wednesday, and the back yard is very thick, so i knew the mowing needed to happen soon. I figured i'd try again Thursday to see if i could get it started, before having to ask Himself or another man to start it for me (and yes, i did succumb last year and ask for help. After the initial start-up, it was fine the rest of the mowing season. Just cranky at the very beginning.) It finally turned over, and i got the back yard and side yard where the boat is all mowed before the rain came back. Front and other side yard has sparser grass, so it wasn't as critical to get that done, but i'm thinking some time this week would be fine.

Looking forward to next week
Puttering around in the garden and getting to work on the boat list.

Thankful for today
We have light in the dining room! Woo-hoo!!

Very fun last day of hockey for the season. Last week, one player fell funny into the boards. Turns out, she broke her fibula and has some ligament damage :0( She is on the mend, though and ought to make a complete recovery. :0)

I won an ebay auction for an Origio Heat Pal that i can use on the boat. It's an older model that doubles as a heater and single burner stove. Non-pressurised alcohol sort, so no worries about explosions, and in case of fire, i can use water to put out the flame. So far, we've done sails for just part of the day, but we were thinking about doing an overnight trip, and it would be nice to boil water for tea. Also, should we find it really chilly, having the luxury of warming up the cabin would be wonderful. The boat is a 19' sloop (~5.8 m), so the Heat Pal would work wonderfully well. Compact, low maintenance, and nearly idiot proof.

Working at the car wash....

I ran some errands today, and stopped at a few yard sales. One was extremely overpriced, one was unbeknownst to me beforehand all children's clothing, and one was a restaurant closing its doors and selling off bits and bobs. I got a few things at the children's clothing sale, as a friend is expecting a new addition to her family in August.

Feeling as if the morning had been wasted, i was driving home and saw two pubescent girls holding signs for a free carwash. Donations accepted for their 8th grade class. On a whim i pulled in. I decided to stay in my car whilst a group of youngsters hosed down the car and then appllied soapy scrub brushes. My car isn't a common one, so all the kids were eager to wash it. A nondescript white truck pulled up several minutes later, and the adult supervisor had to encourage a few of the kids to stop working on my car and attend to the white truck.

I got a $5 bill ready for when they were done. The adult supervisor asked if i wanted him to chamois the car. As that would clear up any water spots, i thought why not go for the deluxe treatment? So, i nodded.

The kids forgot i was there, and the two girls trying to attract attention to passing motorists started to get very silly as only young teenaged girls can. One was wearing a cardboard sandwich sign to promote the carwash, and the other held up her homemade sign, large letters on the back side of what must have been a huge box. Her enthusiasm was waning, and she sometimes held the sign wrong side out. Another student came over with a straw sombrero for the girls to wear. The one holding the former box sign shied away, saying she couldn't possibly wear that. The sandwich board sign girl said, "Oh, i'll wear it! It will get more people to notice us!"

She donned the hat and proceeded to do a shimmy shimmy shake while laughing hysterically. My mood lightened considerably, and i found myself smiling broadly at their silliness.

The adult supervisor was done using the chamois on my car.

I thanked him and handed him $10. The shimmy shimmy shake was easily worth it.

Tom Stephenson, this one's for you

Tom has been mentioning Hitler in nearly every post of his this week on his blog. When i saw this, i immediately thought of Tom. Tom, this one's for you!

One of the greatest gifts

Himself ever got me was a Swiss army knife. It was an anniversary gift from him, and he told me that once i had one, i'd find a reason to use it nearly every day. My mother-in-law politely asked what Himself had gotten me for our annivesary, and when i gushed on about the knife, she visibly stiffened and said, "What about jewellery?"

I had plenty of bling to wear, and as i looked directly at her to respond, i saw her face had a horrified look. My father-in-law, standing in the background looked jealous. One year for Christmas, we got the idea of putting everyone's name in a hat and pulling one out, rather than buying everyone gifts. I had been wanting to do this for quite some time and was relieved. Anyhow, that year, my FIL pulled my name. I was trying to refinish an old wooden desk, and wanted a sander. He was thrilled and got me a wonderful sander. He said he never got to shop for a woman in a hardware store before, and he hoped he pulled my name every year.

But, that Christmas hadn't occurred yet, and i mentioned to my MIL that Himself gave me a pair of earrings on my birthday. She thought the Swiss army knife a horrid idea as an anniversary present and couldn't believe i was so happy about it.

Himself has since lost two Swiss army knives, although i still have the one he gave me, including the little plastic pick and pair of tweezers. As he foretold, i've found i've needed to use it at least a few or several times a week, if not daily, since he gifted me with it.

Today, i found that my spacebar key on my keyboard wouldn't work. I prefer a full keyboard to the laptop keyboards, and as i often input numbers for my job, i'm in love with the number pad. I also like the feel of this particular keyboard. The keys have just the right amount of sponginess.

I had cleaned the keyboard last night when i realised that the spacebar wasn't working properly and i mean gave it a good, proper cleaning, by taking the point of the Swiss army blade amongst the rows. Gadzooks, the crud i found! I also used one of those cans of compressed gas to clean things out a bit more.

Came to the keyboard this morning expecting great things, only it didn't happen. The spacebar would depress, but the line did not advance a space.

A half hour with my Swiss army knife prying off the spacebar, washing it, digging around the keyboard a bit more, a few firm shakes to unloose more detritus, another spritz of the compressed gas, a few attempts at snapping the spacebar back in its place on the keyboard, and voilà! As good as new!

Huzzah for one of the nicest gifts Himself ever gave me. It's something i use often, and i think of him with fondness and gratitude nearly every time i use it.

Friendly neighbourhood stores

I live in a small town, flanked by two larger towns. Technically, one is called a city, but city dwellers i know would consider it a town. At any rate, if i need to purchase something i can't find in my own small burg, i can usually find the object within the two flanking municipalities.

For years, large chain stores were non-existent. There were some local chain stores, yes, but nationwide chains bypassed. Within the last 5 or 7 years, two big chain stores have made their way in, sensing that they could serve the DIY market at a comfortable profit. And so arrived the Big Box hardware stores. These two giants built large, LARGE stores. They are open very early until very late nearly every day of the year. They often include coloured inserts in the local paper advertising their specials.

I frequented both of these stores at my last location, when my favourite hardware store closed because the owners retired. Unlike my favourite hardware store, I felt overwhelmed every time i walked into one of the behemoths. I often couldn't find what i was looking for without help, and even if i did find the right sort of thing, it was not always exactly what i needed. I found the sales people to be largely apathetic, although once in awhile i'd have someone nice help me. I usually had a different experience going by myself than going with Himself. Going with Himself, the sales people figured we knew what we were looking for, or if we had a question, they always answered Himself, even if i asked the question. Several times i wanted to say to them, "You didn't see his mouth move once, did you? Yeah, he's that good, able to throw his voice and make it sound like a woman's. A real talent." But, i didn't, because i knew Himself would roll his eyes, and it would doubtless underline to those sorts of sales people why i couldn't really be trusted to do this myself.

Before moving here full-time, the house sat mostly empty for nearly two years. So, one or the other of us would make a trip up every so often to check on the house, bring a carload more of stuff, and wander around. We did this jointly as well as singly. We learned from friends and acquaintances we had here where to shop for things. One friend used a local chain of hardware stores and another used a standalone hardware store. Between these two stores, we could find pretty much anything we needed for all things hardware.

Occasionally, we need something Right Away, and it's sometimes after these two hardware stores have closed. So, yes, it means a trip to either or both of the Big Box hardware stores. I still feel overwhelmed every time i walk in. Unlike the old location though, the sales people here are quite good. They talk to whoever asked the question, if they don't know, they say they don't know, and more often than not find another associate who might be able to help.

Still, i find myself going to the smaller stores because they're local businesses. No, they can't always price match. No, they're not open every single day of the year early and late. But they remember us when we walk in the door, and that is priceless.

Of the two local stores, my favourite is the standalone place. One of the employees must have been working there since the day they laid the cornerstone. He's quite elderly, totters more than walks, and is a bit hard of hearing even with his hearing aid. Yet, he's always wearing a smile when he talks to you, and insists on showing you where the whosit or whatsit is that you need.

There are two women who work there on the register, and they have helped me any number of times i've gone in looking for things. If i don't know how to use something, they take the time to explain it to me, and i've learned a lot from listening to them.

Once we realised we needed a new switch for the dining room chandelier, i wanted to go to either of the two local hardware stores to see if they'd have the switch. The smaller chain place was closed, and the standalone store was open.

I held out the old switch to the man at the cash register. I asked where i could find a replacement, as it wasn't that far from closing time. He said he'd find one in a jiffy for me, quickly returned with one that looked similar and tore open the packaging to see if it was an identical match. Nope, not quite, it was a bit smaller. Did i want to try it? If it didn't work, i could just bring it back for a refund.

I thanked him, paid my three dollars and change, and left.

Nope, it was a tad too small. The threaded part wasn't long enough coming out the hole of the cover, so the nut couldn't fasten on. Next day being Sunday, i knew both smaller stores were closed. They're open Sundays in the summer, but not always the rest of the year. So, i went to the Big Box stores. Neither had something that would work.

On Monday, needing to return my library book, i decided to stop in at the standalone hardware store to return the switch, as it was just a spit away from the library. I figured after that, i'd go to the lighting place and see if they had a switch, and if not, then narrow down which one from among the hundred light fixtures they had to be the replacement.

I had my receipt at the ready and explained why i was returning the part. The woman at the register nodded and asked if i had the original switch. I had, and showed it to her. "Hang on," she said, "I'm going to ask Nancy if we have something else."

She returned triumphantly. It looks almost exactly like the original switch. I'm hoping it will do the trick, and that it's not a 3-speed type that may not work with the fixture we have. "Not only does it look like the right size, it even costs a dollar thirty less," she said as she handed me money from the register. As i was putting the money in my wallet, she held out the receipt. "Here—just in case you need to return it."

One thing's for sure: i'm going to return there as a happy customer.

Sunday night chit chat 22 April 2012

Carla says this can be a photo or saying.

"Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him." –as seen on a bumper sticker

Reading
I finished reading My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Not sure what to read next.

Watching
I watched the movie, Baby Mama, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. I liked it better than i thought i would.

Listening to
JoJo purring and the rain.

Cooking/Baking
Nothing special this week.

Happy you accomplished this week
Got a neighbour to take a look at the wonky light fixture in the dining room. He's a marine electrician, and i asked if he'd take a look to see if the wiring was all right to the fixture, and if the fixture was all right except for the switch. I mean, we can look at this stuff, but we're not experienced enough to know what exactly we're looking at. Turns out it is a wonky switch. The trick now is to find an switch with a long enough thread. It seems the current style is 1/4 inch, and i need 3/8 inch. We're not in love with the light fixture, so we can replace it, although a switch is less expensive than a brand new fixture.

Looking forward to next week
Puttering around in the garden and getting to work on the boat list.

Thankful for today
Although it wrecked my garden and outside chores plans, i was glad to see the rain.

Great fun playing hockey. We had two good, very fast games.