pen pals

I finally tramped upstairs, sat down at my desk, and shut the door. No cats. I love 'em, but they cannot handle the inspiration wires yet, nor do I have the patience to monitor their paws. I love it up here, especially today. The weather is bright, blue, and brisk. On the second floor, I am closer to the sky. Near a window I'm closer to bottle brush and pine tree tops. The sunlight is splashing blue glass shadows and geometrical lines on the floor.

I'm surrounded by other items of inspiration ~ a straw purse from my Mom (purchased at our favorite Houston store - The Blue Hand), a "Grandma's Brand" blue glass jar, a picture of infant-me on my grandmother's lap, shelves of good books, a chipped-paint table from my childhood bedroom, and a miniature rocking chair on loan from my Mom (a future resting spot for Genevieve's dolls). I have this intense thing for little chairs. I would love to own a collection of miniature Eames chairs. Please.



Guess what? More fabulous mailbox therapy yesterday: a new issue of dwell, and the first letter from one of my Letter Writers Alliance pen pals!



Look at the perfection of this pen pal relationship:
-She wrote on a beautiful moth piece from the port2port card society. Just yesterday I was very fortunate to snag one of mav's gorgeous 2008 calendars, the autumn prints set, and gift tags. And I've been meaning to rejoin the card society for months now! (I'll do so after Christmas)
-She enclosed a pretty pink bird card. I love birds.
-She also included her business card which features wooden spoons on a blue cloth, on a wooden surface. Need I say more?
-Well, there is more. She has a lovely Etsy shop which I've admired before via poppytalk. She also keeps a wonderful blog and flickr stream.
-She is from North Carolina - one of my favorite states.
-Her husband is in the military which makes him a hero to me & Johnny.

I can hardly wait to know Laura Crow Miller better through her letters! Yet another reason I climbed the stairs today: letter-writing. Mav said (in a recent interview) that she plans to create a writing room with a desk. I completely understand. I cannot write a good letter on the couch. I need my desk, the quiet, the physical inspiration encircling me. And so today, I will reply to Laura - I have the perfect letterpress card. Then I'll write to my other pen pal who resides in Chicago. She is a college writing teacher and loves Etsy, too. Did I receive the two perfect pen pals or what?

After I write letters and we take a sunset walk, I'll nestle on the couch with my Flannery O'Connor collection (thanks again to the habit of being for the reminder to do so). I read a few of Flannery's letters the other night and I'd forgotten how funny she was - very sarcastic (which I love). And her intellect - wow. Her humor inspires me as of late. Within a few letters she poked fun at her several hospital sleepovers, acquiring rheumatoid arthritis, and learning to use crutches due to lupus. A yeast overgrowth in my body does feel bad and the treatment is slow-going, but if Flannery could write her socks off, enjoy peacocks, correspond through letters, trust God, and laugh, then so can I, right?

Yes!



P.S. - In keeping with my adoration of cinnamon & cloves, I reviewed a Tom's of Maine toothpaste for The Sustainable Scoop today.