September Mailbag at last, nearly October..

So what with one thing and another, various obligations involving workshops and festivals and plein air events and meetings, September has been a happily busy month. To the point where I suddenly realized I had Not Done The Mailbag for the month, horror, shock, recoil.

So though I had names all set and addresses mostly found, I had to haul out the collection of art postcards and pens and stamps and thoughts and do the selection.  It's fun to look through the whole collection and try to pick ones that will amuse or interest the recipient, and be seasonal, as in the case of Canadian Thanksgiving which always comes a month earlier than I think it will.  Anyway, each month a different group is the idea, so as to spread the goodwill as far as possible.

If you are a longdistance friend mainly in touch via email and you suspect I don't have a street address for you, don't be shy about emailing me with it. Cynthia, this means you!  it's good to get something in your mailbox which is a surprise and not a nasty one like a bill.

So here's today's welter of materials, and after I got the mailbag done, time for restorative pot of English Breakfast tea and a scone.  Just the ticket.  I called this round the September October mailbag, since at the rate I'm going, it might be October before they get there.  So I'm covering myself.

In the course of finding one or two addresses I thought were in the book which weren't, I pulled out a fat file of correspondence I've kept over the years, and was sort of overcome on finding some wonderful notes to me from Handsome Partner, from long ago, that I forgot I had.  Also from other departed friends.  

But I kept on sturdily with my quest for addresses and thanked my packrat habit of keeping the little receipt you get for the customs slips for people in other countries, where you had to put their address.  Now in the address book, where they oughta.

Wonderful day today, bright and sunny and cool, and earlier I was over in Cranbury walking and watching turtles including a massive one about the size of a suitcase,  and fish at the dam (fish really do swim over the dam, like the three little fishies, in case you wondered) and then strolling back down the street for a large cone of homemade icecream at Gil and Bert's before they close for the season. 

It's been so hot for so long that it's hard to know when the season will end. There were plenty of customers around, including small sidewalk chalk artists and little dogs hoping for a treat.  And, had I remembered to bring my tablet, there would be pix, but oh well.

This might be a good Dolliver destination before the season ends, come to think of it.  I'm hearing more and more shouts of protest from them at how little they get around these days.  Perhaps they'd like to come on plein air tomorrow...we'll see.  It might mean finding berets for them, so as to be artistes. Sigh.