About me

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Nov 2021 I take pics of my swaps, and their envelopes, front & back, so if you’re missing a swap, I have a record of it. Please contact me if you haven’t received it. Thanks!

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I’m a former 6th grade teacher, but now work for a non-profit, mostly from home, just outside Richmond, Virginia. I have an independent 😀 & bright (but sometimes moody) teen and a kind, smart, & funny husband. He and I met in the local scuba diving club, and our kid is also certified. There’s another world under the water, and it’s so peaceful and beautiful!

Although I’ve lived in the South my entire life, I dream of living in a cooler climate and of snow falling on Christmas Day ❄️ . I fantasize about living in Colorado. I love snow! ‘Round here, 6” or more means school & appointments are called off and most people get an unexpected free day, which I LOVE! (Favs for snow day: a roaring, crackling 🔥 , baking, crafting, shoveling, napping, shooting pics of snow)

I read a newspaper daily and particularly enjoy Carolyn Hax , Miss Manners, Jumble, & now Wordle (online). Sometimes I like the news, but mostly read it because I feel obligated to be informed. This is an actual newspaper, not articles found through social media. I miss Dave Barry’s weekly column, Farside, and Calvin & Hobbs, but now laugh at Zits, Dilbert and Pluggers.

What I like to do

• gardening, (growing mostly flowers)
• visiting state & national parks
• looking at gardens
• walking wooded trails,
• reading (mostly audiobooks)
• cooking
• crafting

We live on a few acres so I enjoy seeing the wildlife, in particular the birds. I typically have a bluebird family in the spring & it’s exciting watching the full progression of empty nest box to nest, eggs, babies and their departure! I love trees and find bugs 🐛 🐜 🕷 & snakes 🐍 interesting. They’re around here all the time, so we get along.

I make an effort to live environmentally-friendly (e.g., I recycle, reduce, reuse & compost, try to reduce my use of single-use plastics, drive a hybrid)

🐈 I have 2 orange tabby cat boys whom I adore, Owen & Charley 🐈

Particular ** favorite** things: are

COFFEE

coffee flavored candy & desserts, lattes, espresso, coffee cups, quotes about coffee, chocolate covered espresso beans, cute little demitasse cups... Think the Bubba Gump shrimp guy in Forrest Gump talking about shrimp...that’s me with coffee

I also like

comical items! To get an idea of my sense of humor, I find very funny:

*Ted Lasso * David Sedaris * Frasier * Atypical * Everybody Loves Raymond *Bob ❤️ Abishola

ITEMS I FIND ENDEARING

MINIATURES

——————- even odd things like a tiny screw, tiny piece of satin ribbon, or an itty bitty feather. Doll house things like a tiny Kleenex box or a miniature book make me lose my mind!

I like tiny things, & sparkles!

• postage stamps = miniature art!
• hippos, 🦛 especially baby hippos
• pastels, especially periwinkle
• flowers; my favorite is a bluet
• cute baby animals. What baby isn’t cute?
• birds, real or drawn
• trees 🌲
• anything having to with Thomas Jefferson
• anything with a bicycle 🚲
• clocks & watches ⏰
• photos of all sorts, especially close ups

Robert Llewellen’s photographs amaze me! robertllewellyn

## I also really like

NEAT HANDWRITING 💕💕😃😃😃

• early photos of famous people
• Quaint churches ⛪ with simple steeples
• colored or shaped paper clips & cute binder clips
• origami
• cute sticky notes (all sizes)
• small matchbox crafts
• tiny bottles (like perfume bottles)
• magazine ads with odd photos

• interesting ideas about life in the future

• natural items found outside. I usually have a bowl which I fill with natural finds I like: a feather, a tiny pine cone, a colorful stone or one in a particular shape, some interesting seeds, a pretty leaf, etc.

Books I’ve particularly enjoyed:

• All the Light We Cannot See
• Dress Your Children in Corduroy & Denim
• Gone Girl
• Angela’s Ashes
• • A Gentleman in Moscow*
• Prince of Tides
• The Poisonwood Bible
• Go Ask Alice
• • The Book Thief*
• Americanah
• • Middlesex*
• • The Corrections*
• • A Mother’s Reckoning*

TV Shows/series that have been favorites include: -——————————————————— * Atypical * The Kids are Alright * Frasier * Six Feet Under * Breaking Bad * Mr Mercedes *Dateline * Stranger * America’s Test Kitchen * Barefoot Contessa * and,....dare I admit it?.... The Pimple Popper

Movies I’ve loved

• The Wife
• Fargo
• the Sound of Music
• Harold & Maude
• We Need to Talk about Kevin
• A Christmas Story
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Elf
• Manchester-by the-Sea
• Shawshank Redemption

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I’m delighted with tiny stickers or cute postage stamps or little cute pictures cut from magazines.

NOT INTO

• Goth
• mustard yellow
• religious stuff (but do like holiday icons like bunnies & holly & gingerbread houses.
• “Dislike” lists that are longer than the “like” list

postcard favorites

• British royals)
• Photos of old cars, rustic homes, antiques,
• outdoor clocks
• churches,
• mailboxes,
• streetcars,
• trees,
• musicians,
• iron fences,
• steam trains,
• art photos,
• black & white photos,
• postcards of famous people in their early days

Homemade postcard favorites: * funny, weird or unusual magazine pics *a comic from the newspaper