Update April 4, 2021

Notice I will be out of town April 21 to May 4. Someone will be at my house to be sure the mail gets inside safely. I do have Informed Delivery service from the USPS, so if you write your user name and swap name under your return address, I will see it in my email and I can rate you as received on the day it arrives. Otherwise, I will be rating when I return home, and I apologize in advance for the delay.

Hi Friends! I'm feeling like what I appreciate most of all these days is a handwritten note. We are all just people who have hopes and dreams and hard times, sometimes. I want to remember that, I want to spread that feeling of connection around. At the end of the day, we all have so much more in common than we realize.

So, you can sub in a note for a trade item anytime for me, I won't rate you down for it. I really don't need any more stuff :-) Tell me something about yourself, your day, pets, kids, a joke you heard, your favorite internet rabbit hole, habits you are trying to make or break, anything you want to say.

Wanna play a game? I'm going to put up a couple of questions to answer if you are writing to me in a swap. Or not, your choice :-)

APRIL 2021 questions

1 What is food you have never eaten but would like to try?

2 If you had 3 days to do anything you wanted, what would you do?

3 Have you ever snooped and found something you wished you hadn't?

I live in Oregon - I've been here 24 years already. It's getting very crowded in Portland Metro and I'm starting to think about moving somewhere else. Suggestions welcome! I grew up in the Chicago area (suburban and ex-urban) - it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there now :-)

I've recently left my job of 15 years - I'm calling it a "sanity sabbatical" not retirement, lol. I have not figured out what to do with myself just yet.

We don't have broadcast or cable TV, but Netflix keeps us well entertained. Right now we are watching:

Broadchurch

Community

Travelers

The OA

Debris

I used to love a show called The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (starring Blaire Brown) - anyone remember that show? It was never released on VHS/DVD as far as I know - something about the music rights. I'd be so curious to see it again, see if it holds up for me.

We watch a wide variety of movies. It's hard to call favorites. Anything from the subscription service Film Movement is usually always good. They are foreign films - we get them at the library. I really enjoy foreign films, because I never know what to expect. It's fun to see different cultures, and wonder at the cultural references that we are missing in the subtitles.

I am an on again/off again art journaler - I don't make as much time for it as I would like. I'm a huge fan of Lisa Sonora - 30 Day Journal Project, among other things.

I also knit and cross-stitch, but haven't done them in a while. Since starting on Swap-bot, I've rekindled my love of Zentangle :-) I've enjoyed Soul Collage in the past, and have done mini Soul Collage cards.

I'm just having so much fun being artsy again!

I'm learning Tarot - how fun! Also been attending workshops with the Oregon Friends of Jung and finding it fascinating. Analyzing my dreams has been an adventure and never boring.

You don't need to send me anything just to include something. I have enough stuff, and really just want to get to know people. If you want, use your stuff to decorate what you are sending me :-)

If this happens to be a swap where you are required to include something, I especially appreciate:

things that are decorated with colored pens, washi, stickers, you name it.

stickers

blank postcards

unused postage stamps

tea bags - I like everything except plain black and chamomile

any fun coffee thing

ATCs - I'm starting to make these, so I like to see what other people do.

Zentangles

Mail Tags (ask me a question and I will reply, or vice versa)

And what I appreciate most of all is a handwritten note. You can sub in a note for a trade item anytime for me, I won't rate you down for it. Tell me something about yourself, your day, pets, kids, a joke you heard, your favorite internet rabbit hole, habits you are trying to make or break, anything you want to say.

Happy Mail, yay!