Last call, Happy Mail and gratitude

- Attending the multi-media art show Big Angel Blowout with Laura and Nancy. You gotta love a place that has such decorative Sock Monkeys. It is the last year for the blowout, aka "Some Call it Art", the owner saying "our wings have somewhat outflapped their flutter."

- My latest Postcrossing card from John from Katwijk, The Netherlands, on the North Sea Shore. He says "Here is Happy Mail for you." I love that term and receiving something other than catalogs and bills in the mail.

- Gratitude for the guys in the back looking out for me. One of them notices a plastic bag stuck underneath my car and tells me not to go anywhere before they can get it out.

Postcard from Germany, favorite magazine and flying emails

- My latest Postcrossing card is from Felix who attends university in what surely must be one of the most beautiful places on earth - Passau, Dreiflusse-Stadt - the City of Three Rivers. He says it is called the Bavarian Venice.

- The December Cooking Light magazine has come in the mail - my most eagerly awaited issue. It contains a section with recipes involving Ginger. I think I will make the Double Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze for the Thanksgiving weekend.

- Emails are flying back and forth about our family Thanksgiving celebration next week - we will have 50 for dinner. My Aunt Sallie says she is bringing "my meticulously and obsessively put together photo album of Turkey -- only a small portion of the 7-800 photos I took." I can't wait to see it and her.

Pesäpallo, laughing on the outside and good for him!

- Why I love Postcrossing – I usually learn something new: I received an email thank you from Satu in Finland for the postcard I sent her. On her profile she says she likes Finnish baseball and I asked on my card if it is the same as American baseball. She replied, “I have to tell you that Finnish baseball is different...but still really nice game...:)” I looked it up on Wikipedia and it is called “Pesäpallo.”

- Seen on a concrete post in the parking deck of Georgia Public Broadcasting: someone has written $949.00 on a black smudge and circled it.

- From the very formal Georgia State University Alumni magazine, “Alumni Report”: “Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who attended the School of Music as a music management student from 1998-1999, was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 20. The three-time Grammy-winning rapper and actor is the first rapper to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Since his initial breakthrough, Ludacris has maintained his status in the world of hip-hop as well as achieved a successful career in the film and television industry.”

Satisfaction, LOL and lovely wish

- "Well done good and faithful…" This message from fellow grant writer Robert T., after we submitted our grant proposals to the Presbytery, made my day.

- One of my clients called frantically that she would be late for our working lunch. Her fiancé locked himself in the garage wearing only his boxer shorts and the oven was on, so she had to go let him out. She said the only thing he had to do this day was bake cookies and clean the parrot cage.

- My latest postcard from a Postcrossing member is from Sim in China. His Message: "Today is the next day to Chinese Mid-Autumn Day. As the old saying goes: (he writes a message in Chinese characters), meaning that today's moon is the fullest throughout the year. May the moon and this card carry my best wishes to you."