A letter! A letter!

The things that come in my mailbox these days are often uninspired: bills, statements, advertising. It is rarely personal and seldom beautiful. But NOT TODAY! My good friend Karen sent me an early birthday package, and I'm still giddy about it. First of all, Karen, who I had the good fortune of meeting years ago at my university residence, has undertaken a letter writing mission. And she outdid herself today with both a lovely letter AND a homemade package. When was the last time YOU wrote a letter on beautiful paper? Or received one? I used to  love getting beautiful writing paper, and I'd spend hours testing out which colourful thin markers to write with. A few weeks ago, Karen inspired me to pick up a pen and write, yes write to her. In my best cursive. With no spell check. It was fun.

Now, on to MY package. Here it is:

 It's a cowl, according to Karen. I often use the rather bland term "tube" or "neckwarmer". But this stylin' thing is most definitely a cowl. Check out the detail - it looks like little leaves in there! She's a genius, I think. And more importantly, she reminded me of how thrilling it can be to get fun mail again. So I'll start by picking up a pen. As for picking up a knitting needle? We'll see. If I do, I know just where to find the best teacher. Thanks, Karen.