Gifts of Friendship

I'd like to take the time to acknowledge some good friends who have sent me friendship gifts. Yeah, I'm an old sentimental fuddy-duddy. Probably has to do with being old. 

Gifting for me has to do with bonding, be it with one's friends, community, or whatever. Gifting doesn't have to be physical items. It can be a helping hand, an ear for listening, a chat over coffee, keeping someone company, a friendly hug or touch. Hubby and I are believers in gifting. But sadly it makes it harder for me to understand the hatred, selfishness, and aggression I see the world suffering from. Perhaps if we taught children to gift, as adults their lives might be better. Sigh. .......... I'm getting off track. I'm not a preacher, and anyway, the people who should be listening, won't. Sigh again. 

So to acknowledge my friends and say thank you from my heart........

From Missouri, 2 local tshirts. Yup, I'm the t-shirt wearing type.....just a carryover from my teenage years. Hubby claimed the black one as his, and I eagerly laid claim to the yellow. So far I've managed not to ruin it, so I can still wear it for "good".

From New Jersey, a tropical plant to add to my landscaping. This happens to be something I could keep bonsai'd, but I don't know if I'm up to it. I'd rather plant it in my secret garden and feature it in a "friendship garden". That way I can remember my friend every time I walk by.

From down the road. I actually received this quite a while ago, but it's so cool that I wanted to document it in my blog. The broken piece is from my own garden area. For real! It most likely came from the McComber or Lorenzo family who lived on this property years and years ago. Their house is long since gone, but my friend found this bit of broken plate while digging in the garden here. She tracked down the original type plate and framed it. It now has a place of honor in my living room. The pattern is amazingly appropriate. 

Mounted in a shadow box, it hangs in my living room. 

From Alaska.... one neat baseball cap. Since moving to Hawaii, I've become a baseball cap wearer. Never wore one before coming here. But the tropical sun is too strong for my unprotected eyes. Sunglasses and I don't get along too well, but baseball caps do fine. This particular cap is really nice. Actually it's the best one I've ever had. Can a baseball cap be considered "dress up"? 

From up the mountain, dinosaurs!!! Yeah! I'm a dino-kid from way back. As a child I wished I could have had a miniature stegosaurus as a pet. I never lost my fascination of dinosaurs, though it took retirement to ditch my "mature grown-up" image and start indulging myself with dinosaur toys. I now have over 30 dino toys and love having everyone of them. It's not uncommon to have a store 
checkout person ask if I am buying it for my grandchild. Grandchild?? Hell no, it's for me! 

This fella resides on my truck dashboard.