Sampling the Nile

Inspired by seeing They Draw and Cook, Lynn drew this while making brownies. A fact that I love, because I recognize her bowl.

Lynn also shared that she ate Ethiopian food for the first time last year. She had been intrigued by this new cuisine at the Blue Nile, but also a little unsure. Her final review was that the restaurant decor was fun, but she could pass on what she saw as Indian-like spices and funny bread. Since she is not a big fan of lentils or peas, I suppose this is not a huge surprise. A girl after my own heart, however, she did like the kale and cabbage... really, who doesn't love vegetables?

(Note - Lynn, I am vowing to post these cards the last few weeks of cards once I am back in the US. I have been using my cell phone in lieu of a proper scanner!)

They Draw and Cook

Lynn hosted Thanksgiving dinner for her family last year. She shared that she successfully made a turkey, but it finished 2 hours too early so she had to find a creative way to keep it warm (wrapping it in tin foil and a towel and sticking it in a 'cooler') so that they could use the oven to cook other fixings. Her T-day meal was not only filled with laughter and cooking lessons - it was also filled with eager excitement about that fact that she was expecting. Happy news that enhances an already happy event.

This card was inspired by the book They Draw and Cook. The loose sketches in the cookbook illustrate basic recipes. 

Unexpected and poetic 1

Seeing the unexpected, Jessica saw a man on her plane with a sparkle in his eye...only to realize a few moments later her was a prisoner in transit.  She wrote about him "flying free for a moment.". I re read this card to post about it, and I wondered where he is now, was he deported and sent home or locked up somewhere?  You always see these scenarios in movies, then even reading about them in real life feels jarring and raw.  I like her drawing of him bright and full of life!

Time warp

Forgive the little time warp going on on the blog!  For now, I found this interesting news about a postcard lost for decades and just recently delivered to half of a pen pal pair.  Read details here.

3 parts

Lynn sent a two part series last fall of what she called - 'Three Part Characters'

On the flip side of the first, Lynn wrote that school was a blur last year as she had to learn and do seven new psycho-social and cognitive evaluations with her students last autumn. A number that is far above what had been normal for high school level. She reflected that because of the pace at work, she had been socializing most with me - who was half way around the world in Accra - making her feel a bit hermit-like. Reading this while at work, I remember smiling because it was so similar to how I had been feeling.

On the second card, Lynn wrote that Jordan, her dog, had been having skin problems a lot. The veterinarian knew how to fix his itchy sad state, but the solution was horribly expensive because Jordan was allergic to dust mites and needed allergy medicine for life. Apparently, Lynn lamented, Jordan was a high maintenance dog in addition to being a badly behaved one.

With horribly chapped lips since the start of fall, Lynn wondered if the veterinarian would be willing to check her out too.  Funny how easy it is for us to care for others while we ignore ourselves. 

Punched flower

Falling behind. As it is the morning after the bi-annual changing of the clocks,  this is a fitting post and postcard. With no more than a few days at 'home' at a time, I have been flying fast since my last work trip and finding it hard to remember to bring postcards to the office to scan. Yes, I am behind on posting. But since time is literally changing, I have decided to fix this problem before I leave today on another long work trip.

It had been months since Lynn had drawn a postcard last autumn before she sat down to punch out this card using a needle. While she found making dots a soothing way of getting back into the groove, just as I do, she admitted that holding the tiny needle was hard on her hands. So even though the card turned out fantastically, she was left with 'a little claw hand' and thoughts on how to make the process less painful next time.

Around four years ago Lynn and I made a pact to send two postcards every month. It has not been easy or painless to keep our promise, but somehow we find our way even if it is delayed at times and keep thinking of new ways to transform a 4x6 card. Happy (slightly belated) Anniversary Pal!