Snowflake

It's the time of year when boxes start materializing on your front porch. I have shipped all but the one I'm waiting to hear is framed and ready for pick up. I'm not really expecting any more boxes to come to my address so boxes behind the milk container are always viewed with a, "What the...?"

I bring this one in and it's got "Live Plant" all over it. I have learned, over the many, many years I have given and received packages that what is on the outside of a box is, often, not what is on the inside of the box. It can be exceptionally humorous when a sturdy box labeled "yogurt" is reused for newspaper clippings. Yet, why toss a perfectly good box, particularly at this time of year? You never know when that box is just the right size. Hence, it says, "Live Plant", but is that really what's in it? Let's see.

I don't know who would be sending me something either. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it's Christmas and the potential for gifts exists all month. All into that my birthday at the end of last month, and boxes arrive from the middle of November through the days just before Christmas. I set this down on the floor to have it "cat scanned" and they ignored it. I think they are on box overload. I can almost see the thought bubbles. "Another box? Wake me when it's treats time."

Inside the box was this styrofoam "plug", if you will, It was tight inside the top and you can see that I had a devil of a time getting it out of the box. It kept disintegrating when I would try to pull and grab it. I had no idea what was under this so I hesitated to grab a knife and cut it apart. Finally, it popped out.

Oh look. It's another box. But, in looking at this box, I noticed there was potting soil on the inside of this one. There were an awful lot of packing peanuts, too. Whatever it was wasn't going anywhere.

On the side of this box is the word, "Snowflake". I'm still not sure what that means, nor can I find any card or anything that tells me who sent this. I pull all the packing materials out of the main box. Still nothing.

I open the inner box and find this.

It's an amaryllis. But who is is from? It's driving me bananas. Then, if I'd really learn to read, I notice a plastic bag taped to the side of the exterior box. "Merry Christmas, Deb. Your pal, Bill."

I'm so touched by this. If you go back in time to the summer, you will remember the New York Giants mug I did the insert for. Bill was the recipient of that mug. It arrived last week and he dutifully opened the box and the wrapped gift therein, in spite of the enclosed note that said, "Doesn't need to be opened until Christmas." He says he's very happy with the mug because it's something I made for him and he won't have something that everyone else has. We laughed about how I had blogged extensively about the mug as I was making it but I knew he doesn't read the blog so he'd never see it. "You got that right," he laughed.

I don't give gifts to have people give me gifts in return. I give them because I want to. Some years are flush and I can send out a lot of gifts. Some years are lean and I have to cut back. I send gifts because I want to and, at the time, I have the means to do so. To get something like this in return really touches me.

Now, amaryllis bulbs are poisonous. I've had the bulb sitting on the table and it's been sniffed several times. That makes me rather nervous. You just can't tell if they get enough information via the sniff or if they think they have to "taste" the bulb to be certain it's not food. I know exactly where I'm going to put this but I need to move a few things to make room. The ceramic box is filled with packing peanuts that I want to remove and replace with those clear marble things. I think I have some in the basement. If not, I don't think they are too expensive that I can't get a package at JoAnn's when I go to pick up the framed piece. Then, this will get a thorough soaking and we'll begin the great amaryllis watch. I don't know, for sure, if the amaryllis that blooms will be the one shown on the card. I don't care. This is so wonderful.

"Friends do things because they are friends." Yes. Yes, they do.

Beverage:  Rooibos tea

Deb