My grandma had another collection besides her salt and pepper shakers. She collected and grew cactus plants. She had a lot of pen pals and some of them sent her the plants from their area of the country. This was back in the late 1940's or early 1950's. She convinced me to put my name in a magazine in the pen pal section and I wrote to over 50 pen pals. My mother didn't drive and we lived 5 miles from town so I lived a pretty isolated childhood. The highlight of the day was running out to the mail box after the mailman came to experience my connection with the outside world. I usually received 1-2 letters a day and I always answered them the same day. Now I can't convince myself to write a letter and get it to the mailbox. You, who are reading my blog, are now my outside world. I can easily type on my keyboard and it doesn't hurt the carpel tunnel problem in my wrist. I love the fact I can reach people all over the world by writing one "letter" and by touching the PUBLISH POST button, everyone can read the same "letter". 
Here is a picture of my asters in bloom a couple years ago and the butterfly who posed so nicely for me.
Here is a picture of my asters in bloom a couple years ago and the butterfly who posed so nicely for me.