The Cost of a Stamp and The Value of a Friend

I never thought I'd be old enough to reminisce about the price of staples. I took economics. I knew prices raised with inflation. Why didn't older people realize this as well and just accept it as fact. Now I find myself musing over the days when I could fill my gas tank for $10.00 or make a phone call for .25. The other day, the boy wanted a gum ball; the slot held two quarters. Even dollar stores are experimenting with larger denominations, holding to the fact that 'dollar' could mean any denomination of a combination of paper bills and not $1.00 itself. Prices on staples (bread, milk, cheese) do go up over time, but usually it's a gradual rise that we don't notice until we're there. Stamps, on the other hand, are quite a different matter. Whereas stamps held their ground in the .32 to .37 range for years on end, now it seems they raise the price every 6-9 months. However, we slap them right on the envelope regardless and send them on their way.

When Stefaneener of Sicilian Sisters Grow Some Food fame saw the post on how much my father loved black radishes, she offered to send me some German blue radishes. I'd never heard of them, but I was eager to give them a try. I never thought twice about asking her to affix the postage stamp to get them here, but when the seeds arrived today, they arrived with fanfare and an unexpected entourage.

I expected an envelope. I received a package. A good sized one at that....sent to Georgia. From California. Pricey it was. Far too pricey and big of a box for seeds, yet the seeds were there.

Aren't they beautiful, Dad? I can't wait to grow them. However, you'll have to help me translate the growing instructions.

But I said the seeds arrived with fanfare and an entourage:
I can only surmise this is Stefaneener's very own home-produced honey from her own hives. She wrote a fantastic blog entry about the process behind making it.

I salivated the entire way home, prolonging the decadence I knew was to be mine. It's delightfully unrefined, slightly textured, yet smooth, and pure self-indulgence. The sweetness is most assuredly there, but light, airy, earthy, and not overpowering. It's what honey should be. It's peerless.

Thank you Stefaneener. I'm giddy, but I'm sending back your postage whether you like it or not. Now you can decide if it's accompanied by some banana jam or a chunky peach and red pepper sauce.

The morning comes early. Sweet honey filled dreams.