A girl can never have too many ...

... cool pens!

I roam the aisles of Staples like most women roam through a shoe department, or like Jean roams through a fabric store.

Sharpies. Flairs. Zebras. Stablers. Stabilos. Microns. Staedtlers.

Love 'em all!

They're intoxicating. I want one of every width (ultra fine, fine, wide) and length (mini and regular) and color! And while I already own most of the options available in colorful art markers, I still wander down the pen/pencil row at Staples, pick up one of the new multi-packs with 24 different colors in it and have to "talk myself off the ledge" so I won't buy more.

Mind you, I don't actually USE them that often. I'm not like Mary Engelbreit, making cute lucrative drawings all day long. I think Kayti actually uses them more than I do. But for some reason they make me happy. And, should I ever need an Ultra Fine Olive Green Sharpie, I am good to go!

Lori, who attends OSA meetings (Office Supply Anonymous) with me, often feeds my addiction with fun new inky finds. My latest favorites are simply Staples Xeno brand, black ink pens that come in fun colors and two sizes and have nifty little rubber dots on the barrels:

Cheap. Cute. Colorful. Life is good, indeed!

Weather Fascinates Me

The anticipation of a snow storm thrills me as much as it does the kindergartners who wear their pj's inside out and backwards and flush ice down the toilet. I marvel at huge thunderstorms that rolls through in the summertime and leave amazing rainbows in their wake. I watch with wonder as the flood waters rise and track the hurricanes that may possibly hit land near my home.

Yesterday, the Potomac River rose above flood stage and I could hardly wait to get my camera and head down to Algonkian Park's boat launch on the river to see the effects of three days of heavy rain on the water level of the river. Here's what I saw:

Here's the Boat Launch, which is usually a 4-5 feet drop from the parking lot to the river.

Check out the picnic pavilion along the river. Soggy dogs on the grill!

This guy (he's there .. look closely through the downed tree branches on the left) is literally fishing in what is normally used as a soccer field!

PEZ

I collect PEZ containers. There. I admit it. It is kinda like admitting you like Moon Pies. A bit embarrassing but so much fun when you find other folks who also love the same things, like Lori, who will always enjoy a fine Moon Pie with me. All in all, besides being rather childish (oh, ya'think?), PEZ containers are great collectibles because they are readily available (WalMart and Target always have a plethora of them), they are cheap, and heck, they come with "candy enclosed!"

The hardest part of having a PEZ container collection, besides figuring out a way to display them all and getting a lot of cavities, is dusting them. I solved that dilemma by hanging a PEZ shelf up around the top of my home office, so when looking up at them, no dust is in sight. Of course, I am certain that Tweety's little head is just covered, but as they say, "out of sight, out of mind!"

PEZ also come in Ready-to-Display Collections, like this one for the really obsessed:And, if your collection exceeds the space allocated for the display, you can easily store them in a Target bag on the floor:

So, if you find PEZ containers as you clean out the kids' rooms to make a home office, don't throw them away. Give them to me!