Surprise

Sometimes there's nothing better than a surprise, at least when it's a good one and I had a wonderful surprise today when I received a package in the mail. As I told the sender of the package, Jane McMillan of Little House Home Arts, it was a day of drudgery and deadlines when suddenly there it was a box marked "Orvis."

I had been thinking of buying a dog bed from Orvis, but this was a small box not a large one and I couldn't remember ordering anything from Orvis including a dog bed. What could it be I thought, worried as I opened it that it might be a joke or evidence that I was losing my mind. It was neither. It was a thoughtful gift from a friend.

I first met Jane at an art show I didn't now many people so I wandered over to Jane's table where she was working on a quilt and found a friend. At first I was just happy to chat and hear about the work she was doing, but soon I found myself laughing and smiling and just enjoying her stories. Jane has one of those warm, friendly faces reflective of a warm, friendly heart.

Inside the Orvis box today were two candy corn pincushions that I had inquired about. I love candy corn and when I saw these on Jane's page, I had to have them. I figured Jane was busy when she didn't respond right away. Little did I know she had a plan. I am always misplacing my needles when I work on my collages so these items are a gift in more ways than one. Jane's generosity may only be matched by her creativity.  She has a number of other wonderful pincushion designs on her web site at www.littlehousehomearts.com.

You should check them out. You might find something there that surprises and delights you just as I did.