Sometimes you never know how much you love something until quite a while later.
Many years ago I gave my Dad these handless lights. They were like glasses that you put on, but without anything where the lenses would be and on the sides were little lights. I thought he might want to use them to get better light when he was working on his model airplanes.
When he opened the package it was clear he thought it was a pretty nutty gift. He thanked me in the way he might of when I was a kid and had given him a macaroni tie clip.
Months later he told me how much he loved the flashlight glasses. He used them every night to go out and get wood. He lived in the mountains in Northern California and it was pretty dark when he would go out to get wood. Apparently the gift I had given him was the best thing he'd ever used for this task and was much handier than having to carry a flashlight while holding wood.
When I was about 20 I was living in Sacramento with my best friend. Her mother was also in town and once when she came back from a trip from Nicaragua she handed me a gift she had brought home for me. It was a wood plate, about 8" wide.
Now, this was 1985. Wood anything was really not a popular aesthetic. I mean this wasn't the Seventies. But, I still kind of liked it when I got it, even though it was quite crude and simple - not even varnished or anything. I really had no idea when I would use it.
And I don't think I did use it for quite a while. I remember using it quite a bit maybe ten years later. Since then I used it every week, at least once, usually much more. Turns out this little wooden plate was perfect for everything!
It was great for small pizzas, for cheese, fruit and bread. Since it was wood you could cut and serve on the same dish. It was what I used for late night snacks of toast and jam or for any kind of appetizers. I loved this little wood plate and actually started looking for more of them several years ago when I would remember to. Turns out they're kinda hard to find here. At least one
that's simple and not expensive. I found a couple a few years ago at Cost Plus, but haven't seen them since. I like the Cost Plus ones a lot, but they aren't the same.
I was looking for a replacement, because I could tell the end was coming for my little wood plate. This simple wood plate that my friend's mom bought for probably far less than a dollar had lasted me over 25 years. It finally cracked in half a while ago and I had to take some pics before I threw it away.
You just never know when something shows up if it's going to be just what you needed or wanted. Even when it looks like nothing you've ever wanted. You just have to wait and give it a try.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend! Back to the shredder.
