November 27, 2020. Madison, Mississippi. Christmas Wreaths.

Paty lives in Crafsbury, Vermont. Once a year, I speak with Patty and I order wreaths. This year, I was startled to recall that I have been ordering wreaths from Patty for almost thirty years. She and her family collect the pine boughs, cones and berries from their own woods. And she makes the wreaths. She boxes them up and ships them out just before Thanksgiving. I always want the wreaths to arrive before Thanksgiving so she indulges me. In the early years, her children helped. Now the grandchildren do most of the collecting. This year she will make 250 wreaths. My fingers hurt just thinking about all those wreaths. This week I had occasion to call because she still sends the wreaths from Ruth and Ken. I had spoken to her after last years about Ken bening deceasaed but she forgot. Her own husband had died late in September 2019 so she was not really on top of her routines. But we had a longer concersation last week than we had ever had before. She, like me, is now living by herself for the first time in her life. She married at 19. But my hats are off to her. She keeps my list from year to year and she works hard to get the wreaths completed. They are always beautiful and fresh. My friends are happy to receive those wreaths year after year. Unfortunately she is unable to ship wreaths to Canada. But I enjoy my own wreath every year and hope she can continue for many more years to come.