Christmas Countdown & Blessings
Special Delivery
Look out! Oh, no! Whoa!
The amount of holiday mail is unbelievable this year. I’m Kim Dunworthy and I work for the Shady Pines post office. No kidding. We have our hands full – literally! Getting everything delivered on time is a real challenge. But we’re up to it.
Here’s the best part. Everyone knows we’re living in difficult times. But while I’m out making deliveries, I talk to our neighbors. This year, more than most, they’re counting their blessings.
All The News 
Take Zulah Talmadge for example. Our hard working editor of The Shady Pines Gazette is out reporting everyday on how our town is coping during this pandemic. When I delivered the mail to her office yesterday she told me about all the prople who have thanked her for doing such a good job. It really made her feel good. Isn’t that nice? She says she’s so grateful.
Get The Scoop
The same thing could be said for Scoop the Cub Reporter. That red headed teenager goes above and beyond the call of duty. I see him out in all sorts 
of weather reporting on everything. After a big storm, there he is telling us about power outtages and clean up efforts. Or, he’s down at Town Hall letting us know what the mayor has in mind for school closings and stuff like that. Why, I once saw him interviewing a group of folks who didn’t want the big oak tree on Main Street to be torn down. He’s says he’s so lucky to be a reporter. He 
feels it’s a privilege to make sure people feel their voices are being heard.
His Honor
Of course, the most influential voice in town is that of Mayor Beauregard P. Fibbs. He’s quite a character. I asked him the other day as I was dropping off a package what he likes about being mayor. He thought for a moment. Then he told me that serving others is a wonderful way to spend each day. He said it’s not the big speeches or the parades that matter. He feels good when he can do something to improve the life of a person or a family in need. He showed me the stack of Thank You letters he’s recieved. After reading some of them, I see what he means.
Centered Activities
Over at the Community Center I drop off a whole stack of mail for Rita Mallena. As the center’s director, she’s been switching up activities like crazy trying to make sure most of them can be done on line. Teachers at nearby Shady Pines Elementary School have been doing the same. Rita says she’s had so much help from an army of volunteers. By coordinating with the school she’s been able to keep kids entertained and engaged in ways she would never have thought up on her own. I think I saw tears in her eyes as she explained how grateful she is to everyone who has helped her this year.
What a Doggone Year
I know the Sanders family will have a thing or two to say. As I park in front of their home on Dogwood Drive across from Copy Cat Lane, I hear voices laughing out back. Harold and Edna are playing with their dog, Boomerang, while their cat, Halley’s Comet, sits on the picnic table trying to ignore them. I hand them a fistful of envelopes and ask how they’re doing. Harold says he’s more grateful than ever for the things he used to taked for granted. Friends and family take on new meaning now. Edna says she’s found new purpose volunteering with food drives and the ‘Give A Kid A Coat’ campaign. Mostly, they say, they have more tolerance and compassion knowing that everyone is hurting in some way. For more, check out Boomer and Halley Books
A Parting Thought
That’s the thing. We all may feel isolated at times; even depressed. I know I’ve had days when I thought, “will I get through this?” 2020 has been a really tough year. And, we don’t always know what other people are going through, do we? Here’s a video about being grateful from the sensational Emmy Award-winning vocal group Pentatonix called, THANK YOU.
So as I finish up my rounds today, I want to deliver this message that my mom told to me. Take time to cherish the people in your life. Time is precious. Count your blessings and be thankful for the good things you do have. Be kind, even when it’s hard. Give people the benefit of the doubt and hope they will do the same for you.
Oh, no, I running late. Merry Christmas! See you soon!
EDNA’S KITCHEN STORIES 
It’s me, Edna Sanders. Welcome to Edna’s Kitchen. In honor of Valentine’s Day I want to tell you about the time my wonderful husband, Harold, did something to demonstrate his love for me. As a result of his efforts, my kitchen blender has become famous in our small Southern town of Shady Pines.
You see, my blender, Gertie, is always blowing her top. Maybe you’ve heard about this problem? No matter where I go in town, people like to tease me. They’ll say things like:
“Hey Edna, I hear NASA is tracking that blender of yours across several galaxies.”
“Chop, chop, Edna. That blender of yours is about to blow!”
“Edna, has the Ford Motor Company called you yet about your blender? I hear they’re looking for ways to rev up the engines in their new cars!”
Anyway, you get the drift. My blender has become a joke with lot of punch lines. And, I haven’t even made punch in it yet! So, I want to let you in on 
the secret behind my super-duper kitchen device.
My dear husband, Harold, knows how I like to experiment with all sorts of new recipes. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I lose track of time. Oh, that’s another good story. I’ll tell you that one later.
So, there I am stirring and adding a pinch of this and that, and I don’t realize how late it’s getting. Harold comes home from work thinking that I’m making dinner. But I was really making appetizers for a get-together the next day at the Community Center where I volunteer. Our dog, Boomerang was lying on the floor under the kitchen table, and our cat, Halley’s Comet, was snoozing on here window seat. They like to keep me company when I cook.
“Hi Honey. What’s for dinner?”
“Oh, Harold. You startled me.”
“Sorry. Guess you couldn’t hear me over that noisy blender of yours.”
“Be kind to Gertie. She may be getting on in years, but she can still get the job done.”
“Why don’t you let me take that thing and give it a tune-up?”
“Well, I will be busy at the Center tomorrow afternoon. I guess that’ll be all right.”
“Sure. And here’s the best news. Once the ‘ole gal is back to running full force, you’ll be able to make more recipes in less time.”
You know Harold’s intentions are well meaning. He likes to tinker with things down at his store. When you own Nuts ‘N Bolts hardware, that’s what you do. He left for work the next morning with Gertie tucked under one arm. I was a little anxious, but what can you say?
Harold returned home that evening and proudly placed Gertie back on the kitchen counter.
“Edna, it’s time for a test drive.”
“I’ll just pull a few ingredients together and…”
“No, no. Let’s make your chicken soup that I like so much. With the vegetables and everything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
So, Harold helped me chop and dice and pour. Now, for the moment of truth. I turned Gertie on low. She hummed. Wow. But Harold wanted me to see what, “this baby can really do.” The last thing I remember was Harold’s hand cranking the dial to Full Speed.
In a split second, Gertie blew her lid and launched. You heard me. That blender came unplugged and flew off the counter tossing the contents of tonight’s dinner all over the place. Some part of her must have hit me because I was down. I could hear Boomer barking and Halley howling. I still can’t remember how Harold caught Gertie and turned her off.
Harold helped me up, Halley hopped over me, and Boomer licked my face. All the while my industrious husband was saying something about “turbo-charging the engine” of the blender. I mumbled, “Oh, for crying in the soup.”
And that’s how the legend of Gertie, my blender, was born. Surprisingly, Gertie survived her frantic flight. And since that night, I have found ways to better control her speed and power. Harold was right. The new, and improved Gertie has cut down on the time it takes me to whip something up. I must tell you there are still times, when, well, we have our little mis-adventures.
It doesn’t matter. What matters is that Gertie helps me create recipes for people to enjoy. Only, now, she’s able to do it in record time, due to Harold’s loving gesture. He was just trying to help make things easier for me. In Edna’s Kitchen kindness and caring are the best ingredients of all in the small Southern Town of Shady Pines!
*** Check out other fun activities this Valentine’s Day in our Pine Cone Corner Activity Packet