Sharing in Letters

As I sat on my porch this morning getting ready to write my letter of the day, I gazed out the window and it sure looked like rain was on the way.   It wasn't but a few minutes later that the rain did come - and a welcome visitor it was.  Hudson has been very dry lately and all the trees and plants have been mighty thirsty.

Any hour, any day, any situation,  is a good time to write a letter, but sitting peacefully while watching and listening  to the music of raindrops is an especially delightful  accompaniment to letter writing.

I pulled out my stationary and pen, sipped my morning coffee, and enjoyed the raindrops bouncing against the flagstone as I pondered just what to say in my letter to favorite pen friend Joy.  I was answering a sweet little package she recently sent me... yes,  I mean package.  Joy is always surprising me with the creative-looking letters she sends my way.

This time Joy put pages of blue-lined letter paper into a little white bag, the bag was decorated with delightful pictures.  This bag then went into her envelope.  It never ceases to amaze me how many different ways Joy will package her letters to me.  Such visual fun she offers all her lucky correspondents.  So what could I now send  Joy that might delight her half as much?

Because we both enjoy cooking and baking I decided a pretty recipe card with an interesting recipe might be something Joy would like.  Yesterday I was reading a favorite blog, Poppy's Patisserie, and I came upon a three-ingredient brownie recipe.  Many people commented on her blog saying they loved this recipe so I took it down. Besides the fact that these brownies are supposed to be delicious, they also seem very simple to make. (And we all know simplicity is truly appreciated by most people these days.)  The recipe calls for only 3 ingredients and one bowl to dirty, Yes! I thought Joy might really like this recipe. I can't wait to try it myself  and you might like to try it too. If you do try it and like it don't thank me, thank Poppy.  Here it is:

Nutella Brownies

Ingredients  - 1/2 cup Nutella spread, 1 large egg, 5 T. plain flour, 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (optional)

Process  -  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line 6 muffin tins with paper cups.  Wisk egg and Nutella together.  Add flour and wisk some more.  Put mixture in tins and sprinkle with nuts.  Bake 13-14 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Pretty simple, huh?

I hope the recipe will please all of us, especially Joy, but I also wanted to send her another thing, a Friendship Book.  Have you ever heard of Friendship books?  Most people in the States haven't, but my pen friends over seas seem to know all about them.  They send me Friendship books in most of their letters.

[caption id="attachment_2600" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Some Friendship Books[/caption]

Friendship books come in all shapes and sizes with various looks.  They're usually quite small, 4 x 6 inches or smaller, so they can easily be tucked into a letter envelope.  Inside the little Friendship book people put their names , addresses, a list of their favorite things, and they either say "Hello, just passing through", or they say, "Please write me".

The book is signed and then is sent off  in a letter to another  friend who signs the book and passes it on again.  The last page of the book will say "When full please return to".... and the name and address of the creator will appear.  It's really fun to see how these little books get around, and all along their travels  they give letter writers the opportunity to connect.  I have found many delightful correspondents  with the help of these little jewels.

Some people design darling little Friendship books.  Here's one created by my pen friend Tamra.  She lives in Portland, Orgeon.

Take a look inside.  People fill the little books in as they please.  There are no rules.  You can create your own Friendship books any way you like.  If you  get in the habit of inserting one in each of your letters you can feel proud that you're helping  to spread love and friendship around the world.  It's fun, especially when, like a boomerang, your Friendship books start returning to you filled with new perspective letter friends.

I like to create my Friendship Books using ribbon and polka dots.  If you're one of my correspondents it's just a matter of time before a Friendship book will arrive in a letter from me to you.

There are so many things to enjoy in life and many of them can be shared in letters.  Tasty recipes and Friendship Books are two things I especially enjoy sharing in my letters. I wonder what you like to share in your letters.  Maybe you'll write and tell me.  I'm always open to new ideas.

So write a comment on this post.  Write a letter to me. Write a letter to someone else.

Just Write!