I know this is Thursday, Stephanie's day, but we swapped for reasons that are pretty boring. Check in Monday for her review of "Strangers in the Desert" by Lynn Raye Harris.
Apparently I have been committing a major hostess faux pas for—well, always.
I don't buy Kleenex. I didn't realize what a bad thing this was until I heard my mother-in-law say to someone, "Oh, she never has Kleenex."
Well. Okay. It's not that I would mind buying Kleenex. I just don't think about them. I use a handkerchief. I have all kinds—cotton, linen, new, vintage, fancy, plain, with lace, without. I have cheap printed ones that my grandmother bought at the dime store fifty years ago and two brand new beautiful embroidered ones given to me by Precious this past Christmas.
I have one that I didn't wash for a year because I had cried into it with a grief so profound that I did not think mere soap and water could possibly clean it. But one day I said, "Jean! Get grip! You paid a fortune for that in Ireland. Get the eye makeup out it—if that's even possible at this point." The wonders of Tide and a little hand washing. There it was, ready for the next round of tears. Or nose blowing and sneezing. And why not? That's what a handkerchief is for, no matter where it came from.
I guess The Guy has been using toilet paper all these years. (You will be very relieved to know that I do buy toilet paper.) I haven't heard him say, but I haven't seen him wipe his nose on his sleeve either. He's polite that way. He has handkerchiefs too, but he mostly uses them when he dresses up. He doesn't think much about handkerchiefs, I guess.
Come to think of it, neither did I, until lately.
So for all of you who have come to my house and needed a Kleenex, I apologize from the depths of my soul. I will endeavor to correct this problem. But I will tell you this: You are going to have to go to the bathroom to fetch one. Or the guest room. I am not setting Kleenex boxes all over my kitchen counters and living room.
That's the best I can do for you.
Have you ever discovered that you have been overlooking something for years?
I remember my grandmother handing me her handkerchief when I was little. I still have all those hankies which I treasure for the memories.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of anything I've overlooked for years; there probably is but no one has pointed it out to me yet. I do have an aside. I was having a Christmas party this last year and I discovered that Kleenex now sells disposable hand towels in a box. Wonderful! Keeps the guest from using those fancy finger towels I always put out. I love those things!
Anything to save laundry!
DeleteWe have kleenex boxes all over the house. The Physicist is a major nose blower. At the oddest times, too. Any rate, I think what I've been overlooking is creating color and atmosphere in my home so I've been working on that a lot this year. I already feel peppier.
ReplyDeleteI remember my Oma's handkerchiefs. She used a certain scent and would put it on the hanky to soothe me when I wasn't feeling well or scared or temperamental. She'd hold my head in her lap, stroke my brow with it and the scent would melt away all the ugliness.
Sometimes I catch a whiff of that scent and it brings her back to me in a rush of memories.
Thanks for a great post!
Oh, what sweet memories. Isn't it funny how a scent can evoke a memory? Sometimes I feel the emotion before I remember why.
DeleteLTC uses handkerchiefs. I've always used Kleenex or toilet paper and never thought much about it. I love handkerchiefs. My grandmother had pretty ones and I have a floral one she gave me from one of her travels. Can't remember where she got it.
ReplyDeleteI should use them. It would save trees. LTC thinks Kleenex are for barbarians. Guess what that makes me. Lol! Hmmmm. Perhaps I should take a cue from you, dearest Jean, and invest in some pretty, frilly ones.
What have I overlooked? Not sure. Sometimes I feel like I didn't spend enough time on my children and now that they've grown, I've lost special time. But maybe I'm just feeling a bit sentimental right now.
I know I've overlooked putting my memories to good use. I can't seem to remember what I did yesterday. Lol!
I love hankies too, Jean. I have fond memories of them from my grandmothers, but the best one is of ironing them. Helen (now fondly known as "The Help", though I have often referred to her as my stand-in-mother because she was the only one I saw much of before I went to grade school).....anyway, Helen taught me to iron using my daddy's handkerchiefs. I thought it was the grandest thing in the world to stand at the ironing board on a stool and iron those little cotton cloths for him. And to be trusted with an iron at the age of 4! Holy Moly!
ReplyDeleteOh. I overlooked the overlooking. Sorry.
DeleteLesia,I learned to iron using my daddy's handkerchiefs. I think I was probably 6 or so. They smelled on so good and fresh!
DeleteMy daddy's hankies were my first ironing project too!
DeleteThanks to Jean for swapping with me. I like both handkerchiefs and Kleenx depending on the circumstances. I prefer a handkerchief for grief and tears but for runny noses I like the disposable aspect of tissue.
ReplyDeleteIt just depends.
Then let's hope you don't have to get that hankie out for a long time!
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