TBW Daily Diary

Blustery, cold and lonely. So many friends (Steve Patton, Victoria Zellers, Mike Billo, Jon Carfagno) are busy with their gardening in Facebook Farmville that Bob and I are feeling neglected. How many more of you are similarly employed? . . . Compiled statistics for our 2009 card sales today and discovered we sold 13 fewer cards than the year before. This saddens me primarily because the formality of well-wishing via the post is fast disappearing. E-mails and texting have taken place of that. So impersonal . . . Remember the days when greeting cards were proudly displayed on the fireplace mantel or the office desk? Can't do that with cyber greetings. Our Christmas cards were always mounted on a ribbon around the archway between the living and dining rooms while other families had those wire brackets shaped like wreaths or trees with clips for the cards. Bob collects our greetings in a wicker basket that is put out for all to rummage through. It is part of the joy of the season . . . People say they text or e-mail because cards and postage are too expensive but it is really convenience that is the selling point; we don't go out of our way for friends like we used to. (I will admit however that when The Bare Wall opened 38 years ago a 50-cent card was a major extravagance.) . . . Many people still take the time to pen a "thank you" (Bob is a stickler for this) and thankfully most refrain from texting their condolences. I find those "sign the on-line guest book" in some newspaper obituaries downright "creepy." . . .