And I can see that I am once again back in typical Happy Holly form …

Okay, here’s the story.

I have a friend … Jeanne the Bat Lover … who went to both High School and College with me … we lived on the same hall in College … before she got the apartment right next to the man I dated through college.

She is not only is a consummate actor in community theatre productions, and a recently retired school teacher … but she also just moved into a new home.

A home she and her husband built from plans. A home that is beautiful. A home that I will have the pleasure of staying in tonight. A home that deserves a house-warming present.

But what do you get for someone who has had a household for a full lifetime … and is more in throw-it-out mode than add-it-in mode?

Flash back to earlier this year when I first heard about the house. And my mind started … I do like to do gifts that mean something to the person.

And then I realized what would work … and it consisted of four parts.

It centered around her and her love … of tea … well suffice it to say that I started to assemble … something … multiple things … in preparation for this.

Part I –  This part I got at a local greenhouse in May. The idea was to have a live mint plant … mint goes well with iced tea … and her husband is a more than capable master gardener.

I am not.

The mint died.

Now if you don’t know, mint is like a weed. Nothing kills it.

I killed it.

And got another.

Part II – This part was gleaned from a local Arts Festival over Memorial Day weekend … the inspiration hit.  So I got … the Specialty Tea Bags. Even got some for myself. Really cool specialty tea bags of fabulous flavors in really nice little gauzy pouches.

I thought.

Part III – So, now there was another thing that I thought would be cool to include along with all of this. And I started to assemble what needed done for this third thing in late June … over the course of a week or so.

And set it aside for the final step to be done shortly before I gave her this thoughtful gift.

You notice I have not said what this third thing is … and you will see why in a moment.

Then the second mint plant died. And I got a third one.

Part IV – I had gotten myself this really, really cool Primula Iced Tea maker not too long ago.  And it has this really cool tea bag holder to hold the tea bags as they steep …  and it is small enough to make like two tall glasses of tea … so you can just put it in the microwave to heat the water if you want.

Really cool.

So, in early July I ordered one online for her.

And in due time it came and has been sitting on the kitchen table since … waiting for an opportunity for me to go and give it to her.

It was about this time that I decided to open the one gauzy specialty tea bag set I had gotten for myself …  and discovered it was not tea bags … it was loose tea.

This is going to make it difficult to hang from a tea bag holder, I’m thinking.

Scrap Part II.

And the third mint plant died.

Scrap Part I.

Obviously she is meant to drink tea and she is not meant to have mint in it. At least not mint from me.

Resurrect Part II.

I decided that tea is tea … and she probably has a tea ball or something for loose tea …

So the tea maker, the tea not-bags, and the other part I have not named sat around waiting for the appropriate time.

Flash forward to this week. I plan to go to visit and see her in a play … and stay over at her house … and give her the house-warming offering … such as it is.

Meanwhile, a day or so ago, I came across something that reminded me … I had not completed what needed completed in order to successfully give her Part III. And there is not enough time to complete what needs completed  to include it by this weekend.

Scrap Part III.

She can get it for Christmas.

But at least I have Part II, sort of … and Part IV. 

So, getting ready for leaving, I got a call from Jeanne the Bat Lover … asking if I might be willing to bring in something her daughter had gotten her … from an upscale specialty place here in the area where we live. Her daughter and I both live two hours from her.

So of course I said yes.

Her daughter just dropped the package off for me to take in. I am always glad to do a favor for a friend.

And what … among other things … did her daughter get for her mom … that I am delivering for her?

A tea-pot …

Its going to be a great weekend …