Writing a column is a lonely profession. Whether you do it at home or in an office setting, ultimately you are alone, listening to the little voice inside your head, and staring at a blank computer screen.
I work from home, which is very convenient and comfortable, and I have access to my editors whenever I need them, but at the end of the day, it is still just me, the little voice inside my very busy head, and the blank computer screen.
When I began doing columns in the '80s I had to hand deliver my columns to the newspaper office. After a while, I invested in a fax machine which, at the time, I thought was the bee’s knees.
Then came the internet and with it, emails. This was great, because now instead of driving to the office to pick up my mail (comments from readers), it came directly to me.
My readers' comments have always been important to me. It is a connection to the outside world you do not always get as a columnist and my readers have been very kind and encouraging to me over the years.
Best of all, I have met some very interesting people that began with an email and developed into a column.
Crystal Guyer Is one of those readers. She was kind enough to send me an email after my column on The South Bay Pub and Eatery, where I mentioned a berry drink that is available only for a short time each year - -- but I could not remember its name.
Crystal suggested it might be the Marionberry. I sent her a thank-you email and was intrigued by her email address, Crystal@nannasgoodies.com. After a quick trip to her website, I knew I wanted to meet her.
She began crafting when she was around seven years old and is still at it today, at age 75. One of her sons built a website for her. “I'm right here in Lacey and I carry handcrafted (by me) gifts of all kinds as well as hard-to-find and killer deals on craft supplies. I operate online because brick and mortar stores are SO expensive and I am now disabled,” she explained.
Crystal suffers from PTSD and has mobility issues. Her support companion is a 7-½-year-old long-haired dachshund named Baby Girl whom she describes as a ‘diva’. They clearly share a great deal of affection for one another. It also explains why there are crocheted small-dog hats listed for sale on her website.
When she is not tending to Baby Girl’s needs, she has returned to another of her loves, creating doll houses and their miniatures. Crystal ships her goods anywhere, or if you are local, she says you are welcome to stop by and pick them up at the address on her website.
Ok, I admit I had to ask what a ‘binky’ was. At our house, it was a pacifier. In Crystal’s world, it is the baby blanket that is usually accompanied by a thumb-sucking toddler, and twin-size blankets for the older kids.
The Binky Patrol is a group that makes baby and children’s blankets to donate to the Safe Place in Olympia; a non-profit organization for battered women and their children. To go to the Sage Place website, click here.
October is National Domestic Abuse Month and Crystal hopes to host her first Bink-a-Thon on October 28. She is asking for the following donations to bring this event to fruition:
That’s right – all she currently has is the dream. But between Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and the rest of Thurston County, we can make it come true. If you can help you can contact her at her email address above.
We can do this Thurston County! After all, who doesn’t want to be able to say they were part of a “Bink-A-Thon” hosted by a nanna that crochets hats for little dogs?
Kathleen Anderson writes this column each week from her home in Olympia. Contact her at kathleen@theJOLTnews.com or post your comment below.
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