Candace

I live only two hours from Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I have friends and colleagues who were affected by Hurricane Helene. Do not believe the conspiracy theories/rumors that are floating around out there!

(1) FEMA is NOT trying to take land away, they do not have the authority!

(2) The government (local, state or federal) is NOT trying to take land away for the so called lithium mines! Believe me it takes a long time for a government to take someone's land, the process is called eminent domain, and I have handled this type of lawsuit before - the process takes well over a year or longer to complete;

(3) the government did NOT engineer the hurricane! I cannot believe we even have to say that!

(4) Yes, some people do get turned away from volunteering or dropping off donated supplies. The reason is due to dangerous roads, or the person is not associated with an organized group that is working in the area. We have had a lot of rogue volunteers taking matters into their own hands and the last we want is more injuries or fatalities.

(5) Please do not visit Western NC at this time. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway in NC is closed (as of 11/2/24 only 5-6 miles of the parkway have re-opened in NC, and the Biltmore Estate has re-opened), there have been about 250 landslides, now it's up to 1,925 landslides (as of 10/25/24) since Helene blew through; and most importantly, our neighbors in the mountains need time to heal physically, emotionally and mentally; and of course they need time to repair their homes and businesses. They simply are not able to serve tourists right now.

If you would like to help from afar, please donate to Samaritan's Purse; you can also sign up with them to volunteer with clean-up. Thank you!

Hello everyone!

I enjoy sending and receiving happy snail mail. I have no human babies, I had one elderly fur-baby - Mr. Carter the Cat a/k/a Grandpa Kitty, who passed away in December 2021 at the ripe old age of 21! In September 2022 I adopted French Toast who is 18 months old, although I'm calling him Toasty. Toasty is a ginger tabby who almost lost a hind leg. Thankfully the rescue saved his leg and it certainly does not slow him down, I'm constantly telling him to get down or taking him off a high place he should not be - little trouble maker!

I mainly like to do postcard, note card, and letter swaps. Please do not feel it is necessary to send any extras items to earn a heart. I already have way, way too much in my inventory and I'm trying to minimize!

Postmarks: My mail is now being delivered and picked-up very late in the day - as late as 8:00 PM, even on the weekends! I hit the send button once I have placed outgoing mail in the box, but obviously with the mail being picked-up so late, it most likely will not be postmarked until the next day.

I enjoy most books, historical fiction, travel memoirs, and biographies. I will read just about anything, there have been maybe two or three books I started but did not finish because I did not like them.

I'm attempting to learn how to crochet, I'm absolutely clueless! If you know of a You Tube channel that is helpful for absolute beginners, please let me know.

Postcrossing is my version of armchair traveling! I love to travel, and Postcrossing helps with the travel bug. I walked part of the the Frances route of the Camino de Santiago in September 2024, well only 102 miles of it. I'm looking forward to going back to walk more of it. In either October or November of 2025 I'll be heading to Hawaii (not sure which islands yet), so any recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated.

Walking / hiking and generally being outdoors, but there is nothing about camping that I enjoy - it's too much work to be enjoyable.

I'm not much of a TV or movie watcher, but will occasionally will subscribe to Netflix when new seasons of The Crown, Grace & Frankie, Messiah, Emily in Paris, Bridgerton and Sweet Tooth become available.

I love all things stationery (paper, notecards, journals, stickers, washi tape & gel pens);

All things pineapple and lemon;

Toast themed items - well, because of Toasty of course;

Toasty's favorite "toy" are bread ties/twisters, I've been calling them twisties - the kind with the wire in it. He does not chew on it, just swats it around. When he receives a new one, he runs off with it like he just stole it and got away with something!

I have become obsessed with the 'hello' and 'choose joy' motifs;

I'm a Francophile so that includes anything French related (Eiffel Tower, macaroons, lavender, berets, etc.);

Travel themed stickers and washi tape;

Journal prompts;

Quotes;

Religious items: I am a Christian and I enjoy learning about the various religions of the world. Feel free to send something related to your faith for learning purposes.

Butterflies;

Pinwheels;

Flowers: poinsettias, magnolias, peonies and geraniums

Animals: Cats, Hedgehogs, Llamas, Otters, Owls, Lambs/Sheep and Giraffes (adult appropriate ones are a challenge to find); and

Vespa / scooter - I have always wanted one, hopefully someday I'll own one.

Glitter - it usually ends up all over the house and my face!

Hello Kitty - yes, I'm a cat person, but I simply do not appreciate Hello Kitty items.

Disney or any other childish styles;

Cosmetics, bath and body products - I love them, but I now have allergies to a multitude of the ingredients :(

I Iike earl grey tea, but my favorites are mint, and chai. I like trying different flavors, so feel free to send others you think I may like.