STRAWBERRY PAPER TOWELS

The number one item on my birthday list: STRAWBERRY PAPER TOWELS. My kitchen is decorated with strawberries and I'm obsessive-compulsive enough to want everything TO MATCH! For years Bounty and Mardi Gras made them and I knew that my sister-in-law and niece from Gerald's side of the family would intrepidly shop store-to-store to find them.

One birthday several years ago my niece had given me an exquisite piece of Waterford which I believe that I showed proper appreciation for it.

When my sister-in-law came to the party, she was carrying a large, black, trash bag with a red bow tied around the top.

I immediately knew what was in it and I let out an exhilarated whoop: "Strawberry paper towels!"! The bag contained 26 rolls--a roll a week for half the year--of course I was excited!

The next time I was alone with my niece she asked if I had really liked the Waterford and I said that I adored it. She then said she couldn't believe the way I'd acted about the strawberry paper towels and that I seemed more excited about those than I did the Waterford!

OH, MY!

I explained that I knew that the Waterford was far more costly than the paper towels but I also knew that they had ALSO wanted to give me something I would truly appreciate and it was "our thing"! I continued and told her that the sister-in-law was on a fixed income but she and her daughter had searched for 6 months because they had given me a bag of 26 rolls of paper towels at Christmas and it was a challenge to find 26 more rolls.

Over the years it has become increasingly difficult to find the strawberry paper towels; Gerald has even checked on E-Bay, etc. to no avail.

My sister-in-law called today and said, "I haven't been able to find any strawberry paoer towels; how about if I get you an Olive Garden gift certificate?"

She and I have an ongoing joke: we hate to GIVE gift certificates because people know how much you've spent on them!