Well, yesterday morning I went to check my Post Office box, and there it was, the note to tell me I had a parcel waiting for me.

My Secret Santa present!!!

I waited a whole two hours - while I was rushing around doing work-related stuff - and brought it home so that I could open it with hubby. But he upstaged me by buying a powerboat (fer Chrissakes! I've waited 51 days for my SS present and he goes and upstages me and gets all excited about a damn boat. Grrr!)

Anyway, gee Barbara thanks for the marrowbones. Just what I didn't know I needed. (Just kidding!) Some Turkey Joints, which are choc-filled candy things which look like marrowbones but taste really yummy.

Barbara enclosed a map of New York State, with an "X marks the spot" of where she lives. I looked up where the parents of a friend of mine lives, too. Wow. All the places in New York and NY,NY that I have heard of, read about, seen in movies or on TV, and now I can find out where they all are. I love it!

And then there is a lovely bottle of Maple Syrup, made where Barbara lives, and a jar of something else I have never ever heard of: maple cream. I'll need some guidance on the best way to use that, but I'm already totally clued up on maple syrup. I love it. Pancakes, bacon with corn fritters, ice cream, etc etc.

I'll take a photo today and get the film developed this week (luckily I am near the end of the roll, otherwise it could take months to get to the developing stage). I'll scan it and send it off to Mary ASAP.

Thank you very much, Barbara, for making my Christmas complete. I'll think of you whenever I taste the goodies or look at the map.

Helen