Don't Forget: You Can Get Off the Conveyor

Last night, Pete and I went to Costco because if one of something is good, I want eight, and Costco has that! It's great for our care package project. You can participate almost without effort. See?

The following items are of great use to the deployers:

Black/brown t-shirts and black socks
crystal light packets
individual size beef jerky
nuts
energy bars
lip balm
sun screen
foot powder
baby wipes
hand/antibacterial soap
toothbrushes
floss
individually wrapped hard candy
phone cards
blank greeting cards/letter writing materials
sunflower seeds
assorted snack items

You can send some items, all these items, a case of any one kind of item. They will be grateful for what you send, regardless. Also: they especially want hand sanitizer and baby wipes.

Not on the list: I have heard that eye drops are also prized. Books are also great.

My contact with the program, who shall remain charmingly anonymous and not a person I made myself, says also:

We also have a program for our families called Operation Sweet Dreams. In this program the family member sends us a digital photo, we transfer to a pillowcase and the family gives to the deployed member to take with them or is sent to the deployed location. With that we would need plain white pillow cases.

Donations can be dropped off or mailed to:
Airman & Family Readiness Center
706 Washington Ave
Bldg 10122
Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437

Whenever I mention this project, minstrel and I have a charming conversation in comments about his plans to open a truffle shop, and while I'm desperate to hear more about these truffles I'm not yet eating, I can't help but notice you Poor Impulsives make the crickets! crickets! sound about air-mailing to airmen. My feelings are not hurt! I read the stats, and I can see between 450-700 of you drop by every day for profiteroles at tea time. Maybe you're just not the fussy "Me, too!" type: good for you! Without a word, you mailed off a six-pack of granola bars. I love you so madly I'd like to test my no-transfer lipstick: MWAH!

So there we were, tooling about the flavored water and juice aisle and Pete seemed restive and distracted.

Tata: So when you're happy - hooray!
Or sad - Aw!
Or frightened - Eek!
Or mad - Rats!
Or excited - Wow!
Or glad - Hey!
An interjection starts the sentence right!
Pete: What - what are you singing?
Tata: Generally set apart from a sentence
By an exclamation point!
Or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong!
Pete: You serenade me with punctuation?
Tata: I serenade you with Schoolhouse Rock. It's the only reason I can multiply.

I pirouetted between the meatcase and the fresh seafood display. Nobody batted an eye.

Tata: See? Three six nine, twelve fifteen eighteen, twenty-one twenty-four twenty-seven, thirty!

Pete giggled as only very secure men and teenage girls can.

Pete: Let's go look at cookies.