It's A Mystery...

That would be my response if Alex Trebek were asking the question, rather than giving the answer, to "How did you get that collection of pens you have?"

The other day I was writing something and noticed some wording on the pen. That lead to a hunt-and-seek to see what other pens are lying around the house. Among my collection are pens from:

American Bank of Heber, Utah (not where I have ever banked)

Utah Collex Inc (whatever that is) from Payson, Utah

Walgreens

Zyrtec (a navy and lime-colored pen I got from the doctor one day. I was wearing a lime green shirt and navy blue pants and made a comment about matching the pen, and he handed it to me.)

Bilco Safe & Lock

A pen that looks like a candy cane

Utah Retirement Systems (every 22 years you get a free pen)

The Mending Shed, a fabulous little fix-it shop in Orem

And one from Disneyland (where I've never been) given to me by a co-worker.

My regular daily pen-of-choice is the good old all-blue Papermate. Once in a while, I'll get on a Bic kick, especially the "Round Stic". For years, I was legendary at work for only wanting the clear pen from Bic with the black ink (10 for $1.00), and considered it a personal challenge to use up every drop of ink, no doubt some inherited frugality issue. It's amazing how much you can get out of a pen even when it looks like it's empty. A couple of times I even wrapped some Scotch tape around the tip to hold it together til the ink was all gone. Pure satisfaction! However...if a pen starts to leak, whether old or brand new, I have no qualms whatsoever about throwing it in the nearest trash can.

Just out of curiosity (why are there so dang many pens around here?), I decided to count them...not every one in the house, under the beds, etc, mind you, just in the usual places. I was amazed to find we have more than 100 pens around here, and all of them have ink, so without ever buying another one, we are good to go for several lifetimes. However, Imelda Marcos-like, I know at some point, I will walk down an aisle sometime/somewhere and be overcome by the urge to buy another pen. It's my cheap thrill.

When I was a kid, The Lindy Co. (now defunct) made a wonderful line of "stick pens" with metal clips which came in several colors (13 to be exact) and two different lengths, @2-3 for a dollar, the only example of reverse-inflation in the universe. Now, if there's something neater than a regular pen, it's a pint-sized version. Oh, how I wish I had 100 Lindy pens lying around!

I own two pens used just for writing, and then only for serious writing. They are both silver and made by Cross. One is a man's pen and a little too fat for me to use comfortably. The other is a lady pen, not wonderfully slick like the fat pen and a little too trimline to keep a good grip. But, like Cinderella's step-sisters, I know a glass slipper when I see one :o)

Love Is Never Having to Say You're Sorry?

This story is priceless, another day (episode) in the life of Grandson Talon. He is obsessed with Calvin & Hobbes and could indeed give Mr. Patterson a run for his money.

In Dayna's words (mostly):

"The night before last (Saturday) around 1:00 am. Talon got an extra surge of energy, he goes into his room and when he comes out, he had a poster board wanting me to cut out a mask for him 'cause he wanted to be a Super hero. I made him a mask. His hero's outfit consisted of a sword on his right hip, a little toilet plunger on the left hip, two colored markers in his belt loop, no shirt, and a plastic bag for his cape and mask. Then back into his room. When returning to the front room, he asked me to make him a real cape. Now it was late so I told him not now, we'll have to do it tomorrow. He needed to go to bed. The next thing I noticed, he had paper and a marker and was drawing (which is nothing new since he is always creating something).

The next morning as I got up and walked past his bedroom door, I noticed the sign:

Then entering the kitchen, I saw laid out on the counter the book. Looking at the picture on the cover of the book, it was exactly like Talon's super hero costume the night before.

I opened up the book. You'll see many scenes and segments of him. Cleaning the house, eating his favorite foods then the story turns to him going to the dump, me yelling at him, me over his grave, etc.

Then later on that morning he and I were on the couch. I was watching a movie and he was holding his note and book he just made. He looks over at me and says: "Mom if you apologize, I will rip up the note and book". I explained I wasn't going to apologize for sending him to bed because it was late, and I didn't do anything wrong.

About 20 or 30 minutes later we were still on the couch and I was really involved in the movie we were watching, Mantracker. When he started to ask me questions, thinking he was playing one of his many little games, and not wanting to hurt his feelings again, I answered his questions while watching tv, not really paying attention. First question was "Mom, what's the first letter in Super hero?" I answered S. Then a few minutes later "Mom, what's the first letter in Octopus?" I said O. Again a few minutes later, "So Mom, what's the second to the last letter in Shark?" Annoyed, since I knew he knew the answers, but still playing along, I'm like R, Talon. "Mom, what the first letter in Roar?" R, Talon. "Mom what's the first letter in Yellow? I answered, its Y. Then Talon looks at me with a slight grin and holds up the letter he had written...and begins to rip it down the middle.

That's when I realized he'd played me better than Mantracker, and I had just spelled out the word SORRY.