Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A little story today.

As you might remember, I am a longtime Filofax user. For those who don’t know, a Filofax is a specific kind of planner made in Great Britain. They’ve been around a long time. I first discovered them when I was teaching at Boston University. One of my colleagues had one – stuffed with all kinds of calendars and addresses and information – and I was fascinated by it. I knew immediately that this was the kind of planner that would work for me, one that would meet the challenge of recording class schedules, rehearsal schedules, to do lists, etc. (Even with the advent of iPhones and laptops, I still need to write things down. That makes them real to me.)

But I was poor. So the best I could do was to buy the Filofax inserts (the calendar, etc.) but use an cheap cover, which is all I could afford. Over the years, I strayed at times, trying Day Planners, Year at a Glance, even a Palm Pilot, but I always came back to Filofax. When we moved out east, I started working in the city a lot and I found the perfect stationery store which carried Filofaxes. I finally bought a planner.

Here it is, from a post in 2013. It’s been well loved; a little battered, but beautiful. I will never give it up. It’s the Kensington model, which is, sadly, no longer being produced.

Okay. Fast forward to a blog I love called Philofaxy – all about planners and how people use them (which I find utterly fascinating.) I recently learned there was a Facebook group associated with the blog and I joined. I’ve been thinking of updating my planner so that all the wear and tear isn’t concentrated on one planner, so I posed a question about my Kensington and a model called Malden and whether changing over would be a good idea. I had lots of responses, very helpful and generous information. Many urged me to hang on to my Kensington because they’re so well made. (I will.)

I received a notice of a comment from a woman who contributes to the blog and remembered a post I wrote on MHC circa 2013 about how much I loved my Filofax. I was chuffed that she had read it! And then another comment followed, from Deborah, in which she said she was a longtime reader of the blog (2 people who had read the blog!) She expressed her appreciation for MHC and said that she had a Malden that she wanted to give me. Could I DM her my address?

I was stunned. Give me? Are you kidding me? Needless to say, I expressed my gratitude at her generous gesture in my reply, as I still couldn’t get over her offer. We exchanged information and this arrived yesterday:

It’s simply beautiful.

She included some dividers that she thought I would like.

She was right. Aren’t they absolutely charming? Just the kind of whimsy that I love.

I’ve since transferred my calendars, etc., from the Kensington to the Malden. The Kensington needs some polishing and restoring and I’m going to do that.

Over the almost 12 years I’ve been blogging, I have been humbled again and again by the generosity of my readers. I’ve been given so many gifts, simply because readers want to thank me for the blog. I don’t deserve it. I say this because I mean it, not to illicit any responses of “Oh yes, you do.” I’m not making light of those responses – they mean the world to me. When someone writes a comment saying how much this blog, or a certain post, has helped them, or how it provides a pocket of peace and sanity in these times, my eyes tear up. I often share those responses with Don and I start to cry. So your words and actions mean a great deal to me.

I simply write from my heart on any given day, hoping it strikes a chord of some kind. It helps  me. That you appreciate those words or pictures is the icing on the cake. So I’m not feigning humility, it’s truly how I feel.

Thank you, Deborah. Thank you so much! And thank you all for being out there, for comforting me in times of loss or fear, for sharing your thoughts with me, for being my friends. I never take you for granted.

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One quick note: I’ve received some questions lately that have come via a response to the email version of the posts. As I have said many times in the past, I am unable to respond to those because that email is from my server and is only for the posts. If you have a question, please come to the blog and leave it in the comments. I believe you can click on the post title in the email and it will bring you to the blog. Failing that, send an email to me via the envelope icon at the top of the sidebar on the right and I’ll gladly respond. Thanks.

Happy Saturday.