Have you ever wondered how weird things end up in your life and especially on your desk? I am not a “pack rat.” Not even close, but I do find myself battling thoughts of “keeping things” that people give me. I have a set of antique keys that my grandfather gave me when I was a child. They were used in his store in Newnan, Georgia. I don’t ever want to lose those. In fact, I have lost my own keys but have never lost his!

Believe it or not, rocks are another thing that I can’t resist. When I was in Boston with a friend a few years ago we drove up the coast to Gloucester, and while we were there we noticed a lot of smooth flat and round rocks on a beach. This was pure temptation for two creative people. Of course we stopped. Of course, we “collected,” and of course, I still have them today. (And of course security at the airport thought we were nuts!) I don’t collect just any rock. It needs to have a  “Wow Factor!” But I realize my “Wow Factor” can be different than yours. I also know if I’m not careful (Lucille Ball wasn’t; check out the classic movie: The Long, Long Trailer) that “wow factor” can get me in trouble. I also have discovered that once people find out you like rocks, they begin to give them to you! Like the ones in this photo.

Kelly Vickers gave me this rock at the top left hand corner. It’s quartz. He found it at Indian Springs near Toccoa Falls, and I think it looks like a Dragon’s tooth. . . . So now I have frightened myself and need counseling!! I’m not sure where the orange rock came from but remember a friend gave it to me. The little white rock is from North Carolina and the others from the Smoky Mountains . . . and so it goes with just a few of my collected rocks!