Modern Day Pen Pals

Somewhere in South Africa, a woman named Alison is wearing a scarf I sent her and baking my husband’s favourite cookies for her husband. I have never met her, but we are modern-day pen pals. I have gathered a few email friends simply by responding to comments left on my blogs. 

I write a recipe blog titled From the Cookie Jar, which is published on Get a Bigger Wagon. I also write Glamour for Grandmothers. Sometimes I wake up promising myself that I will send a gift to the next person who comments on one blog or another. One morning, after such a promise, Alison sent me a message about a cookie recipe I had published on From the Cookie Jar. She remembered the recipe from the 50s and was overjoyed to find it again. She told me her husband loves the Crispy Caramel Oatmeal Cookies and she makes the recipe often. 

I wrote back thanking her for her comment on my blog and telling her that she had been selected to receive a silk scarf. The limited-edition, pure silk scarf is the result of a collaboration between John Alexander, a Canadian landscape photographer, and Indian textile artist Manori. I was sure she would love it. 

We began a series of emails back and forth. Although Alison was originally from England, she now lives in South Africa. At the time that we began communicating, South Africa had shut down its postal service because of COVID. Each time I tried to mail the scarf to Alison, our post office told me South Africa wasn’t accepting mail. This went on for months. Each time I failed to send the scarf, I emailed Alison to assure her that I would try again soon. In the meantime, we shared photos of cookies, the scarf, and our surroundings. 

Eventually, the parcel left Saskatoon. I was ecstatic. Alison warned me that it could still take months for her to receive it. She had sent a package to her daughter’s family in Australia that had taken six months to get there. We began checking in with each other every few weeks.

We are of similar age, have been married to our respective husbands for decades, and have handled COVID in a similar manner. Over the weeks, we compared notes on weather, food, friendship, and how much our husbands love the special cookies. When Saskatchewan was under snow, Alison was enjoying her outdoor pool. She told me that seniors, during COVID, had to exercise between 6:00 and 9:00 am, but the sun didn’t rise until 7:30 am at that time of year. She and her husband went for walks before sunup at the golf course across the street.

Then one day the scarf arrived and Alison sent me this photo. The colours are perfect on her. I noticed the lush scenery in the background. It was snowing in Saskatchewan at the time. 

  

The internet has certainly changed our lives. Without it, I wouldn’t be sharing recipes across the world, meeting subscribers like Alison, or keeping up with friends and family so easily. I remember a time when communicating with people in other countries required handwriting notes, mailing them, and waiting many weeks for a reply. 

At Christmas of 2021, while we were experiencing extreme cold, Alison and her husband were experiencing extreme heat. She replied to the electronic card I sent her with this little comment. 

Every time I notice a sticker saying South Africa on a lemon, I smile and think of Alison. I am sure our husbands would get along very well. After all, they have exceptional taste in cookies and wives.  

 

Alison made these cookies and sent me a photo. If she lived closer, I might have popped in for coffee.