thought process

Catherine, my sister, is a compulsive ribbon hoarder. If you give her a gift she goes to great lengths (no pun intended) to save the length of ribbon. You can actually hear her heart beat faster if you pull out a pair of scissors and threaten to cut the ribbon. She is somewhat compelled to save the lives of wrapping paper as well, but not to the same extent.

I'm at her house right now and she just handed me a neatly bundled package of organza:

"But Jill, look, this is a ribbon that I received 7 years ago on a box of chocolates someone gave me in Ottawa. Isn't exquisite."

She is wrapping up a few little(and very small)items for someone. She stops and asks me,

"Do you think I should use this ribbon? (As she fondles a piece of mauve ribbon I used on a gift I gave to my father last Christmas.) It kind of matches the gift don't you think? What about this, does it match the color of the soap? No, maybe not."

I go back to what I'm doing and she continues on, almost pretty much to herself.

"What about this, is that colorful enough? Hmm."

I glance over and she is comparing another saved scrap of threaded confection against the choice of plain brown paper bag wrap. A decison is made and she carefully ties the bow and clips the ends into sharp pointy spears.

But, in all honesty, it's a charming and heartwarming trait to have. True to our frugal Scottish farm roots too. Catherine, has always been one to see the value of something another would carelessly toss:

"Wait! I can use that."

PS. She just opened a drawer and gasped, "Shoot! More ribbon." I laughed as they they all have be folded and secured and bagged.