Pat an I have been best friends since high school.  I met her at a summer camp between our junior and senior years in high school where we learned about state government.  Keystone Girls State.

Most of the time she and I would sit beside each other during the conference.  One day I took a transistor radio into the auditorium, put the one and only earphone on my shoulder, turned up the radio as loud as it would go (though we could hardly hear it) and listened to the latest music.   No iPods or mp3 players back then.

She was from the eastern part of the state and I was from the western part.  I’m not sure how we connected with each other but we became fast and furious friends.

Once we got back home we’d write to each other at least twice a week.   No email back then.

Rarely would we call each other.  No cell phones back then either and we actually had to pay for long distance calls.  Sometimes I would scrape up enough nickels, dimes and quarters and use a pay phone to call her.  Do they still have pay phones anymore?

We kept in contact throughout college, after we each got married and when our kids were born.  Sometimes it was just a yearly Christmas card but we would still talk/write about seeing each other.

It took 21 years before we actually got together again and we started up just like we’d seen each other yesterday.  We have that kind of friendship.

Our kids grew up, got married, had children of their own.  She moved.  I moved.  Life happened.

We got together several times over the years but the last time was in 2004. 

2004

That is until last week.

Zanesville, Ohio is a little more than half way for me and a little less than half way for her but that’s our meeting spot.

We went to the Longaberger Basket Homestead, several pottery places, and shopping centers.  We laughed, we talked, we stood in front of a big hairy bear.

Patti and Pat and a big bear

I knew Pat could crochet but did not know she could knit, too.  I took the leafy washcloth pattern, yarn and a couple of pair of size 7 knitting needles in case she wanted to learn how to knit.   Fortunately I didn’t have to teach her how to knit but I did teach her how to m1 (make one) and ssk (slip, slip, knit 2 together).  We each started and finished a Leafy Wash cloth in one evening.

She bought more cotton yarn to make more of these.  I gave her the printed pattern, the pair of knitting needles and a couple stitch markers so she could make more once she got home.

Pat called me last night when she didn’t have the correct number of stitches on her needles.  I talked her through it and she was good to go.

She said she’d send me pictures of her completed wash cloths.  I can’t wait to see them because… I FORGOT to take pictures of ours!!!