About to attend the August wedding of one of my chosen children, I splurged on a new linen dress and a pair of wonderful dressy sandals from a company called Cork-ease. They served me well at the joyous wedding, which was followed by a lively reception.

Soon after the celebration, both dress and shoes were relegated to the back of the closet in favor of my mostly somewhat dirty garden overalls, my daily uniform. Time passed, and during a stretch of bad weather I decided to get rid of unworn clothing and shoes by giving them to a friend who collects and often resells such things. She was delighted and wore one of the summer sweaters right out the front door!

On a later visit, I asked her if the shoes were also a hit. The flats didn’t quite fit, but she told me she was excited to wear the sandals to a summer wedding she was about to attend! Good timing. She put the sandals on just before she was to leave, and POW, they exploded, leaving nothing but the leather straps and bits and pieces of cork everywhere! Twelve years in the closet had apparently left the cork dry and brittle.

Lesson learned: Some things are not forever. We’re still laughing!