Thinking lots about socks…

Back in December in response to rockin’ socks being sported by you know who,

Yes, him.

I threw out a call for us all to signal boost charities that donate socks, or to donate socks ourselves to local charities.  I threw in a nifty sock tree graphic, and then replaced it with a more decorated one a few days later.  Then December caught up with me and then December got away from me!

Now it’s January, and it is bitterly cold.  Not cold enough if you ask MiniMe, since it needs to be -35° F with the windchill factor in order for school to be delayed and her to sleep in.  Today the windchill factor was only –26° F, so off to school they went.  To put that kind of cold into perspective, in this weather, exposed human flesh can freeze in as little as 15-20 minutes.  It’s not just uncomfortably cold, it’s dangerously cold.  That fact led me to think about socks again.

Every day I look this:

The most puzzling question of all time…

Most days the elusive enigma that is my odd sock basket only makes me grimace.  Where, in the name of all that is good and right, do all those freaking socks go?  People take off two matching socks, I collect laundry and wash it and when the baskets are put away, I’m left with a giant pile of unmatched loners.  Usually I look at it with a scowl and the intention to dump it and play a round of hosiery Husker Du, but today when I looked at it, I realized that there are plenty of people in the world who would happily wear a yin yang paired with a pink, black and purple stripe.  Toes stay just as warm in a pink and blue bunny and a white with blue bottom.  I realized that my odd sock basket probably has a couple dozen “pairs” in it.  Matching or not, no one in my house ever needs to go out in the cold with no socks.

It also made me remember that in the process of excavating in my vehicle, I “unearthed” a bag of socks that I’d bought before Christmas to donate to the families we adopted at church.  Having temporarily mis-located them (I do not *lose* things), I bought more and put them in with the rest of the loot to be donated.   Now that they’ve resurfaced, I think I’ll drop them off at the local shelter before they wander off again.

So, if you have the opportunity, means and inclination, consider making a sock donation…most shelters are in need of them year round.

That’s the third version of the sock tree  – think we can fill it up and start another for 2015?