Card Spotlight: 1-16-09

1992 Donruss #457 - Ken Patterson

Sometimes all you need is the right expression on a face for a card to become a favorite. Could Donruss have picked out a more awkward picture of Ken Patterson? I'd love to see the pile of rejects from this group.

Ken does have the distinction of playing for both Chicago teams. He is one of the very few players that have been traded between both Chicago teams. Ken was basically a throw in to get George Bell over to the South Side. We all know how well that one worked out, don't we?

It almost looks like Ken was in the middle of a sneeze and his pitching arm went limp. He doesn't appear to be pitching off of a mound. More than likely, this was shot during the toss around with the outfielders. Ken isn't even in full uniform here. This must be some type of practice drill.

Still, this card is a leap in quality over the previous year's Donruss release. I would hope that the quality of the pictures would have made the journey as well. At least Donruss shows that it was trying.

The Ecstasy Of Gold

When some people think of “The Ecstasy Of Gold”, they think of the instantly recognizable music from “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly". Truthfully, I think of that too, but I also think of baseball card parallels. Specifically, 1992 Topps.

1992 Topps gold cards marked the first time that a whole set of parallel cards from a major company’s base set, purposely existed without another company’s involvement. Sure there were O-Pee-Chee cards every year that mimicked the Topps set. There was the 1984 Nestle set that paralleled all 792 cards. Those all involved another company in the process.

These cards created quite a stir in the teenage collecting community, which I was a part of back then. These cards came in two ways: winners and regular gold. We each tried to collect the entire set and failed miserably. We were so excited that we failed to do the math. It would take a minimum of 792 packs to complete the set. That was only if we never got a single double, which we all know is impossible.

Foil on a card was a relatively new idea in 1992. The only cards that incorporated foil on the cards were Bowman and Leaf prior to that. If I’m leaving anything out, I apologize. Before those early experiments, metallic ink was used to spruce up a card. These Topps gold cards were different.

Fortunately, I had quite a few card shops around my area back then. I was able to get my hands on a few gold cards that might not have crossed my path otherwise. There was a price to pay though. Card shops jacked up the prices on those Topps gold cards. Most had the stars for sale higher than the top price in the price guides. If there was a prime reason for the card shops dying out back then, it was greed.

Unfortunately, these two parallel sets gave birth to many others. Leaf came out with their black gold parallel later in 1992. By 1994, Stadium Club was nothing but endless parallels. Other card companies started getting in on the act and utter chaos ruled. There were rainbows of colors available for each card, it seemed. Some colors were specifically created for another pointless parallel.

If money is the root of all evil in society, then gold must be the root of all evil in the trading card industry. It does nothing but breed frustration and heartache. No longer will the fan be able to collect everything from his favorite player or team. No longer can the set collector collect the entire set. Now there are short prints, gimmicks and parallels to deal with. Not to mention numbered cards.

I’m hoping that these trends will eventually fade. I don’t mind one or two parallels, but not ten or fifteen. Even five seems like too many. There’s a saturation point where things don’t feel as special anymore. We've reached that point and went beyond. When will cards start to feel special again?

We may never get to that point again, but we can make the cards that come out special to us. We can study the cards like we did when we first started. We can find a certain quality about each card that sets it apart from the others. It’s certainly harder to do today, but it still can be done.

I don’t actively seek out parallels anymore. I don’t mind them when I get them, but I won’t be wasting time and money on them. I will acquire them by trade or by pack opening mostly. The only time that I can envision chasing a parallel card, is if it is the last card I need in a set. If I’m done with the regular sets, then I’ll worry about the parallels.

This all started in the mainstream with the 1992 Topps gold cards. With ecstasy comes madness. With madness comes foolishness. Foolishness brings a rainbow’s worth of one card. Foil begets parallels begets numbered cards begets rainbows. It all started with one set of gold.

Bartolo Colon? Really?

The fifth starter role must be a desperate one to fill for the White Sox. The White Sox have signed Bartolo Colon to a one year deal. He will be competing with Aaron Poreda, and potentially others, for that coveted fifth starter role.

Can Colon stay healthy? Can he still be effective after injuring himself batting last year? Anything is possible. If Bartolo thinks this will be another cakewalk on the South Side, he is sorely mistaken. Gandhi is not in charge anymore.

There is a Venezuelan born Tazmanian devil on the loose and in charge. He will not put up with lame excuses, but if you play the right way, he'll be your best friend. Is this the reason that Bartolo stayed away the last few seasons? He turned down the White Sox flat on more than a few occasions.

I think Bartolo is a man running out of options. He can clearly pitch, when he's healthy. Getting him to stay healthy is the real challenge. He has a history of DL trips and sub par performances. Is this an upgrade from Javier Vazquez? I say it is. Why? Because Bartolo isn't afraid to step up in a big game. Whether or not he will be healthy enough to do that remains to be seen.

OK, Bartolo. Let's see what you've got left. If you put on a pitching school this season, you can write your ticket anywhere in 2010.

Hard To Say Goodbye

I'm not going anywhere, but another fellow blogger is. Andy of the fantastic blogs 88 Topps Cards and 78 Topps Cards is calling it quits.

It happens to all of us eventually. Real life intrudes and takes priority. Andy will still be making contributions to the Baseball Reference Stat Of The Day site.

I, for one, will miss starting off the morning with one of Andy's blogs. Andy has been a big supporter of this site and has been very generous with card contributions and his time. I have to take this opportunity to thank him properly for all the time and effort that he put into his blogs.

Some of the most challenging contests in the blogging community were put together by Andy. I believe I even won one of them. His sites featured the most comprehensive studies of the 1988 and the 1978 Topps card sets. I can't imagine how any further information can be squeezed out of each set.

Hopefully, Andy will come back periodically (when some time frees up) and finish off the 1978 Topps Cards blog. It's off to a wonderful start. I will keep it in the blog roll and hopefully it will one day be bumped up to the top again.

I would also like to thank Andy for his contributions to Things Done To Cards. If you ever feel the muse strike you, please feel free to make a post. Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

Getting Closer Every Year

While Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice got voted in, Harold Baines garnered a small victory today. Four more votes. His percentage went from 5.2 to 5.9.

It may not sound like much, but that's huge for Harold. Can next year bring 35 or 40 votes? Possibly. I know it's probably stretching the imagination to the limit, but it is still in the realm of possibility that Harold could get over 40 votes in 2010.

Stranger things have happened. Jim Rice magically found the missing votes to catapult him into the Hall in his last year. Could the same fate be on the cusp for Harold, if he keeps gaining. Probably not, but still, anything is possible.

It's the small victories that keep the spirit going. Harold in the Hall will not happen overnight. Hopefully, it will happen. If it does, I'd love to be in Cooperstown for the event.

Let's round up some more votes for Harold Baines in 2010!

Five Dollar Group Break

Now that you have the jingle in your head, let's make it worse.

Five.

Five dollar.

Five dollar group break.

From Thorzul.

There's not much more to say than that. Five dollars got your team choice, in most cases. Every card that was pulled from that team in an assortment of repackaged wax was yours for the taking. It didn't matter what the card was.

Were most of them crap? Yeah, but that's kind of the point. I did receive a few cards that I needed, which is always a plus. I'm not entirely sure how some of these cards got in my allotment, but I'm happy that they are there. I'm guessing that there were repackaged repack wax in there. How else could you explain the 1988 Fleer Update card?

Let's trudge through the White Sox repack cards.

1988 Fleer
392 - Floyd Bannister
394 - Ivan Calderon

1988 Fleer Update
U-15 - John Davis

1989 Fleer
503 - Fred Manrique

1989 Topps
656 - Ivan Calderon

1989 Upper Deck
183 - Ron Karkovice
548 - John Davis
628 - Fred Manrique

1990 Donruss
371 - Ken Patterson
384 - Greg Hibbard
660 - Harold Baines AS

1990 Score
94 - Ivan Calderon

1991 Donruss
57 - Jack McDowell

1991 Upper Deck
White Sox Hologram Sticker

1992 Donruss
457 - Ken Patterson
495 - Wilson Alvarez HL
592 - Frank Thomas

1992 Topps Gold Winners
36 - Scott Ruffcorn
630 - Carlton Fisk

1994 Stadium Club
182 - Roberto Hernandez

2005 Upper Deck
326 - Frank Thomas

2006 Topps Heritage
63 - Mark Buehrle

2006 Turkey Red
391 - Jermaine Dye

2006 Ultra
172 - Mark Buehrle (2)

2006 Upper Deck
116 - Mark Buehrle

2006 Wal-Mart
WM54 - Paul Konerko

2007 Fleer
376 - Jermaine Dye

2007 Topps
34 - Paul Konerko
224 - Matt Thornton
292 - Josh Fields

2007 Topps Opening Day
12 - Paul Konerko
107 - Jon Garland (2)

2007 Upper Deck
11 - Ryan Sweeney
92 - Javier Vazquez

2007 Upper Deck First Edition
9 - Chris Stewart
68 - Jim Thome (2)
74 - Bobby Jenks
75 - Mike MacDougal

Not bad for five bucks! I can think of worse ways to spend that money and I wouldn't nearly be as happy as I am right now. Maybe I'll get into another one of these things down the road. That was kind of fun!

Documentary Cards From Sooz

Sooz, from A Cardboard Problem, sent out some unwanted Documentary cards. I was the lucky recipient of cards featuring the White Sox. Although there were only four cards in total, they brought back some warm, fuzzy memories because all of the cards featured White Sox wins!

But those warm, fuzzy memories turned just plain fuzzy when I tried to figure out the pictures attached to the game memory.

Enjoy the White Sox cards. I bet they are going to like being with you more than me.

Indeed they will. All cards are welcome over here, but especially White Sox cards!

Let's see what games were sent over.

Game 60: June 5, 2008, White Sox 6 - Royals 2
Veteran captures fourth straight decision for Chicago.

Pictured: Bobby Jenks.

The card is referring to Jose Contreras. I did a recap of most games in 2008. Let's see this game. No mention of Bobby Jenks. A quick look at the box score shows that Bobby was never in the game.

Game 71: June 17th, 2008, White Sox 16 - Pirates 5

Pictured: Paul Konerko

Orlando Cabrera, Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede were mentioned on the back. Let's see this game. No mention of Konerko in the recap. A quick look at the box score shows that despite all the offense from the White Sox, Paul Konerko didn't even play in the game!!

Game 94: July 12, 2008, White Sox 9 - Rangers 7

Pictured: Mark Buehrle

The card is referring to John Danks. A quick look at the box score reveals that Mark Buehrle did not enter the game.

Game 120: August 13, 2008, White Sox 4 - Royals 0

Pictured: Jim Thome

The back mentions Ken Griffey Jr. A quick study of the box score shows that Jim Thome went 0 for 3 with a walk. At least he was in the game!!

This is my big problem with Upper Deck Documentary. It's not really a complete document of anything. The hard work on the back is negated by the false picture on the front. These are good cards which will have a nice place in my collection, but these could have been so much more.

Thanks, Sooz! Despite the way it sounds, I really do like the cards.

Card Spotlight 1-9-09

1987 Sportflics #200 - Steve Carlton

These cards were awesome, when I was a kid. They have lost their wow factor over the years, but I still have a special place in my heart for these cards.

This particular card has eluded me for 22 years. No longer shall I search bargain bins for this card. It is finally home. This captures a rare occurrence. Steve Carlton in a White Sox uniform. Furthermore, it is the only card that features three separate shots of his pitching motion in a White Sox uniform. Good stuff!

History will show that Steve recorded his 4,000th strikeout with the Giants. Cards will tell you differently though. All of the cards that I can think of, show Steve in a White Sox uniform while commemorating this spectacular event.

I never really understood that. There was a ton of press when Steve Carlton signed with the Giants and a ton of press when he struck out Eric Davis for his 4,000th strikeout. Maybe the card companies thought the public would be confused by Steve in a Giants uniform on a 1987 card. Who knows. That just meant more White Sox cards for me to collect.

My Very Own White Sox Card

Courtesy of Travis from Punk Rock Paint.

I think it looks pretty awesome!

Thanks, Travis!

My Own Horrorfest

I need to recharge my batteries after the long holiday. I've been thinking and thinking on how to do that. Then inspiration hit from an unexpected source. MLB Collector is in the middle of a Horrorfest, so I've decided to borrow the idea and throw one of my own.

Out of my 1,000+ DVDs, I selected fifteen titles that run the gamut of horror. I've left out a lot of familiar titles that I've seen countless times. I decided it would be fun to focus on movies that I like (in some cases love), but don't immediately think of popping in.

Over the next two weeks, I will be popping in these movies at random and rekindling my love affair with horror. I'm hoping that this will psyche me up enough to find out where the 3-D remake of My Bloody Valentine will be playing near Chicago. I've only seen one semi-3-D movie and it's on this list.

In alphabetical order, here are the movies I chose to watch.

Army Of Darkness
Bruce Campbell is awesome. There's no way around that. This was supposed to go right into a fourth movie, but that never happened. I will be watching the director's cut with the original apocalyptic ending. What can be better than fighting off an army of the dead in medieval times with comedy thrown in. I must remember my boomstick!

The Birds
Classic Hitchcock! After working for a bird breeder and watching this movie, I'll never look at lovebirds the same way. In a sacrilegious move, they made a sequel to this movie. Is there anything creepier than tiptoeing through a flock of murderous birds?

Bloodsucking Freaks
This is a Troma release. Horror fans should know what to expect from Troma. A theatre of the macabre, where the macabre is real. Evil little people, a sadistic slave owner, human dartboards and a scene with a straw that you can't unwatch.

Creepshow
A movie with stories from a comic book. This fascinated me as a kid. Stephen King utters the most most quotable phrase he will ever say when liquid goo from a meteor gets all over him. Leslie Nielson can hold his breath for a real long time.

The Crow
The death of the star of this film marred the movie. Or did the death of Brandon Lee help it? Either way, this is an example of a "comic book" movie done right. The only bad thing is that this movie spawned a thousand Halloween costumes in my town that year. It can't rain all the time.

Dawn Of The Dead (original)
Consumerism disguised as zombies. A great movie in the "Living Dead" series. The remake was OK, but this is the original. I have three different versions of the movie. What a tough decision to make when the time comes.

The Devil's Rejects
This movie seems more polished than it's predecessor, even though this is technically a sequel. You begin to see the cast of Rob Zombie regulars in here, but it's pretty good stuff. I don't want to live inside Rob Zombie's head. It's full of terrifying things and seventies music.

Eraserhead
In heaven, everything is fine. This movie will either bore you to tears or creep you out enough to want to make sense of it. Is this David Lynch's fear of parenthood playing out in this remastered print? Maybe, maybe not. I still want to know how he made the baby.

From Dusk Till Dawn
Did Cheech Marin get three paychecks for his time in this movie? He plays three different roles. This starts out as a crime thriller, then morphs into a kick ass horror movie about halfway through. Never saw it coming. Ever wonder what Quentin Tarantino would look like as a vampire? Here's your opportunity. The only thing I don't buy is that George Clooney is his brother.

House
Take the Greatest American Hero and throw him in a house with an extremely pissed off Bull from Night Court as a Vietnam vet zombie and you'll see how cool this movie actually is. Throw in White Sox fan George Wendt as a nosy neighbor and you've got a great movie where a child is kidnapped by the house he lives in.

It's Alive
The first movie in this trilogy(!), is a cult classic. How does pollution effect an unborn fetus? It turns the kid into a monster that tries to kill everything in sight. It's slightly dated, but it still produces some chills.

Nightmare On Elm Street Part 6: Freddy's Dead
Of course Freddy is dead. That's how he invades your dreams, silly! This is one of the worst Elm Street movies ever made. It does have some redeeming qualities that saves it from rock bottom. 3-D effects in the last ten minutes of the film. Alice Cooper plays Freddy's abusive dad. That's almost derailed by the appearance of Roseanne and Tom Arnold. Still, the DVD comes with the glasses!

Phantasm
The killer flying sphere. The Tall Man. Just what is happening at the mortuary? An undertaker with superhuman strength takes bodies out of the grave. Cloaked jawa looking creatures that are possibly from another dimension. The Tall Man can kick the ghostly preacher from Poltergeist 2's butt!

Return Of The Living Dead Part 2
This is the silliest of the Return series. It's also one of my most endearing memories of the late eighties. The cut off hand running around is a classic. The nod and winks to the original "Living Dead" series and the previous Return film are great bonuses.

The Shining
I don't care if Stephen King thinks this version is compete trash. Jack Nicholson and Stanley Kubrick made a masterpiece. The miniseries was good too, but this was better. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

OK, enough with the non baseball and non White Sox stuff. We now return you to your White Sox baseball card blog.

More Brian Roberts Rumors

Let's get this rumor squashed. Brian Roberts is not going to be on the White Sox by Opening Day. If by some alignment of the fates, he is on the team, it will not be for Gavin Floyd, as some reports would have you believe.

Giving up a young pitcher, with a few years left on his contract and has had great recent success, for a player who will be a free agent in less than a year is not something that the White Sox do very often. In fact, in this scenario, it makes no sense.

I can see Orlando Cabrera playing second base for the White Sox this April before Brian Roberts would. In fact, I can see Albert Belle playing second base for the White Sox in April before Brian Roberts would.

These rumors have gone on for two years and Brian has gone nowhere. The Orioles started this latest round of rumors by discussing Gavin Floyd and at least one other player for Roberts, among themselves. Not with the White Sox. They just discussed the possibility of the trade among Orioles personnel.

I don't see Kenny Williams giving up a whole lot for Roberts right now. If the White Sox are in the middle of a playoff run in late July, and have a deficiency at second, then I could see a trade involving Brian Roberts to the South Side. Until that scenario unfolds, it's not likely to happen.

Although, when Kenny Williams is involved, I never rule anything out. My gut tells me no on this one.

1988 Donruss

I'm sure that in late 1987, Donruss executives looked at this design and gave it the thumbs up for the following year because it looked futuristic and radical. Let's face it, the mid to late eighties were all about lines and gradients. It looks dated now, but this was somewhat hip back in 1988.

Of the four major sets that year, this design has probably held up second or third best. This would start the decline in Donruss set designs over the next few years. It certainly isn't the best, but there wasn't too much competition either.

In this set, the White Sox have 24 cards. There are some future White Sox employees in the set. Ken Williams. Ozzie Guillen. Harold Baines. Greg Walker. I wonder how many more will be employed by the White Sox in the next twenty years.

5 - Ivan Calderon DK
47 - Jack McDowell
59 - Jose DeLeon
87 - Donnie Hill
124 - Richard Dotson
137 - Ozzie Guillen
162 - Greg Walker
182 - Ivan Calderon
211 - Harold Baines
247 - Bobby Thigpen
260 - Carlton Fisk
285 - Jerry Hairston
306 - Bill Long
334 - Ken Williams
370 - Gary Redus
383 - Floyd Bannister
409 - Jim Winn
429 - Ray Searage
457 - John Pawlowski
493 - Fred Manrique
507 - Bob James
532 - Steve Lyons
552 - Dave LaPoint
580 - Ron Hassey

There are some nice photos in this set. It's too bad the quality is sometimes subpar. You can really tell that the team is in a downward spiral from the player selection. There are some very good players, a few great players and a lot of filler.

Early cards of Jack McDowell and Bobby Thigpen stand out. A pre-HOF card of Fisk. The malaise of Fred Manrique. A pre-moon shot Steve Lyons. The set isn't bad. It gives a nice cross section of what the Sox were in late 1987/early 1988. With a team that bad in the standings, you couldn't ask for a better representation.

There is a good mix of rookies, veterans and commons. That's all you can expect from this set. The centerpiece would be the Ivan Calderon Diamond King. Without that card, the set is pretty bland. Not horrible, just bland. That's good enough for 1988 Donruss.

Are You The Beer Baron?

OK, I know that was rather obscure. When I thought of a banner, I thought of Rex Banner. I've been watching seasons of the Simpsons on DVD with the commentary on. Yes, I may need help.

I admit it. The holidays threw me off a bit. This package from A Cardboard Problem came on Saturday. But with this post, I am now caught up with all mail that I have received. Yay!

This package must have traveled in a time machine to get to me. No sooner did I finish the banner for Marie and Sooz, did I receive a package mere hours later. Was this the work of magic? Well, the package contained shiny cards and cards with moving images… so maybe?

Thanks so much for working on the banner for our blog. Hope you can use some of these cards.

I can always use more cards. In the sense that it was meant, I was able to claim a good number of them.

Let’s see what Marie and Sooz sent over!

1987 Sportflics
200 – Steve Carlton

1987 Topps
703 – Dave Schmidt

1988 Donruss
25 – Ivan Calderon DK
59 – Jose DeLeon
124 – Richard Dotson
137 – Ozzie Guillen
162 – Greg Walker
182 – Ivan Calderon
211 – Harold Baines
247 – Bobby Thigpen
285 – Jerry Hairston
306 – Bill Long
334 – Ken Williams
383 – Floyd Bannister
409 – Jim Winn
493 – Fred Manrique
552 – Dave LaPoint
580 – Ron Hassey (2)

1988 Donruss All-Stars
12 – Harold Baines

1988 Donruss MVP
BC-5 – Ivan Calderon

1988 Sportflics
103 – Greg Walker

1989 Topps
616 – Steve Rosenberg
786 – Melido Perez

1990 Fleer
541 – Tom McCarthy

1993 Topps
150 – Frank Thomas

2008 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects
BDP43 – Clayton Richard
BDPP102 – Clayton Richard

2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Refractors
BDPP102 – Clayton Richard

2008 Sweet Spot
53 – Jim Thome

Thank you, Marie & Sooz! These cards are awesome! When I find enough cards worthy enough to send over, I will mail out a package.

And sorry about starting the post off about a Simpsons episode. It just popped in my head.

A Package From Boxbusters

Last month, out of the blue, I received a new e-mail in my inbox from W. Ross of Boxbusters.net. In the e-mail, there was a request for my address, so some cards could be sent over.

If people want to send me cards, I have absolutely no problem with that. I love the subtle nuances of cards, even if I have them. Seeing another card of something I already have gives me a chance to look at that card with fresh eyes. I usually find one or two small details that I may have missed at first glance.

For example, the 1991 Eric King card. On another glance, I can see that the shot was taken at home, not Spring Training. I can see the yellow railings of original Comiskey park and a retired number on the outfield wall. Albeit blurry, I can make these little details out.

I know that the retired number isn't Nellie Fox. The name is too slightly too long. Without the number showing a little more clearly, it's hard to tell who the retired number belongs to. This is just one of the many memories that these cards sparked. Let's see what was sent over!

1991 Topps
121 - Eric King
393 - Carlton Fisk AS
499 - Melido Perez
609 - Jeff Torborg
768 - Donn Pall

1992 Pinnacle
107 - Jack McDowell
178 - Tom Raines
334 - Craig Grebeck
364 - Greg Hibbard (2)
373 - Lance Johnson
389 - Scott Radinsky
391 - Kirk McCaskill
413 - Ron Karkovice

1993 Topps
400 - Bo Jackson

2007 SP Authentic - Authentic Speed
AS-45 - Scott Podsednik
AS-47 - Tadahito Iguchi

2008 Topps Chrome
64 - Mark Buehrle

2008 Topps Chrome Copper Refractor
79 - Paul Konerko 458/599

2008 Topps Heritage Chrome
C106 - Paul Konerko 0202/1959

2008 Upper Deck X
24 - Paul Konerko

2008 Yankee Stadium Legacy
2935 - Moose Skowron (06/06/1960)

Thanks! These brought back a lot of memories. I was considering "A Fistful Of Konerko" for a title, but the memories that the majority of the cards brought back overpowered the stash of Konerko.

Don't be surprised if you receive something in the mail down the road.

Card Spotlight: 1-2-09

1991 Oklahoma State Collegiate Collection #4 - Robin Ventura

Golden Spikes Award 1988. Member of United States gold medal winning baseball team at 1988 Olympic Games. "Player of the Decade" by Baseball America. First round draft choice of the Chicago White Sox and the 10th player selected in the 1988 Major League Baseball amateur draft. Starting third baseman for White Sox in 1990 and 1991.

For three years as a Cowboy, Robin Ventura averaged .428 as a hitter. I know that it's college, but that's still pretty impressive. What the back of the card didn't tell you was that Robin Ventura went on to have a long successful career with the White Sox and with other teams. But that doesn't surprise me for two reasons. This card was made in 1991 and cards can't talk. If they talk to you, I wonder about what you've been smoking out back.

I received this card as a gift last year. Yes, all of two weeks ago, but technically last year. That's the last "last year" joke you'll get out of me until next year.

I don't follow college baseball at all. It's interesting to see Major League players on cards as college players. Then again, I'm fascinated by many things that would seem mundane to another. Birds singing, dew glistening on a newly formed leaf, stoplights. Yes, the list goes on and on.

This is yet another card that I never really knew existed until it fell into my lap. Thankfully, there are small holiday miracles and something to start the new year out on the right note.