I was walking down Main Street past the Hubbard Hall Store – I buy all of my Christmas presents for Maria there and I saw a basket in the window with this quite outrageous pink headband in a basket. It sort of called out to me to be with Maria that often happens to me with gifts. But I wasn’t sure. Maria dresses as she does everything, with an artistic panache and individuality, but this one seem close to the edge for me.

But I loved it, and then I saw it was marked down from $19 to $14. I bought it, the salesperson and I had a lot of fun talking about it, I described Maria to her – she wears her  wedding dress to shovel manure in the pasture, I said – and she said “go for it,” she can always return it.

I brought it right to Maria’s studio, and she was startled by it, a little unsure. “Is it too much?,” she asked, “over the top.”

Kind of, I said, but it has a lot of style. I think it loves being on your head. So I think she loves it. I can’t wait to see it out in the pasture. I love giving Maria things, since she never buys anything for herself, it is a special joy. There are people who need many things, people who need few things.

I love this headband.