Do you have any idea how hard it is to type with bandages around your right pointer and middle finger?  I’ve had to do this as otherwise the blood from my cut cuticles gets onto the nice white boxes.  When you package thousands of fruitcakes, skin is removed.  Who knew?

Then there are the bruises on my shins from transporting 30 boxes of fruitcake into and out of my van at the courier’s.  I tripped over the curb a couple of times, plus bumped my shins into the back of the van clambering in and out with weighty boxes.  For some unknown reason, however, I did not have to resort to screaming out a bad word.  I’m probably just too weak for something like that at this juncture.

I can’t complain (but will anyway) as my sales are crazy right now.  Steve MacNaull of the Kelowna Daily Courier wrote a fab article about me, and even dug up an old photo.  I was also mentioned by a nice writer in Calgary, and she e mailed me to let me know her article would appear in the Calgary Herald.  I checked it out, and she writes an outdoor column, and mentioned Okanagan Harvest Cake as a great hiking snack.  Now there’s a new marketing angle for me to explore in Janaury, should I live that long.

Shaw TV phoned and asked if they could run the spot about me they did last year, to which I said, why not?  I will also have an article in the Osoyoos Times tomorrow, so that will get people into the Buy Low Foods there.  My dad always referred to the Osoyoos Times as the Intelligencer, which I still prefer.

Tomorrow night I’m the guest speaker at the BC Wine Museum’s gala wine tasting event.  I’ve decided to pretend it’s one of those Fascinating Lives-type of talks one reads about.  Hopefully no-one will doze off during my talk.  I was e mailed that they’ve had a huge response, so I pray for the Muse of Public Speaking to descend upon me.

Unbelievably, Nicky helped me put together the tiny boxes for the huge Nokia order, and last night Denis stuck some labels on boxes for me.  I think they’re both looking at the number of days until Christmas and thinking that if they don’t at least appear to be helpful, Santa might just leave each of them a lump of coal.

So now it’s back to stuffing fruitcakes into boxes, labeling boxes, date-stamping boxes, and huffing finished cartons into the basement.  I’m thinking of buying one of those weight-lifting belts, as that way your back is  protected.  However, now that my fingers, shins and back are completely wrecked anyway, I’m thinking I should pay more attention to my mental health.  The other day I phoned a customer, and said, “This is Moni from Fruitcake, er, I mean Kelowna.”  I’m telling you, insanity is just a hop, skip and a jump away.