Peanuts

Let me tell you something, I love me some peanuts. And I don't mean the cartoon (although Snoopy is the cutest Red Baron ever), or the food (because nothing is a stranger concoction that boiled peanuts), no I'm talking about the packing supply.

If you just scratched your head and asked how on earth peanuts can be used to pack things, you're probably from a country which actually cares about the environment and decided to outlaw peanuts years ago (i.e., Holland). The peanuts I'm referring to are pieces of Styrofoam shaped like peanuts, that you use to keep goods safe while shipping. And environmentally friendly or not, they are awesome.

Now to be honest with you, we were never a peanut-packing family. Not only are we far too cheap to splurge on purchasing peanuts when you can just easily keep goods safe using wadded up newspaper (which is not only recyclable, but free!), but we've always had such an ample supply of packing paper and inflatable bags from packages that people would send to us, there was never a need to purchase anything as far as shipping went (no, not even boxes).

But then, almost four years ago, Steve ordered five brand new HD cameras for our television production classes. As these cameras cost several thousand dollars a piece, I was half-expecting them to be delivered by an armored truck complete with guard and all. Instead, they each came in a medium-sized box that was filled to the brim with, you guessed, it peanuts.
I remember looking at the peanuts and asking one of the technicians if that was really enough to keep the camera from breaking or scratching, and he assured me that those green puppies would keep anything safe. Thinking of Christmas coming up, and all the shipping we would have to do to assorted friends and family, I asked Steve if I could take the five boxes of peanuts home with me. Although I'm sure Steve thought I had lost my mind (gone nuts, if you will), and was just really relieved to get those pesky little things out of his office, he said yes.

And ever since that Christmas, back in 2008, I have fallen in love with peanuts. I have to tell you, all that you've heard about them is true: they will keep everything secure and in one piece. They weigh next to nothing, fit into any corner, and don't require hours of ripping and balling up newspaper that leaves your hands and sleeves looking slightly grimy. And the even better part is that thanks to the nature of the goods coming into our department, I had an almost endless supply of free peanuts. Nobody wanted them, they sure weren't going to reuse them, so every once in a while, I would take a big box of them home with me, to store up in the attic until another birthday or holiday required some serious packing.

Then the budget crisis hit, and our ability to order cameras and other fragile equipment has dwindled pretty much down to zero. That in itself is sad enough, but what makes it even more unbearable is that this also means my supply of peanuts has pretty much dried up. So last week, when I used the very last of my peanuts to send a picture frame to Mary in Italy, I knew it was time to either bite the bullet and buy my own peanuts, or resign to using newspapers once again.

But just when I was about to resign myself to having to start tearing up old newspapers again, the Dutch store in Helen came to the rescue with a big box not just filled with the Dutch goodies, but also with at least a bushel of peanuts. Now the goodies were nice, yes, but they didn't make me squeal with excitement as much as the peanuts did. And the better news? Husband-dear just ordered some sort of gigantic helicopter (with 3D gyro-something capabilities), and I have the feeling it will come packed in oodles of peanuts too.

I can't wait!