Father's Day is fast approaching and I am never sure what to get my husband. I usually go the tool route and help the kids make something special. Jon seems to have just about every tool known to man (reasonably priced that is), so this year I am at a loss. I will probably go with pottery/ceramic tools, but who wants tools of their trade? Okay, that was a stupid question. I would be delirious with happiness if someone  bought me my favorite pencils in bulk.

A tie might work. Jon likes ties, even if our son tends to steal the best ones for himself. When the kids were small they made Jon a custom tie. We found a white tie and the kids used paint to put their handprints all over it in primary colors. It was cute. It was worn once. Jon doesn't go for cutesy ties. He doesn't wear ties with Garfield or Disney characters and heaven forbid he should ever put a holiday-themed tie on. No reindeer or Santa or beer bottles with Santa hats. That is not his style. He goes for the more classy look.

I've made Father's Day cards that look like a shirt and tie. You know the ones. They do them at school and church with the kids. They are plastered all over the craft sites in June. But, I think this year I might make a cake like these tie cakes. They would make a perfect sweet treat for Father's Day.

If you like ties, or know someone who likes ties, check out this website. This kid adores ties and he's pretty cute too.

I make fun of my husband for being a little OCD (after all, he is an artist). But, it wasn't until today that I discovered I have an OCD tendency as well. I am a writer and unlike those who strictly use a computer, or even a typewriter, I write all my rough drafts on paper with a pencil — a specific type of pencil, to be exact.

For those of you who are not pencil connoisseurs, you may not understand but the others do. There is a huge difference between pencil brands. Super inexpensive pencils with off-brand names are usually very waxy and don't write well, let alone sharpen well. Papermate pencils are better, but their graphite core breaks easily and often the wood they are made with is imperfect. Climbing to the top of the list is the ever-popular Ticonderoga pencil. They sharpen easily, but for me, their graphite core is weak and can break when the pencil becomes too short or is held too tightly.

Me, I use General's pencils. Only the cedar pointe pencils. They are made in the U.S. and are #2, medium graphite. The wood is finished with raw cedar and the eraser is black, not pink. These are the ultimate pencils. They are strong, sharpen to the sharpest of points, the graphite stays in one piece and I can use and sharpen them until they are a mere nib.

I'm telling you all this because I am down to my last cedar pointe pencil. The only place in town that sells them (the university bookstore) won't order more until late July, and now I have to wait for a shipment to my home from the manufacturer. I am wary of using my last pencil too much. I have done a lot less work today than I should because I don't want use it all up. I think I may sink into a depression. This is so pathetic. How can a pencil be so important to one's life? I have let a pencil define who I am as a writer. (I am nothing without my cedar pointe pencils.)

Is anyone out there with me? Am I crazy? My husband says he understands (he also has specific tools he uses), but I think I have even gotten too extreme for him. I think someone may need to stage an intervention. I need help.