In case you haven't been following the Facebook posts over the last year, Peaches is Mari's mink stole. She found it last summer when we were going through storage at one of our houses in Maryland. It was John's grandmother's stole originally, and it was passed to his mother. It probably dates to the 1940s.
Mari was helping us go through boxes and she just squealed with delight when she found it. 'I'll name it Peaches!' And around her neck it went. No matter that it was July. And hot and humid. While most people, especially kids, may be grossed out by the little feet and face on the thing, Mari was not. My older daughter is a compassionate soul, always willing to look past appearances.
So last summer, from July on, just about every photo we took includes Peaches around Mari's neck. Or curled up on a comfy Hampton Inn bed while we made our trek back to Key West. I started posting about the whole thing on Facebook, because really, who wouldn't? It was hysterical. Soon Peaches had a BIG following.
The hashtags were awesome! I started with #goawaypeaches but #teampeaches soon became a real thing. Friends started asking for updates and when I posted something it got a huge response with lots of funny comments. Two friends had an ongoing hashtag contest. We posted photos of anything that looked like Peaches....I think Mari may have been responsible for last fall's fur trend in fashion and home decor.
When school started last August, I'd say about half of the teachers/parents I saw on Back to School day asked how our summer was. The other half asked about Peaches.
Fortunately, Peaches now spends her days at the bottom of Mari's bed along with the ever-changing pile of books and other, more traditional stuffed animals. I've stopped taking photos of her because, well, if you were grossed out by her last summer, as she lost an eye in Frederick and a leg or two in Savannah, you REALLY wouldn't want to see what's left.
So I will end with some photos from last summer, of the old, all-in-one-piece Peaches. It's been a year, so I guess it's an anniversary of sorts. #teampeaches4ever
