When you write a letter, what do you hope the recipient will gain? (Encouragement, a laugh...every letter writer will have several responses)
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We surely have all heard that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey to the eagle as the national bird. According to the United States Diplomacy Center the myth is completely false. However, in a letter to his daughter Franklin bemoans the choice of the bald eagle. He writes: “For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this injustice, he is never in good case but like those among men who live by sharping & robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our country…. The article can be read in its entirety here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/american-myths-benjamin-franklins-turkey-and-the-presidential-seal-6623414/ Franklin goes on to say, “I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.” The words of the wise and witty Franklin are vindicated in this video where a turkey ably defends his farm yard, not against the British Army but against...the U.S. Postal Service. Vain, silly, and courageous indeed!Vain, silly, and courageous indeed!Vain, silly, and courageous indeed!Vain, silly, and courageous indeed!
After some trouble getting the lettermatters.com domain transferred to a different company and being without it for a day it is up and running again. It is directed to Blogger for the time being.
A few weeks ago I mentioned to Mr. Duffy that I was looking at light boxes online and thought that perhaps, being the handy sort of gentleman that he is, he could build me one. After a few questions about specifics such as what exactly I would use it for he got to work and I soon had a custom light box of my very own. The writing surface is tempered glass. Underneath the glass is the white translucent plastic that covers ceiling lights. The one bit of help I was able to give him was to hold the edge of the plastic as he ran it through the electric saw. Notice the brass handle on the side. That's functional. Inside he used an LED ceiling light fixture. It's bright and never get's hot. There's also a switch. If I want lights along the sides he will add those later. The light is pretty well distributed so I don't think I'll need those. It's nice to know he'll go the extra mile if I want extra features later on.
Forgive me if I'm being a terrible boast but Mr. Duffy went beyond what I had hoped and I had to show off his handiwork. A note about the color: Nearly twenty-five years ago in a conversation long forgotten by myself I told him about touring Carl Larsson's home. I was impressed by his use of light colors and especially of red. All these long years Mr. Duffy had that tidbit of information stored away and dusted it off to make good use of now. Without seeing the color himself he made a pretty good match. I will call it my Carl Larsson light box. I'll say nothing to Mr. Duffy about the charming desk in this Larsson picture because he might just build one.
This evening I wrote my first dip pen letter and want to know something? I think I'm hooked. I'm using a Nikko G nib which is flexible and what a lot of practice it takes. It also takes a considerable amount of time to pen a letter. Have you ever seen one of those documentaries on the American Civil War in which letters are read? The soldiers who penned those letters always advertise their generation to me as a literate, well-spoken one that took care to express themselves well. Part of the impression may be due difference in language and expression. Phrases common to their day are not common to ours and may sound higher to us than to them. But there is also the time element. Writing with a dip pen is not hasty business and I doubt their goal was speed in all things as it tends to be for us. I know that my own words organize themselves more neatly when I slow down. Why is slowing down so hard? Perhaps writing with a dip pen will work as a cure for haste and her inseparable companion, carelessness. I hope so. I did a Google search on Civil War Letters and this is a sampling of what I found. Look at the penmanship in this letter to mother. Neatness and legibility are worth slowing down for. In time, with enough practice at slowing down when writing, I may be able to conquer haste. I hope my new friend Nikko G will help with that.
Yesterday I was full of good intentions and most of them remained just that until today. Some of them will still be here tomorrow but we all need something to look forward to. I wrote about yesterday here so I will tell you only about today. Today I did not wake up feeling anything akin to physical happiness or enthusiasm. In fact, after doing some afternoon reading (reading always counts as getting something done), I began to long for a nap. Instead, I made tea and sat down to write letters. One of my good intentions left over from yesterday was to write letters to people I hadn't heard from in a while. Yesterday I got as far as addressing labels for the storybook envelopes I made but instead of writing letters (a daunting task for one afflicted with unenthusiasm) I watched Inspector Morse. Today, under the influence of a good cup of tea, I wrote those letters. The entire process of writing, pasting on labels, and selecting stamps gave me a real boost of energy. At times like that I wonder why I do anything but write. Off to the post office I went to mail my letters and check my box. Oh happy day, it was full of letters and even a pizza coupon (I keep those). On returning home I immediately sat down to read and write responses. The momentum was too enjoyable to give up. I feel really good about today and writing letters has a lot to do with that. Later I came across this and thought that in this one statement Miss Anne Frank had much more to contribute to the conversation on writing than I could ever offer. Though I dare not compare myself to Anne I understand what she is saying. Writing has the power to transport one and this quote (like its author) is worthy of remembering. Whatever your triumphs or trials, WRITE! The United States Postal Service has released a few new stamps. Of special note are the Vintage Circus Poster Stamps. When I was a child a small circus would come to our town every year and we never missed it. The elephant, the clowns, and the popcorn were equally spectacular to my child's mind. Apart from reviving childhood memories, I like vintage posters in general. I have ordered a set online and have yet another reason to eagerly await the mail. See you in the mail!At my last visit to the mailbox I got another lovely envelope from Mrs. Jean. She always makes such nice envelopes. I enjoy each one. Upon receipt of this last letter I felt inspired to make more of my own. Some time ago I told you about buying a story book at the thrift shop for the purpose of recycling it into envelopes. For a long time I couldn't bring myself to cut it up, then when I did, my envelope template was too large. Finally, by the time I succeeded in making the right size template my envelope making enthusiasm was winding down. Tonight, with the help of my daughter, enthusiasm was fully wound and in assembly line fashion we turned out envelopes. Some are from a children's book, some are from craft paper. She had never made envelopes before so I felt happy about passing along a potential hobby. I showed her how to pull apart an envelope to make a template. It's not often anymore that I have the luxury of feeling clever around my kids. You parents of teenagers know what I mean. Tomorrow may be label day. Did you know that IKEA offers postcards? I haven't been there for so long I didn't know that. I got an IKEA card from a brand new pen pal the other day. The best thing about having a mail blog is meeting people out of the blue and having the hopeful anticipation of an ensuing conversation and friendship. I've written back and my return card will be in tomorrow's mail. Have a good mail day!My Peacock cards have been delivered and this morning I will be writing notes. I must admit that I have nearly entirely abandoned short notes since my focus turned toward letter writing. It is time to bring back the short note of encouragement. Not every message needs to be a lengthy epistle. I think I will ink my pen with Noodler's Cactus Fruit Eel. Now for some inky fun! The letter below shows what a happy mail day it has been. I went to the post office today on my way to the market and buried within pile of junk mail was this happy little stash of letters. They make me happy anyway. I'm anticipating what they hold inside, imagining what turns the respective conversations might make. Each envelope has a spring motif which is so fitting for April. I wonder, do I have springtime cards with which to reply? I don't think so but the pleasant envelopes inspired me to order a set of notecards. I was looking for something floral but a peacock pattern caught my eye. I've always liked peacocks. They remind me of my grandmother but that can be another post. I particularly enjoyed the stamps from England; the Queen Victoria stamp especially caught my eye. I find foreign stamps to be interesting. So many of them are works of art. It's late but I feel the urge to write replies. I somehow feel pink ink is needed for this. I'm thinking Private Reserve Arabian Rose would be a fitting ink for a happy spring mail day.
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Letter Matters
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