More from: "Out of the Mouth of Seniors:"
I got a letter today. Yes...a letter. Snail mail. Stamps, envelope, and hand written address...in ink. Not ball point ink...Schaefer Pen Ink. Until four years ago, I never got a snail Mail letter in decades. Only Cards. Like Christmas or Birthday cards. Little hand written note on the inside.
Not now. Now I get up to seven or eight letters...a week! Only two are Handwritten letters on the inside. The Addresses are always hand written - except for the return address. That is almost always one of those "gift labels" for supporting the Vets, or some other worthwhile cause.
But when addressed to me- written.
Two (of the now seven folks who write me snail mail) write the entire letter long hand. One girl. One guy. Both have beautiful cursive hand writing. As good, or better, than those old Cursive Alphabet letters above the chalkboards in the 1950's. Easy to read. If...you know cursive. LOL
It started with my friend in AZ, who went full Luddite. He has a word processor, but no computer. Only has a Landline. But does have a flip phone in his car glove box for 911 emergencies on the road. He felt Social media and his computer were making him less social, and more...well, cynical. So he disconnected. My sister and her hubby...did the same thing.
Went back to reading paper books, magazines, and ditched the whole email thing. They too, have a landline...and a flip phone for emergencies. And have stopped watching the NEWS at all.
So I wrote to some of my friends (email!) and told them I was now writing two people only via snail mail. And over the years...that has become Seven folks. With another one thinking she might do the same.
I write my letters on the computer, then print them out and mail them. Because my Cursive and my printing are illegible. Sometimes I can't even read it...and I wrote it! And age hasn't helped that skill at all. Now not only is my handwriting illegible...it is quivery. LOL
My Mom, of course, only wrote snail mail. And we had actual writing tables in our house, and writing kits. Kits that include a blotter, Ink bottles, Pens you could load from the ink bottle itself, and the more modern ink cartridge pens like Schaefer, that left our white shirts for school with the ink stains on the pocket.
It also had that little wax seal kit too. We used purple and bronze most time. And my old girl always used purple. We would go to the Stationery Store when I was young, several times a year.
My Mom kept writing paper and envelopes for a whole host of situations. After all, Air Mail, had its own set of paper and envelopes. And Formal Events required higher standards of paper. And the RSVP, had to be an elegant card slipped in with the letter.
And stamps were valuable for collectors and the season of the year too.
I think, now that I have to write so many letter to answer my friends. I may just look up stationery again. Maybe there is a store here in town. Or I will search Amazon.
And I will send out prettier envelopes with nicer stamps, and a little wax seal to show I am up on etiquette!