My perfect world

If I could make my perfect world what would it look like?

It would have the National Portrait Gallery in my backyard, a herring stand at one corner, a hot-dog stand at the other, a bookstore and library on the North, a cafe with great coffee under an awning with both sunlight and shade streaming down on a glass top table, an art supply shop at the South, light hitting all the colours of the rainbow, mounds of journals, a fountain pen ink machine in a corner and a display of vintage fountain pens.




A green grocer on the East like the one we had on Tweede Bloemstraat, and a general store amply stocked similar to the one I had in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.





And all of this would be on a rural country road in the Northeast of the United States.

Water, PBS and my own daughter

Today is the day for stars in my personal sky. I just heard from my daughter that she was interviewed and appears in a PBS special on water conservation--unfortunately, not available here in my local area.

A bio-ecologist, she was the Executive Director of one of Pennsylvania's watershed organisations, and undoubtedly the reason for her inclusion. She does not appear in the trailer.

National Museum of Women in the Arts

I was so excited and delightfully astounded to pick up the latest issue of Women in the Arts and find my friend Gwen Diehn has won the 2008 Library Fellows Award for her Helen Kottanner's Memoirs--a combination of text and wood blocks all hand made by Gwen in Italy. A limited edition is available at the museum.

Gwen Diehn is among the best journal designers and bookbinders in the States and a wonderful women. Her books are outstanding and apparently she is just starting another for Lark Publications.


I had to write to her directly to congratulate her. This award is so deserved and I am so pleased.

How I judge my community

One criteria I use in determining where to live is how user friendly the local library is and how easy it is to access. In the last two towns I lived, Taos, New Mexico and Guilford, Vermont, I was fortunate to have access to excellent library systems.

Guilford's Library is one of the smallest, but among the friendliest. It was so quaint, tiny and community minded, they didn't even have a library card but instead used the face recognition system.

During the summer I lived in Vermont I read about 60 books from their inventory, and inter-library loaned nearly as many. When I left in September, the librarian permitted me to take two books with me until I finished them. I returned them by post.

Now here at the border of New York and Pennsylvania, I am also fortunate to have two especially helpful library systems and exceptional librarians. The Callicoon Branch of the Western Sullivan County system has gotten me every book I've asked for this year and quickly.

I'd like to find a home for these friends

With a new cabinet, already nearly filled, with boxes, inks, and fountain pens in their own boxes or other boxes, it appears I'd like to relocate the following

TO SELL - FEEL FREE TO MAKE AN OFFER on any pen FOR SALE

Parker Duofold Centennial, 1988
Spider Set (Laban Labrados)
Vector BP
Black Pentalic (C/C)
Parker 21 (Dove)
The Un-Montblanc with a good nib (NFS)
Aurora Idea, Navy Blue PT
Ballpoints and pencils of various manufacturers
- 14k Gold Filled '60s Cross BP PT


OFFERED

Retro 51 Green Transparent PT
Monte Verde Arista Clear PT
NN Black Hood PT
- 2 vintage pencils PT

SOLD

2 or more Parker Vectors - PT (SOLD)
Pelikano OS Red Cartridge Pen PT (SOLD)
E. S. Perry (early Osmiroid) #75 PT (SOLD)
Hero 86 - Calligraphy Pen - Use Isellpens photo (SOLD)
2 Eddings (calligraphy nib) PT (SOLD)
Retro 51 Scriptwriter (Green w/trim) PT - (SOLD)
Pilot 78g Teal B stub nib (SOLD)
Pilot 78g Green converter (SOLD)


And as I keep finding too many fountain pens inked, and scattered on my work space, I am considering adding these to the sell pile:

Mecanorma Technical Pen (Australian) (Offered)

Waterman Gentlemen
Jean Pierre Lepine Casanova (NFS)
Cross Classic (1980s) PT
Lamy Ratio (Piston filler)
Lamy CP1 (early model)
CdA Dunas Red

Making a Pen Wrap - Part III

Here are some of the fabrics I can consider for the three pen wraps. I am hesitant to use the blue silk as it is actually part of an old sari I own.

But I have no hesitation using the tapestry that is somewhat bold but rather sophisticated and the right weight.

Or I can possibly use this chocolate brown silk which picks up some of the colour in the tapestry fabric.
Either way I have enough fabric for two complete pen wraps and only have to find some ribbon or binding for the tie.

Japanese Kimono Pen Wrap

This Elizabeth Wilde pen wrap is fascinating and very imaginative.

During my mail art life one of my favourite artists made some gift packages that looked something like this.

I wonder what she is doing these days. When sorting I ran across part of the gift package--the card inserts. She, too, was most imaginative and one of the best contributors to our projects.

Photo credit: Fountain Pen Network member.

Elizabeth Wilde of California Pen Wraps

I believe I have enough fabric for 3 wraps, one for my Pelikans, one for my Safaris, and a very small one for my vintage Waterman.

Because I am so far away from shopping civilisation, I have to hoard my resources and will make a prototype of the pen wrap with some fabric I pulled off an antique rocker that should have been discarded. But discard it I did not, rather I washed it with this purpose in mind.

This large 9 pen wrap by Elizabeth Wilde, a FPn member, does appear to be a total fold-over (equal length fabric for the pens and the fold).

Photo credit: Fountain Pen Network member

Five of Wands

Small hassles can often be more unnerving, more difficult to resolve and time consuming.

The five of wands represents that sort of challenge and it is precisely what I am feeling at present.

I've always loved writing instruments, and in particular, fountain pens. They were part of the joy of writing, and in some cases, drawing. In fact, drawing, writing and reading have always been part of my day.

Fountain pens were the oft gifts I gave myself on my birthday or occasionally on a holiday. Pens in general were the focus of my browsing in art supply shops and stationers, but then they became an object--something to use.

Now it seems I am cleaning pens, sorting them for purposes other than their original intention and getting caught up in ways I've never experienced before. Rather than having these writing instruments be an extension of my day, they are becoming the focus of my day.

I am beginning to hate my fountain pens.