Just haven’t been able to get my hands on machines during the stay-at-home and what-have-you. It’s weird.

Most of my machines are all at my dad’s workspace, and I’ve been reluctant to share airspace there because of his health.

My husband is still working in an essential job, so my daily “pool” of contacts is around 30 — not including the members of the public with whom they are in contact. ☹️

You’d think with no job and supposed extra time on my hands, I would figure out a way to delve into machines. Sadly, I don’t think I’ve touched a one save for moving the ever-growing pile around the house.

I’ve had four porch drop-offs in the last 2 1/2 months, three of which were orphans (one found a home the next day!) and one that is waiting for a cleanup and a new ribbon — at my dad’s studio.

This whole thing is a strange experience for me. Daily I am saddled with anxiety and worry that causes a kind of paralysis and much over-thinking. Nothing is easy any longer. Even without my regular work, busy-ness fills the day. I’ve taken over essential errands for both my parents, for instance. That takes time.

I have started two gardens since the end of February. While my yard still looks wild (and most of it is), I’ll be producing a lot of food this year.

But even that doesn’t explain why the days go by and I haven’t typed anything…

Ah, well. I am sure if I put my mind to it, I can find time and focus on a couple of machines. It’s always a good experience. I haven’t even looked much at the four I picked up for myself right as I stopped working. One of them was in my dream last night!

I will have to make a point of finding it in the fray and featuring it. It’s something I’ve never seen before.

On that note, I hope you and all your loved ones are doing all right.

This is a placeholder post.

I need to scan some documents this week and tell the story about the typing contest that happened last Wednesday.

For now, here is my favorite typing machine at the moment. 1949 SC Silent (paper washi tape added for zing):

I don’t know why, but I fly on this thing and my errors are few. I even took her to a writing retreat on Saturday and got soooooo much work done. I thanked the other retreat participants for tolerating her sound.

I am in love. It’s silly. She even smells good.

And yes. Even though I am a staunch feminist and humanist, she is a she.

Here is some fast machine eye candy that isn’t mine:

But she and I will be sisters tomorrow. (Took my dad car shopping today. He’s wanted one of these for three years.)

Fast machines! Yeah!

It’s a month for typewriter events for me. This is nice, as it gets me in the mindset for my trip to Herman’s in October.

My friend Hollie has a gorgeous store with all sorts of delightful mid-century modern things. I volunteered to sit and type poems, etc. for her grand re-opening tonight.

This is the first time ever that I’ve done this! I had no idea how it would go.

I had been thinking about various machines I could use when I remembered I had this beauty. It took a little time earlier today to get it typing well again, but it finally warmed up to the task. I think when I threatened to only take my trusty SC Silent, it started to behave again.

Hollie took this photo of me writing (a letter to one of my pen pals)

I also found the most comfortable chair, and it must have been meant to be, because it matched my typewriter:

I wrote a letter and a few lines for a three-year-old as well as taught his brother how to type. Sort of. It turns out that the electric 6-series SCMs (back machine) are darn good for kids to use.

I only ended up typing one “real” poem and I was elated when she gave me the subject of “punctuation.”

I took the chair home; it will go in my office downtown tomorrow so the cats don’t even get a chance to put a claw on it. I love the fine art of Element Stuffing, and hit upon a cool combo that I might just have to do for Herman’s in October.

The E gets much worse gas mileage than the Civic, but the trade off is cargo room and having the OEM tent for the back of the E. So… maybe I’ll chair-nap the comfy chair and take it to Herman’s as part of my camping setup! What fun that would be.

Next week I become a Typewriter Olympian! Three of us will go head-to-head on stage at the kickoff party for a new local literary festival. I’ll be happy with the bronze medal. I’ll post from that event soon!

As luck would have it, I was able to make it to my second typewriter gathering this month, this time in Oklahoma City.

Hosted by Russtic Typewriters, aka repairman Cody Russ, it was a stellar first-time go. The bookstore kept tabs on attendance and counted over fifty folks coming in for the event.

I was determined this time to focus less on ribbons and repairs and more on having fun and helping folks. Mission accomplished, though I didn’t take a ton of photos. (Someone else did, with a real camera, so I am sure we will see them online soon.)

The bookstore, Full Circle Books, is a beautiful space with a cafe. The employees of both the shop and the cafe were wonderful. The space is well-suited to a small gathering and somehow, the sound of typewriters blended perfectly and wasn’t disruptive.

I brought my prized baby, the Corona Sterling with music keys. I was a little hesitant to have it out at a public type-in, but what transpired was magical.

People actually sat down and typed music! I learned so much about the machine as they were doing this. One man, Tim, wrote a note with the opening bars of “Faded Love” to his musician son, who is in Nashville:

Looking up music on your phone and typing it? Brilliant!

Then, of course we followed one another on Instagram so I could tag them both.

There were lots of kids in attendance, and Cody had put out a table of super-sturdy machines that they gravitated toward.

A group of teens hung out at the far table on my music writer, Consul, and a Corsair for about an hour. They wrote voluminously! I think that is the most the music writer has ever been used (it was all text, too).

Folks brought machines for Cody to look at and a couple to be repaired. The coolest machine of the day was a fantastic little index writer:

And we were also graced with a minty wood grain Royal P:

This time, because I wasn’t smooshed into my ribbon station all day, I got to chat with the delightful Susan from Norman (we met at Denton, but I didn’t play much there) as well as talk with Cody and meet Kevin, both only online acquaintances until now. Everyone is just as cool as you’d hope they would be. It was a really fun day.

We did go out to eat after at a great place Susan suggested. I sent a photo of the one empty space to our friend Typewriter Justice because we missed him:

I am at my mom’s this morning and headed back to Lawrence this afternoon. Soon, I hope to have a type-in there… I feel inspired. Thanks, Cody!

I got to drive out to the gathering again this year (I missed it last year). The trip out was fast and easy, and it’s fun to be staying with my old housemate and friend in Lakewood.

There are always fun machines here, and wow, the food! The best part, though, is the people. The small group, most of whom know one another, and we get new folks now and then. What fun!

Here we are sitting around after a fantastic lunch, listening to FISHerman telling us stories about super-collectible machines and low, low serial numbers.

I arrived with three machines and will leave with… five? One was on loan to Dale for a while. One, I’ll only get if I can haul it up from the basement.

I wasn’t going to bring the plastic machine in, but Fran wanted to see it. She wrote a sweet note on it.

More machines:

The “climbing” collection.

The “demon” machine (someone painted a red 4 black? Badly? Poor thing…)

One of my favorites ever, and it types! (This and a Williams are moving up the bucket list soon.)

Look at this special Corona case! It has a little drawer for paper. Ooooh, purple velvet.

Did you see the weird thing about that last one?

We started with a Densmore investigation, putting a part back on correctly that has been flipped after a deep clean.

I did bring my Sterling music machine. TWDB has it as 1941. The 3As started after July 1, 1941.

Now I hope this will post.

Thanks for reading!

Alison

PS

Now what do I do? Not only did I get my pretty baby (Sterling music machine) this summer, I’ve got a bucket-list machine on the way Monday, and… I left the meeting with yet another bucket list machine.

That monster in the front is an Olympia Musicwriter… that is now in my back seat.

Its brothers (who remained with JP) are in the back (next on my bucket list is the series 6 version). The Oly needs some work, but I have a working SG3 at home I can use for reference (see the loose drawband there?). I am so excited.

Are typewriter people amazing or what?

Posting these photos quickly to help someone else with a repair.

Last year the case was smaller and the machine was still in it:

I’ve got an empty 1940s Underwood case at home. I think he’s gonna get a Christmas present this year…

I tend to over share, ‘specially when I am tired.

I am tired.

Maybe later I’ll talk about how long my drive today was — 2 hours longer than expected.

I do need to note the joy of seeing beloved fellow typospherians again, happily meeting new ones (hi, “Phil”!), and — getting a hug from Herman.

I love these people. And I am an introvert, and I don’t like people. However, these are my people! It’s all right to be obsessed over typewriters with these people. I can be as spectrum-y and focused as I am wont to be when it comes to learning and talking machines, and it is FINE.

In spite of many (driving) obstacles today and missing my darling husband (who always does all of the driving), the TARDIS performed well (40+ mpg!), some very nice folks have already lightened my machine load by 4 (THANK YOU!) and…

… I picked up my number-one top-of-the-bucket-list machine this afternoon.

NUMBER ONE TOP-OF-THE-LIST MACHINE.

Well… besides a Sholes and Glidden.

Oh no! Does that mean I need to level up my bucket list now? The #1 spot is empty!

………

Omg I am so, so sorry. This is turning into one of those stupid “recipe blog” posts where someone talks fondly about their trip to Ivrea ten years ago where they learned to make handmade pasta from wheat that was harvested only one hour a year when the swallows had returned to the cliffs and the sun was in Virgo and all you want is the damn recipe so you can get dinner on the table.

Scroll on… we are almost there…

………

Glen (one of the nicest human beings you will ever meet, even when he is giving you shit, which he will, which makes me love him all the more) and I had been chatting about the machine since… I think the January gathering in Denton, or shortly thereafter.

I don’t remember how I even brought it up in conversation, but he happened to have this one, and he is here, and he drove from south Texas, and I drove from eastern Kansas, and many, many miles later, this absolutely fabulous machine is now in my hands.

Superlatives galore, I am so excited!

Look closely.

So, after an adventure into town for tacos (YES!), making my camp, and taking a well-earned but wildly cold shower (gotta ask Herman about that — the sink has hot water), I had to sit down and type for a bit.

That is a decent Malbec in a Taco Bell cup.

I am not proud. I got the wine at… wait for it, fellow Kansans… Walmart. I KNOW! WINE AT WALMART! How is the rest of the country that civilized? I could barely find a clean bathroom on the road today, but the Walmarts here sell wine?

Back to the typewriter; here is a photo of my first typecast on it. My camp is pretty posh, but it isn’t portable-scanner posh.

I have so much more to report, including a fantastic visit with the esteemed Dean Jones of TurboPlaten fame. Our selfie was awful, so his visage will remain anonymous. If you haven’t met him, you must get to know him sometime, in my opinion.

My visit to Jones Typewriter in St. Louis went an hour longer than I had planned; I could have spent the rest of the day there. Vern is awesome.

IKEA in St. Louis was a bit of a disappointment, as they had run out of Kvanting rainbow/pride shopping bags. ☹️

One of my favorite fellow bloggers helped me TREMENDOUSLY tonight after I got here — she steadfastly and patiently assisted me in putting up my ridiculously oversized tent for the first time. She is amazing not only for that reason, but because she has always inspired me exactly and perfectly when I’ve needed guidance and hope when it comes to working on machines. (Thank you, Mary!)

More from the Spring Jubilee soon. I’ve got a massive solar charger that will keep my phone juiced, one bar of service from AT&T, and I am determined to take more photos this go-round.

Thanks for reading.

A very tired but happy Alison

(who is not in Kansas anymore…) 🌪

It’s been… quite the week for technology. Not typewriter woes — they are fine. Well… read they typecast. Some of them aren’t.

My phone died this week and was impossible to revive (believe me, I tried EVERYTHING). I ended up having to go get a new one ($$$$ OUCH!) and so I’ve lost about 7 days worth of data that wasn’t in the Cloud and a week’s worth of photos.

Including the ones I took on our acquisition trip last weekend. Dang it!

I did a typecast about it. Of course, my scanner was then being a pain in the butt, but Preview let me use my new phone to scan the document. FANCY! It turned out really light, though.

Sigh. I hope it’s readable. I’ve attached the pdf copy as well.

More, maybe, when I am not so exhausted. We hit the ground running on Monday when we got back from our 700+ mile road trip and haven’t stopped since. I hope we can sleep in tomorrow!

(That is a shadow of my phone and my hand in the lower left corner! Hah!)

And this is a clickable link to read the typecast in a bigger window.

Typecast 2:9:19