After waving goodbye to my last student each summer, I undertake a creative project. I have chosen calligraphy, bookbinding, and greeting cards for 2002. Last year I built an armoire, so I was looking for something that did not involve heavy labor and power tools.
One of my former projects was to paint furniture cast-offs white for the master bedroom of our new house. I made color copies of old family letters and decoupaged them to the top of my parents' old dining room table to make my writing desk. The two oldest letters, written with dip pens in beautiful Spencerian script, are dated 1852 and 1862. I write lesson plans and grade papers every day on top of the letter from 1862. I read it often, thinking about the importance of letter-writing, and wishing I had beautiful handwriting.
In preparation for my calligraphy project, I bought a Sheaffer calligrapy fountain pen set. Shortly thereafter, I received my first Levenger catalog and promptly ordered Sailor Magellan and True Writer pens, and bottled inks in Gemstone Green and Fireball Red. Through Ask Jeeves I found the PenHero bookmarks site, which led me to the Zoss Pen List for information, to Pendemonium for stationary and vintage pens, to Vintage Pens and nibs.com for vintage pens, and Swisher Pens for modern ones. Now I have 6 vintage pens, 7 modern pens, the calligrahpy set, and a pen holder with several nibs. Now I am on the hunt for the perfect flex nib and a special ringtop pen to wear while I teach.
At work, I use my fountain pens all day. I have always used colored inks to categorize correspondence, documentation, and grades. Fountain pen inks are much more verstaile and unique. My seven year-old students like to watch me ink the pens, so now I have ink bottles all over my desk at school, too.
My husband, Keith is a stockbroker and amateur golfer. According to my daughter, whom he has consulted on the subject, I have gone 'round the bend over pens. But there's that trip to Augusta in a few weeks to attend the Masters-- I figure a few more pens don't come close to his expenses for that week! We have a daughter and a geriatric Bichon Frise. I enjoy reading in my spare time. We are graduates of LSU and attend many of the football games. Life is good.
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