Skip to main content

Old fashioned

Image
By

Good Morning Everyone. Yesterday I told you about our wonderful evening with “Lady” Jane and Mary Day Hawkins. I will attempt to relate to you a story that had me thinking and laughing. As we grapple with our current ADA dilemma I wonder about how we value “old timey” things, including windjammer vacations on cool old schooners and this story really got me thinking.

I mentioned that Jane is writing her memoirs. Sitting at home she does the “hunt and peck” thing that I can relate to. One day her typewriter up and croaks on her. Now what is a gal to do? So down she drives to the local “big box” office supply store. She wanders around for a few moments and a young clerk asks her if he might help. This young man, shirt half untucked, could be her great grandson for their difference in age. Surveying the aisle of keyboard word processing items before her she summons all the composure she can muster and asks him if she might be able to buy a typewriter, a regular ordinary “old fashioned” typewriter. I can see the centuries running headlong in to each other. As Jane is quick to point out she is not certain she has the time to learn to use a computer.

So the “associates” in this “big box” marvel put their collective brainpower together and find that they do in fact have 2 typewriters. They find the forgotten vestiges of a simpler time way up high on a shelf in the back of the store covered with the dust of the ages (no extra charge). “This’ll do,” she comments, “just like the model I have at home.” Not only that miracle but another as well, they have ribbon for these things too. “ You better buy all 9 ribbons maam”, he suggests. “These are the last ones we have and there is a woman that drives all the way from New Hampshire just to buy her ribbons here.” “I’ll buy 2 extra ribbons and take my chances” she replies while wondering how long this guy thinks she is going to be around.

Feeling not just a little self-conscious by now she pays for the typewriter and the 2 extra ribbons doing her best to keep her chin up and dignity together. She asks the young man if he might able to carry this “once upon a time machine” out to her car. Jane pulls up to the curb in her fire engine red sports car complete with sunroof, spoiler, and dark sunglasses with the sequins. After scraping his chin off the snow bank the young man gently places the typewriter in to Jane’s trunk and off she speeds.

The last the young man saw of Jane was her license plate “RAOK” bearing Jane’s life affirming motto, Random Acts Of Kindness. Don’t the ages have something to teach us all.

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Photo by Jim Dugan.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

By
My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...
28 comments
Read more

A Golden Windjammer Anniversary

By
Happy Birthday Mary Day! 50 years ago today Mary Day slid out of the shed at the Harvey F. Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine marking the beginning of a whole new chapter in the history of the windjammer fleet. The Gamage yard had not launched a schooner since 1933 and Mary Day was the first commercial coasting schooner launched since 1938. That also makes her the first commercial coasting schooner launched in the second half of the 20th century and the first schooner ever launched for the windjammer passenger trade. There may be a few more firsts in there but that doesn't really matter. What is most important about this celebration is the fact that Mary Day was launched today and began her career touching the lives of thousands of people. This schooner was built by people, for people and has never done anything else but bring joy to peoples lives. She has become a legendary windjammer here along the Maine coast as part of the largest fleet of commercial coasting schooners...
1 comment
Read more