An old standby...

So many things have changed in the last few years... it actually

makes your head spin. Did you ever type on a machine you see here?

Oh yes. Remember the electrics we had in typing class back in high

school in the 1960's. What a noise with 15 or 20 kids pounding away

on the keys and hitting that return arm when the bell rang telling you

you were finished with that row of words. The machines were good

back then... even the manual ones like the one pictured here.

I used one for many years in the funeral home, typing death certificates

and even obituary notices. Back then, you had to give the obituary

over the phone to someone in the newsroom......or you had to

drive the finished product into their office to have it published.

It seems like a long long time ago, but actually it dates back

to the late 70's and early 80's for myself.

I had a portable typewriter inside a case that would open up. I kept

that one in my car. Sometimes you needed that machine in order to

type a certificate if you were away from home. Yes, you could hand

write the certificate in black pen, but a typed one looked so much

more professional.

I'd like to know how many of these machines still exist out there.

You see one from time to time at a road side sale. Many are in

excellent condition, almost begging you to take them home.

Now, the clickety-clack of the plastic computer keyboard seems

so harmless, weak, non productive. I miss the strike of that steel

key onto the ink ribbon resulting in that fresh letter mark on pure

white paper.

We've moved on, for sure. But the writing just isn't as much fun

as it used to be. I've kept an old ink ribbon in my writing desk,

just to remind me of another thing that has passed on with time.

Some things are just too good to through away.