Oddly mystical, long skinny cloud across the sky at dawn.
These orange sunrises seem to coordinate with the 90% humidity and another hot day ahead.
Yesterday's mail was absolutely awesome! I didn't show you the fronts of these four letters because of the addresses...but these were the only pieces in my mailbox.
Four letters!! Whoohoo!
I don't think I have ever gotten four at once--ever!
And two of them were whoppers! :):)
What a delight to spend my afternoon sipping on coffee while slowly savoring the life stories of friends. Two of whom I have never actually met in "real life", but are just as dear to me. I pray we never lose the art of the handwritten letter!
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It pains me to read that some of the kids today can't even read cursive. It's like a foreign art form to them. I suppose it's possible, but I find it hard to wrap my head around, that one day people will get sweetly nostalgic remembering the days of texting. Will they hold that short message in their hand on an ancient smart phone and imagine the person's fingertips on the screen? Will any of those millions of texts be saved?
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If there was no electricity, no cell towers, no satellites...I am still able to write down my thoughts. And if I don't want to do it by hand...I have an old manual Underwood! ;)
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Karma, who lives contentedly in the moment, could care less about saved thoughts in any form.
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"That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent."
Chinese Proverb
16 comments:
I was just thinking about that the other day, after watching that French movie "Sarah's Key." One of the characters got to know his mother from her diary and I thought about how journaling is such a lost art form, not to mention, as you say, everything going into the immediate text.
You are so lucky to find such fat letters in your mailbox! How totally cool is that? I am smiling at you and sending you lots of hugs through the monitor!
Rita, this posting of yours today awakened lots of thoughts within me. I know that historians and other writers are bemoaning the lack of letter writing today because there will be no treasure trove of letters and primary sources when they write their histories or biographies.
Like you, I hope that we never lose the art of letter-writing--in cursive!
A question: where do you find the quotations that end your postings? They are always so apt.
Peace.
It is indeed a sad state of affairs when our children can't read cursive writing or multiply without a calculator or do many of the things we learned as children.
How wonderful to get 4 letters at once. I have a newly discovered aunt in Michigan that I am corresponding with the old fashioned way. Other than greeting cards I don't get any personal mail.
You are such a joy Rita. I am so glad we found each other.
Beth
Djan--I know! I thought about this when I was recently watching a show in PBS that was all taken from letters home from soldiers in wars over the centuries. I wondered if the soldiers these days just email or text. I wonder if they get Dear John texts? ;)
Thanks so much!! One of those thrills in life--a mailbox full of letters!! LOL! *hugs back*
Dee--The younguns today seem to think that emails and texts are more permanent than letters that will disintegrate over time. Huh? Will all that information stored in cyberspace always be accessible? Maybe I am too old to believe in techieland?
I get most of the quotes from either gratefulness.org or hearthmath.com. I am signed up for daily quotes. I have been saving the ones I liked for a couple of years...and now found a use for them. ;)
Beth--It is kind of scary to think that these kids won't know how these things actually work if there comes a day they can't plug something in or have no batteries. Feels weird. Precarious.
That's so cool that you and your long lost aunt write now! Nice!! Don't lose touch.
Thanks so much! I am glad to have met you, too!! :):)
I agree that receiving cards and letters in the mail is a treat to savor and you must have been ecstatic to get four in one day! Too bad this custom is disappearing; I write to an aunt and a cousin in this manner.
How wonderful for you to get four letters in one day! :)
It's a shame hand written letters don't happen that often any more. I miss when I was exchanging hand written letters with people. Thing is though that with e-mails and text messages being so much quicker - and taking less effort - that's what people do. I think (unfortunately) that it's more the fact they take so little effort compared to the alternative.
I miss getting hand written letters... Hearing the "plop" as they come through the letterbox and land on the mat, then sitting with my cup of tea (OK, it would be herbal tea now, but still) and tearing the letter open to see what someone took the time to say to me...
Wish I knew someone who knew braille well enough so we could write to each other. Only person I know who does braille is my brother though, and he's not that good at keeping promises (he said we'd do a story together through the post... He'd start it and send it to me, I'd add to it and send it back... I'm still waiting!)
YAY! I see one of those letters belong to me! :) I was stoked to receive a bookcard from you in my mail box the other day. It brought a big smile to my face...like you, I LOVE getting handwritten letters!
Kids nowadays are taught a more simple style of cursive writing, more like a print with joins or tails and quite different to the way we were taught. It's kinda sad that the old writing styles have been phased out over the years as technology has inched its way in.
I wouldn't necessarily see it as a bad thing but can you imagine what it would be like if we were suddenly without technology. People would feel totally lost...a bit like how I felt when my computer died earlier this year. lol We sure can be dependent, can't we? But still, I love the older forms of communication too.
Those dawn sky colours are amazing!
Love,
Serena xo
Awesome photos! especially the cat is sooooo cute! I agree about handwritten letters ~ I never receive any ~ no one writes or sends cards that I know ~ cept for Birthday cards ~ maybe I should revive it! LOL
Thanks for "Born to Be Wild" comment on my blog ~ I loved that song and am still a 'rebel' at heart ~ LOL ~ enjoy the week ~ namaste, Carol (Share the Creative Journey)
Rita, thank you for visiting my Saturday posting and for your lovely, thoughtful, reflective comment. You said, "We all protect ourselves the best way we know how. We just have to learn to forgive ourselves for all those times we didn't know any better." And that is what has been happening for me as I "come home to myself." Extending forgiveness to others and to myself.
I'm so glad we found one another in cyberspace as your blog brings me peace each time you post.
I'm glad you like the picture of the three cats and me. Jeremiah must have been on the floor when it was taken. He was a lovely marmalade cat.
Terra--Greetings and welcome! Since you write to your aunt and cousin you are one of the few who knows the joys of a handwritten letter in the mail! Hey, even to get one that is typed and printed out and mailed is unusual these days. ;)
Tori--I really wish you knew some people who could write to you in braille!! I wonder if there's an online braille pen pal group? They seem to have anything and everything else on the web.
I envy you hearing the plop thru an old fashioned letterbox flap on the door! I have only seen that in old movies or on TV. Cool! I wonder if you will have that in your new place in London?
Serena--Yes!! One of the whooper letters belonged to you!! :):) I have to confess, I saved the best for last--yours! ;)
What they're teaching now sounds more like my half-printing-half-cursive writing I do sometimes. Kind of sad. When you look at the handwriting a century or more ago it was an art! Now--yes--we're lost if the electricity goes out. ;)
Carol--Thanks@photos. :)
And these days even if you do get a birthday card or Christmas card there is often just a signature with possibly a brief comment. Or you get the notorious copy of the "Christmas letter"--but I'm glad to even get those anymore. Revive--yes, revive it!!
I couldn't resist a little Steppenwolf when I saw your drawing--LOL! ;)
Dee--I am so glad! Whenever we speak from our heart and it happens to give another some peace--wow! What more could you ask for?! I'm glad we met, too! :):)
Now you have to show a picture of Jeremiah, too. ;)
I think that long skinny "cloud" in your first picture might be a jet contrail from a jet racing across your beautiful sky. Loved those two shots.
Yay! Mail! :) I hope the USPS doesn't decide to leave us all out in the cold as far as mail delivery goes. That would be a terrible mistake.
That's a great shot of Karma. She looks like she might be saying, "oh no, not you and that camera again!"
Have a great Monday. (will read your other blogs tomorrow) *hugs*
I think those that were inclined to journal before still do - some perhaps in blogs... those bloggers should print their blogs out now and then... the paper will always be... but will blogger?
AliceKay--I don't think so, because I see those all the time here and this was way too huge! It may not appear to be so in the pic, but it was very wide and long. I watched it, too, to see if it would dissipate like the jet trails do and it didn't. Was just a strange long cloud.
I couldn't believe Canada's mail went on strike for about a month or so there. My mail lady told me that the USPS is not allowed to go on strike. ?? But I did hear that they keep talking about going down to five days. I'd be fine with M-F mail. :)
Iggy--I have heard of bloggers having their blogs made into books even! Weird! That's true, tho. All these blogs and photos could all vanish one day. But, as the Tibetan monks taught us when they were here in Fargo, nothing lasts. That was the point of them spending three days making a sand mandala and then destroying it. Nothing lasts. Shouldn't get attached to anything. (Easier said than done, she says as she rubs Karma with her foot while typing on the laptop.)
It is wonderful to get letters - it's a long time since I have had more than one personal letter at a time.
I sometimes wonder what historians of the future will have to work on!
Jenny--Greetings! An author on Lewis Carroll--wow! I am so glad you ran across my blog somehow. Welcome!
I know--even when people wrote a lot more before the internet the most I had ever gotten at one time was three.
Because you enjoy the periods of the past you must wonder that, too--how will the historians dig to find information? Will they have to break pass codes or read blogs? Just doesn't seem the same does it? Imagine a book in the future on some famous person's life story--and then he IMed this...on his Twitter account he said...his facebook page had these pictures...his email to so-and-so said this...and his blog entry on such and such a date revealed...
So strange! But it will probably happen...and they will read it on a handheld screen or maybe a holograph right in front of their eyes from a chip implanted in their head. ;)
Almost everywhere has the letterbox here. Usually you only have a box if you have a long driveway or have your stuff go to a PO Box address over here, so I'm pretty sure we will have the letterbox. I just need to find someone to write me letters to come through it... ;)
Yeah... I'll have to look for a penpal group... Once we've moved. :)
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