Speed is of the essence at the end of the day. The days are folding back into themselves way too early – I start work in the dark but prefer not to finish work in the dark. But am always caught out. Trying to get images of the farm as the gloom gathers. 
I am still stalking Sheila trying to get a really good postcard shot. But she always wants to get up close to say hello. She lifts her head and her hooves and toddles stiffly to where I am, chatting the whole time. She is the only pig I have who will lift her head up high so her ears flop back when she reaches me, she needs to see me when she talks. She is an eye contact pig. She reminds me of a whale breaching for a look. But she really needs to be out of the mud for a photo – she is more fish than pig preferring to lay in the mud most of the day. Maybe it is soft on her old bones.
I got home from the city late in the afternoon yesterday. I went up to meet Rosy – do you remember Rosy? – she was one of my farm workers this summer and is now a fast friend. I am not letting Rosy drop back into the maddening memory crowds. She was in Chicago for a few days so I went up to have lunch with her and have a walk around the parks. Chicago really is a beautiful city at this time of year.
It is interesting how in your life you meet many people – thousands really -but only a very few become the real friends. They can be cyber friends too, you may never have even met in the flesh but still, you know those people to be your good true friends. I have met a few of those through this blog too!
In the old days there were people who wrote to each other for years and seldom saw each other so it is no different I suppose, except that we can instantly answer a friend’s questions now. And email is fast fast, whereas letters more thoughtful.
The immediacy of the modern email letters we write must make a difference to the content though. If I were to write a paper letter now I think it is much deeper, fuller. More precious.
I was in the art institute gift shop today cruising for gifts and books and postcards and found to my horror that they had shrunk their postcard collection. I asked and they said postcards just weren’t selling anymore. It was a trend to cut back on them now. Trending backwards. But I love my postcards, I squeaked. It was like someone said we don’t really need four legs on our chairs anymore and how had I not known about that. I was flabbergasted.I love postcards and have been collecting and sending them forever. I love making my postcards in Zazzle. In fact, I make more postcards with my pictures than anything else in Zazzle. I love postcards. I have boxes of them. I was saddened to see them being cut back. Trending DOWN.
Ah well. I will be ready when there is a resurgence of mail.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
WEATHER: Another good drying day.
Tuesday 10/17 0% / 0 in
A mainly sunny sky. High 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tuesday Night 10/17 0% / 0 in
Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sun
7:06 am 6:08 pm
Moon
Waning Crescent, 3% visible 4:42 am 5:27 pm
The Kitchen's Garden 
61 responses to “NO GlOOM”
I was brought up short on this point only the other day by a blogfriend who, thru’ the years, has become a dear real one. Having at the moment too many beloved friends around the world in hospital with cancer and other operations or having a hard time in other ways, and unable to afford proper floral bouquets to all and sundry, I spoke up about my frustration of only being able to communicate by email or phone. I was initially surprised when the suggestion was to send a ‘real card’ or note that the recipient could hold in hand . . . actually something you had handled. Well, don’t think I have bought or sent a card for over five years when once my Christmas card roll was over 500, but the penny has kind’of ‘dropped’ and that will be another ‘methodology’ used . . .
I think most everyone likes to get a real, written letter or card. I have friend who is finally moving back ‘home’ and I’m delighted. I’m also kind of sad, all the years she’s lived away we have written real honest-to-God letters to each other. Oddly I always seemed to receive one from her when I needed it the most, she says the same. Such a good feeling to see that familiar hand writing on an envelope and to grab a cup of coffee and sit down and read. Fortunately I have a grandson who’s a brand new Marine and also a very good letter writer. Even better it’s almost a sure thing he will be stationed stateside for two years so I don’t have to worry about him being deployed, I love my country but I really don’t want to give it my grandson.
As the handwritten messages I’ve received have dwindled, I’ve started to hold onto them more. As my 94 year old father gets older, it becomes less and less likely that I’ll ever see him in the flesh again, since he lives on the other side of the world and the state of my back makes air travel less and less possible. His letters to me have become extra precious in a different way way to the infrequent Skype conversations we have when my brother is visiting him. He still has beautiful copperplate handwriting, the kind that isn’t taught any more, completely legible and elegant. So many children these days have terrible scrawls, because all their schoolwork is done on a keyboard. Gosh. I sound like my mother…. Anyway, Bring Back The Hand-Written Letter, I say.
D > What goes around comes around : already there is a renewed appreciation of hand-written letters on fine paper, written in ink, with a flowing and pleasing hand. There is still a demand for art postcards. The trend is away from meaningless volume, towards the significant and special.