Let me just say that my hands are sooooo sore from typing this out. It may not look like much, but with the rough draft and edit (which I will do again at a later date), I spent several hours on this. I don't usually write in first person, or present tense, but I felt it was fitting in this context. Critiquing is welcome. Enjoy!
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I never really realized how much wider the Remington was than the Oliver until I set up to take these photos. Of course, the Oliver is much taller, longer, and heavier. It is so long that it won't fit on the lap tray that I use as my mobile desk.
Use your typewriters for words, not jewelery!
-Anna Strad.
*Story and photos copyright 2012, Annalese Stradivarius. Do not use, reproduce, copy or distribute story, images or typecast without permission. Or Honey Badger will come after you, and Honey Badger don't care!
How old is that LC Smith?
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Nice to see the Remington, I have one very similar made in 1948 and I do enjoy it quite a bit. I feel the same way about machines when I buy them or take them on trips, as if I am doing them a favor.
Hey Mark! I'm not quite sure how old the L.C. Smith is, but I am fairly certain that it is a No. 3. Someone has done an...interesting...job of repainting it at some point and all the pertinent information is gone. It's just a couple tweaks away from being in working order, however, and it, like the Remington, was another local find. I did probably overpay for it by just a wee bit however.
DeleteI love the Remington, even though she kills my arms and hands to type on (the action isn't that stiff any more, but I'm still getting used to regularly using a manual typewriter) and really, I do use it more than any typer currently. I am however expecting a couple portables this week, so it's yet to be seen if that will change.
Haha, I think of it like taking a classic car out for a spin; you keep the engine in good running order, you enjoy it and you can show it off and teach others about it. So, it's beneficial to all. But I'm odd that way.
Great story. Love it! That portable noiseless is a gap in my collection - it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm considering turning it into a series, a story for every typer.
DeleteAnd thank you again; we walked into a local antique shop and there she sat, for what I thought was a fair price: $45. It was love at first sight, and I'm really glad I brought it home!
Totally delightful! And moving, even.
ReplyDeleteI am an übernerd for saying this, but I think she's newer than 1932. Let me know her serial number, and I can date her down to the month of her birth using Remington records.
Awww, thank you, Richard. That was what I had hoped for, and it means a lot!
DeleteSerial number is: H125094. I'd love to know her exact age, down to the month! In our own research, 1932 is what we turned up, for whatever reason, and we haven't dug further. So if it isn't too much trouble, I would definitely love to know.
Hee Hee, cute! A series would be cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I don't know if they'll go here or if I'll actually try to publish them. I'm still turning over the possibilities.
DeleteA great little story. I love to find machines with service stickers or stamps on them. Gives a bit more history than we generally find with machines being sold on the internet or otherwise. I have several with stickers from my general area, and a few from farther away. A nice piece of history.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely love to read the other stories you mentioned in this and your most recent post. Good luck writing!
Thank you Ken! This one is the only one I have with a service badge, so it makes her a little special. It's the absolute only clue that I have to her past. I do have a machine with more documented history, however--enough that I'm fleshing it out and filling in the blanks via online research. That one, I feel, is going to be a long story!
DeleteThank you very much! I've already begun fleshing out a second and am just trying to decide what order they should all go in, though I believe the Prologue will be by/of the Remington, as it will serve as an interpreter-type character in the story for the machines that cannot 'speak for themselves'(the projects that are currently unusable). Thank you for the well-wishes; I hope it's as fun to read as it's going to be to write!
I loved this story!
ReplyDeleteI've often thought... if our typewriters COULD talk, what stories they could tell!
And so, perhaps you are "channeling" them in YOUR stories. I encourage you to write more of them.
I see that you're from Tombstone -- James & I lived in nearby Bisbee, off and on, from 2002-2007. Very picturesque part of the world!
Thank you Cameron!
DeleteHaha, I've wondered the same thing! Some certainly speak more than others; I've recently acquired a couple with ephemera. I think their stories will be quite unique.
Oh I adore Bisbee! Always wanted to live there, though Tombstone definitely has its own charm. What brought you two there, and what took you away, might I ask? I lived in that area for nearly half of my life. And I do miss it.
I wanted to add that Richard was kind enough to search Remington's database for me, and he was correct; my Remie was born in August, 1947, so there will be revisions to the story in the future!
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