Letter writing is another good part of snowbound days. There are special friends and relatives that I like to visit lavishly with, and this takes time. I have neighbors in many places all over the world that I can write to and hear from in these days. For instance, there is a woman in Alaska whose husband is a trapper. They live in a kind of scow tied offshore, and she keeps house in a small cabin on the scow. She has an old rotting rowboat on the shore in which she has, in season, her garden. I have never seen this woman, but we are friends because we correspond about our gardens, mine in New England behind a white picket fence and hers in an old rowboat in Alaska. We also trade recipes, although I cook on an electric range and she cooks on a galley stove. There is another woman in Rhodesia; and one in Caracus, Venezuela; and one in Bristol, England. We have so much to say to one another about our houses, our dogs or cats, our gardens!
Gladys Taber
Stillmeadow Seasons 1950
Doesn't this sound like all of us?!
You bet it sounds like all of us. I had a "pen pal" in Holland for 20 years. It was wonderful. Now I have blogger friends. All wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the pen pal? Did you ever meet her? Is she now a blogger?
DeleteI love this!! I think it would be fun if we did a letter writing campaign for a month!! I loved getting letters in the mail!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf you organize it, I'll participate. :<)
DeleteNan! I love this; it is a perfect Gladys quote! You have nailed it. She would be one of the most popular bloggers today and oh, how I wish she were still here to take me to Stillmeadow in her posts. I think she would be proud of us bloggers and how we celebrate the differences between us.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post about our dear friend.
Dewena
When I read her books, I recognize aspects that feel just like reading blogs.
DeleteYes, it's just like us, although I firmly believe we will meet some day!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a letter campaign.
I hope so.
DeleteIt does indeed, Nan!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was still at school, I had a penpal in Scotland and another one in India. While the girl in Scotland at some stage simply did not write back, I am still loosely in touch with the young man from India. He has a lovely wife and two children now, and before the children were born, they emigrated to NZ where they have built happy lives for themselves.
I am quite sure I'd be able to find the girl from Scotland on Facebook, but I am determined to stay away from it and rather keep the friendships I have made in the meantime.
Funny how that goes, isn't it. Sometimes people simply drift away. I wouldn't search her out either.
DeleteYes, it sounds like all of us. My cousin in England and I were pen pals all through childhood and into our teens. We still keep in touch and visit, but now there's email. My grandmother and I used to write to each other all the time, as well, when she lived in California. She probably received more handmade pot holders from me with my letters than she ever could use, but it was fun and she loved them all. But there was nothing like the anticipation of a letter coming in the mail.
ReplyDeleteSo dear to think of those potholders. Were they made of a sort of yarn? I think I made a couple of them myself. :<)
DeleteI remember an anthropology professor who told me that he could divide people into "disclosing" and "non-disclosing". Obviously GT was a disclosing person and loved sharing that with others. And yes, I think bloggers are that way too. I am really happy to be so!
ReplyDeleteInteresting division between types. I think sometimes people seem to be 'disclosing' but really aren't. Sometimes it is a case of boundaries.
DeleteI am so happy that I entered the blogging world about 5 years ago.
ReplyDeleteNow that I live at the edge of the woods in the country
what would I do without my blogging friends.
All have become so special to me.
I do believe when we write and share that we know each other
better then many we see face to face
at times...
I was just talking to Tom about this the other day - that I know more about my blogging friends' interests and activities and feelings than I do most of my friends in 'real life.'
DeleteWonderful quote, Nan, and yes, it does sound like all of us bloggers.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she would have jumped right into blogging!
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