Memory Lane

There’s So Much Right … About Typewriters

Photos by Red


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I know you’ll roll your eyes, but it made me smile when I found not one, but two, of Daddy’s typewriters at Mom’s house. It just brought back so many memories.


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I remember the old black one, which is probably long gone, before Daddy “modernized” and got an electric one. I remember taking typing class. And, I remember pulling an all-nighter to write, or technically “type”, my M.B.A. thesis the night before it was due.


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I still can’t believe you did that. Too bad you couldn’t turn in the handwritten version.


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There was none. I had some notes, but I composed as I typed. It forced me to focus. Especially as that typewriter pre-dated ones with an internal correction tape, which meant I had to manually “white out” mistakes and then type over them or start the page over again.

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Seriously?! And that’s not about how the typewriter worked, it’s about how you wrote your thesis!

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Well, at least Daddy’s home office was in the basement, so you could not hear the constant tap-tap-tap. But, that reminds me of the times I would sneak downstairs to find Daddy up late, typing his engineering reports using the two-finger method. Even before people used the phrase “work-life balance,” he would never miss dinner and having time with us, but sometimes would then go back to work.

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Mommy was always a night owl, and as I got older and stayed up late watching old movies (I think I inherited that gene from her), she’d be on her typewriter in the kitchen working on her lists. I can still hear that distinctive sound.

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And, the ding when you hit the end of the line? Regardless, it explains why you found two typewriters. Mom took Daddy’s hand-me-down.

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Given she was once a secretary, she could fly through those keys. And now that I’m going through all of her things, I smile every time I find one of the seemingly endless lists she made. Some of which were handwritten and some typed. But with her handwriting … thank goodness for the typed lists.

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Can you imagine what she would have done if she had a computer? I tried getting her one years ago, but she wanted nothing to do with it.


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Talk about creating a monster. But there’s something, maybe nostalgia, maybe just the fact not everything has to be done in the most modern way, that makes me look at those two typewriters with a smile and new appreciation.


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They are a piece of history, which may explain why there is a National Typewriter Day (June 23). And, typewriters are responsible for the QWERTY keyboard that is still used on our computers and smartphones.


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I never thought about that, although it makes perfect sense. Funny thing is that when Sawyer saw the typewriters, she knew what they were but had never seen one in person. Well, I’m going to keep both typewriters. For now, anyway. Too many memories associated with them. Unless you want the one you used for your thesis.


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Not right now, but if we ever decide to get rid of them, we need to do some research as there is an active market for old typewriters. Of course, if Tom Hanks is interested in either of them, I would love to send him one to add to his collection.


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Tom Hanks collects typewriters? How do you know these things?


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AP News article about “digital burnout”. Apparently, he is an avid typewriter collector. And, it is more than a hobby, as he inspires others to appreciate them.


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I already did, but now I do even more!

Red's two Labradoodles

Photo taken by Red

May is National Pet Month, and it’s a bittersweet time for Red as she lost Moo (her black Labradoodle pictured above) just before the New Year. It’s the first time she’s been without a pet since Woof arrived (see below for original post from 2021, including the third “silly name”), and not a day goes by that she doesn’t miss the companionship and unconditional love. So, she tries to focus on all the wonderful memories, knowing that one day she’ll welcome another pet into her life …



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Well, this month marks 18 years since you changed my life, so I wanted to thank you. Again. For bringing such happiness into the lives of the girls and me, although some heartbreaking sadness, too. But there's nothing like unconditional love.


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OK, but can you tell me what you are talking about?


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Do you remember when I moved to Houston after living overseas, and we started going to the Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio for Memorial Day weekend? You were married to Larry, and his girls were young, and Natasha and Sawyer were even younger. Well, in 2003 you asked me if it was OK if you got us a puppy.


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You had always talked about getting a dog but wanted to have children first. The timing seemed right, but given your allergies, the options were limited. Until I learned about a new breed, well technically a mixed breed, originally developed in Australia to be hypoallergenic guide dogs.


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I'll never forget you showing me photos of the most incredibly adorable dogs I'd ever seen. The fact Labradoodles were half standard poodle, which was what I had initially thought we'd get, and half Labrador Retriever was amazing. But only you could find the perfect dog from an article in a business magazine.
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