Watch for deer. I braked for at least four of them last week and I cannot emphasize enough that the deer are out there. They are ready, willing, and able to bolt across the road at any hour of the day. Remember when we used to see them only at sunset? That is no longer the case, my friend. Watch for deer.
In Wisconsin, saying “watch for deer” is code for “I care about you and want you to survive until spring.” So watch for deer. Ride the brake. Whatever it takes. Trust me, the deer are not watching for you.
This weekend Eldest and I discovered a typewriter at a local Goodwill and wordlessly agreed to add it to the collection.
First, we spotted the case — marked “as is,” $19.99. I opened the case only until I saw that several keys had been pressed at the same time, jamming their typebars together at the platen. Then I saw the name “ADLER” facing me on the top cover. I shut the case, Eldest grabbed it, and we almost ran to the cashiers before anyone else saw what we had. (Admittedly, even I didn’t know what we had yet.) He named it “Irene” even before we checked out. IYKYK.
What we had was a bargain bordering on a steal. It turned out that everything in that store with an orange sticker was half off that day. $19.99 turned into $10.46, which became $11 after we rounded up. At Goodwill, I always round up.
After we got home, Eldest and I each searched the Typewriter Serial Number Database. I couldn’t find the serial number in any of the Adler lists, but he was quickly in the photo galleries to find a match with a 1966 Adler J-4. Manufactured in Western Germany.
I don’t know why I am telling you this, but maybe you’re a budding typewriter collector who could use a reason to be persistent. So here are the “three strikes” that this typewriter seemed to have against it, to whomever donated it to Goodwill:
- It didn’t seem to type well. When I looked at the typewriter I saw that the ribbon setting was set to “stencil.” After I moved it to the “black” setting it was fine.
- The ribbon was broken. The ribbon had come loose from the right-hand spool, so the ribbon couldn’t advance when keys were pressed. I removed the spool, reattached the end of the ribbon, and replaced the spool. Perfect typing.
- The case latch seemed broken and the key was missing. If that’s a deal-breaker, I don’t know what to tell you. Other than, thanks for including the original case!
Bonus strike: the typebars were jammed together. This seems to be true of every manual typewriter in a resale shop. I gently released the tangle, as I always do, and everything is fine. It’s fine.
I watched a few YouTube videos to find out more about this particular model, and I kept hearing over and over again how wonderful this typewriter is. Honestly, it may be the best-working typewriter in my entire collection. I did a second typing test after re-spooling the ribbon, and it’s clear that I need not even replace the ribbon.
All this typewriter will need is a good cleaning, and it will be the star of my collection.
Knitwise, I cast on for a shawl and I’m plugging away on it. I have used up the partial skein of Dark Rose Heather Wool-Ease, knitted a two-ridge stripe from Dark Grey Heather, and continued in Dark Rose Heather for one-third of a full skein.
After I use up the full skein I’ll add another Dark Grey stripe, knit on the last full skein of Dark Rose, then finish in Dark Grey. Maybe with eyelets all across the last row. We’ll get there when we get there.
With the temperatures slowly dropping and the skies gently darkening, it was a good weekend to knit on a shawl. Those rows are pretty long now, so I’m not sure when I will finish it. But I will probably cast on for the next project right away.
Should it be something new? Or should I find a UFO (Unfinished Object) and resume working on it? Let me know in the comments.
Chocolate Sheep 