stamps – Page 2 – Hey, Look! A Writer Fellow!

Celebrate cows — This is what I do with extra time on my hands.

Back in the early days of this blog, I wrote a number of posts that nobody ever saw. “Sixty-one views?” I’d say, aghast. “For the whole month?”

So, with your permission, I thought I’d pull an old post out of the pile and reintroduce it to a (hopefully) larger audience.

Feel free, as always, to comment with reckless abandon! I do so love your comments.

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One of the ways I hoped to get my (then-three-year-old) son interested in reading was to leave him little notes at the breakfast table. After all, what could be more fun than getting a loving note every morning from your dear ol’ Dad?

But, since I am incapable of doing anything in a small way, I took my note idea to the next level. It’s always fun to get mail, so I sealed each note in an envelope; printed my son’s name and address on the front; and, for that extra dose of authenticity, drew on a stamp. (“Celebrate Cows,” was the first subject.) “There!” I thought. “That will get my boy interested in reading!”

Instead, it got my boy interested in stamp collecting. From the second note on, he carefully ripped the stamp off the envelope and stored it in a shoebox. The notes were glanced at briefly, handed to Mom to read aloud, and then discarded without a second thought. So while I’m pleased to report that my son – who is now six – reads with enthusiasm, my grand note experiment had absolutely nothing to do with it.

To those who are unfamiliar with the origin of my series of “Celebrate” stamps, you may want to read this first.

When I began this stamp business for my son, I had no idea just how much effort it would require. Stamps either had to be drawn early in the morning (while I was half asleep eating breakfast) or late at night (when I was half asleep and ready to go to bed). I don’t draw very well when I’m half asleep and, since I worked in ballpoint pen, I would often need to throw away several envelopes before I could manage something that looked halfway decent.

Another thing I discovered about being half asleep: good judgment sometimes fails to show itself. So a few of the stamps I worked on exhibit a noticeable lapse in good taste.

Do forgive me. — Often these stamps were inspired by current events. Surprise, surprise, on the day I drew this, my boy had a cold.

My sleepy, hard work on tasteless subject matter often paid off, though. Case in point: I discarded three envelopes before I finally got the right amount of explosive, flatulent pressure needed for “Celebrate Toots.” To this day, my son considers it to be my masterpiece.

Tag: stamps

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