Edwin was a little old-fashioned at times. He sat at a writing desk for starters. He wrote with a fountain pen that used real ink! In fact, this very afternoon he’d penned handwritten letters to each of his three grandchildren.
His letters would be answered via emails of course, which he didn’t mind. But he still penned letters to them in long hand.
“Don’t you think,” said Edwin, “that they get a thrill when the mailman delivers them a letter in the post? They go to the mailbox, and there’s a letter! For them!”
And indeed they did get a thrill. They jumped up and down, up and down, and shouted, “It’s from grandpa! There’s letters from grandpa! With real postage stamps!”
So Edwin sat at his writing desk. It was getting harder these days to buy the stuff: ink and the occasional nib perhaps, or even a fountain pen. He read the writing on the cellophane wrapping that came with his last purchase:
WARNING: This may cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation. Ingestion of large quantities may cause nausea. If got in the eye, flush eyes with plenty of running water for at least 15 minutes. If on skin: wash clothing before reuse. Wear chemical gloves to avoid skin contact. Recommend use of safety glasses with side shields or goggles.
FIRE FIGHTING INSTRUCTIONS: Keep unnecessary people away. Isolate hazard area and deny entry. Emergency equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus and full firefighting turnout gear, should be worn by fire fighters.
“Oh, dear me,” thought Edwin, “what’s the world coming to? It’s only a sheet of blotting paper.”