jenna rose journal

While we were in eastern Ontario a few weeks ago we got a tour of a farm that was going up for auction near the cottage. In the corner of the barn was a pile of stuff, which I assumed was going to be sold at the auction, and in this pile I spotted an underwood typewriter. Last weekend my mom was going to the auction and I told her that if she could get the underwood at a reasonable price I would like it. As it turned out it was auctioned in a lot with an olivetti typewriter, a hose, and a few other things- my mom got the whole lot for one dollar. And then a man came up to her afterwards and wanted to buy the hose from her for one dollar. Definitely a reasonable price. I thought the ribbon needed replacing and I had heard that there was a typewriter store in Hamilton. So I brought it into Sigma Typewriters for the owner to have a look. I loved this little shop. There was so much to look at. The owner, Nick, was so nice. He got excited that I wanted to take pictures and was so excited about his little shop. He kept bringing typewriters out from the back to show me. The one above, from 1915, is his most treasured one. He kept picking up random objects and telling me about them. Like a museum, he said. He showed me all his adding tools, ink wells, and paper weights. He told me if I set the typewriter up in my study with an ink well next to it that I'll have lots of pizazz. Then I'd be really classy, he said.