When I decided to write this blog, I planned to focus on the lost art of letter writing and on how a book sparked a correspondence with a long-distance friend. Then I started remembering other aspects of writing, and more and more recollections surfaced, so this may be a two-part topic.

My love of paper, pens, and writing started waaaay back when I was learning to read and write my name. My first act of writing is forever held in perpetuity in the Betty Crocker Cookbook on my shelves. I had nothing else to write on, so I chose my mother’s cookbook to practice my name.

One of my memories of grade school days was the excitement of visiting the grade school in August to find out what we needed for school supplies. Who else can remember running up to the front doors to read the posted list of requirements for each grade? What I remember most was the disappointment when I didn’t qualify for anything higher than the 8-count box of Crayola Crayons, let alone the 64-count (although I doubt the 64-count was ever a requirement).

Checking out the recommended notebook paper from the grade school lists was another item that incited a frisson of excitement, especially when I no longer had to use the fat pencils and cheap brown tablets. In the fourth grade, my classmate, Linda Fredrickson, had the best 3-ring binder paper; it was college-ruled (not sanctioned by the supplies list!) and high-quality, which meant writing on it was smooth as silk. I loved that paper and have spent my life trying to locate a comparable product. But then, a few years ago, while perusing Walgreens’ stationery section, the angels sang when I discovered “stone paper” notebooks. I have multiple copies and use them for my Books of Books notebooks (they are the dark green notebooks in the blog photo); a highlight of finishing a book is using a favorite pen to note the title in my Oxford stone paper notebook.

(A side note: Linda became a good friend in junior high, but I’m sorry to say she led me down the road to near ruin by encouraging me to sneak out in the middle of the night and roam the streets of Cottage Grove. We had some, well, interesting adventures. She (and Cher) was the inspiration for my bangs during that time.)

“I Love the Smell of Ditto Paper in the Morning!”

No doubt there are many of my blog readers who have a pleasant memory of the freshly minted ditto/mimeograph papers passed out by the teacher. Who could resist smashing the paper onto our faces and inhaling that intoxicating chemical (surely carcinogenic) scent? I swear, if someone would develop it into a candle scent, it would be a bestseller. Am I right?

My next post will talk about my pen obsession and how I relearned the art of exchanging real letters.

So, what is your favorite memory of grade school supplies, and do you have a favorite notebook paper?