In Place Of Correspondence

When was the last time you received a Letter?  I mean a REAL one, written by Hand, not just a brief Note or a Card, not an E-Mail or FB Messenger, not a rare and probably spontaneous Comment to something you left on Social Media sites, not a Tweet or a Text... but a Letter, send by Snail Mail, with a Postage Stamp and the Time taken to Correspond with you?   I cannot even remember, it's just been that long ago, and it's something I certainly Miss and am often Nostalgic about.

I recall when people exchanged Meaningful Correspondence with one another, sometimes including the unexpected Photograph, which was always a Joy.   Sure, Social Media is a platform now to reach out to almost anyone, anywhere, instantly and I think that has taken the place of Old Fashioned Correspondence like Letters.   Or even Telephone Calls and actual Visits in person, since after all, we've become such an Instant Society that Socialization has taken on a whole new form.

  

I'm torn tho', between Enjoying what now IS and what WAS.  I've finally dragged myself, rather reluctantly, and with the help of Grandchildren, into the 21st Century to join everyone else in most of these forms of Communication.  And I suppose I receive feedback more often than I ever did by Mail, but I still really do miss waiting each day for the Mail to arrive to see if a Letter was mixed in with the Bills and the Junk Mail.

Now the only Letters one might receive are from Corporations and because it's a Letter, I find myself Reading them, with a bit of Nostalgia that at least it's a Letter!  Because they know I probably wouldn't even glance at an E-Mail since I seem to still get like 200 of those damned annoying things a day!  *Smiles*  Yes, even the most Epic Letter was never annoying to sit down and read even if I couldn't do it all in one sitting, but an E-Mail, I just can't get thru most of those!

 I recently ordered my Ancestry DNA, finally, and even that result won't come in a hard copy form and I'll have to print it off myself whenever the results come in by E-Mail!   And how lazy is that of them for you to pay what you do for that Information and not even receive it in Letter Form?  Right now it's the only reason I'm checking my E-Mails, since I almost never do except to delete them all without reading hardly any of them!

As well as Letters being an Endangered Species, Post Cards and Greeting Cards are too, I can't even recall the last time I saw a Hallmark Store in a Mall, remember those?   Sure, every Big Box Store and Grocery Chain now carries an extensive Greeting Card section.  But has the cost of Cards become so prohibitive because they simply aren't Selling the volume of them that they used to?  I don't know about you, but the E-Card just doesn't Move me like receiving a Real Deal Greeting Card does?

And Christmas Cards, last Season I was shocked how few of those are offered anymore even in the Mega Chains, because frankly, most people have quit exchanging those too.   I can tell by volume not being received like in the Old Days at this household, we used to be able to plaster a wall with them.  I looked forward to receiving them from even those who never bothered to write Letters and you might only ever hear from annually at Christmas.  I've taken to not bothering to send one to anyone whose abandoned the practice tho', I suspect one day I won't bother to send any either, to anyone.

I don't know if it's only because I'm Aging that certain things hold a Nostalgic place in my Heart that just aren't done anymore?   But I do suspect I'm not the Lone Ranger, I do Believe that in place of Correspondence things like Blogging became alternatives and this gained popularity.  I'm Thankful for those alternatives that keep me Connected to others, since we're housebound a lot nowadays and Caregiving is a Lonely and Isolating existence.

  I think those of us who still Write Blogs probably were avid Letter Writers?  That those that Visit Blogs regularly, and especially those who leave Comments, were probably likely to visit people in the Flesh regularly and might miss Real Socialization falling by the wayside?  I'm just speculating, but I Believe those to be possibilities of why Blogging too hasn't become an Endangered Practice?

It's dying off tho', compared to what it used to be, Blogging really is falling by the wayside just like everything else as most move on to the next new thing.  Letter Writing at least had a good long run, a longer run I suspect than any of the Modern Versions of Communication ever will.  And the Romance of a Love Letter, well, what DO the Young People replace that with now, Erotic Texts... Private Social Media Messages that could be hacked into and read by anyone?  

Myself I prefer the Good Old Fashioned Letter coming in the Mail, I actually used to Save many of them and read them more than once if the content was particularly Meaningful.   I still have some that Dearly departed Loved Ones wrote to me and those are even more Priceless now that they've Crossed Over and their Essence and forms of expression are still evidence left on sheets of paper and in their own Hand.   Meaningful exchange to me personally and nobody else, just for my Eyes.  I suppose it's why I also have a Passion for Vintage Ephemera?

If Family haven't taken down the FB Pages of their Dearly departed Loved Ones that were Friends or Extended Family to us also, I often still stop by for a visit. To read the last things they wrote on this side of Time and Eternity.  It's rather profound to me really that one day they were making an entry on their Wall or sending a PM to me and suddenly... Silence... as they moved on to the Afterlife.  The transition sometimes was expected, other times not.

I don't know how long things such as Blogs remain out here in Cyberspace, perhaps indefinitely, I'm really not certain?   I do know I can still visit some that ceased Blogging quite some time ago and Enjoy their Archived Posts, even tho' some Imagery now is missing and you get that triangle with an exclamation point replacing it as the Image must have dumped.

Yes, I know that if I were to receive an actual Letter nowadays I'd likely just savor it for a while, unopened, turning it over in my hands, with anticipation of what it held inside?   And perhaps want to open it in such a way as would not disturb the appearance of it because it has become such a Rarity!  It would be so unexpected that perhaps even the Mailman would be shocked that some last bastion of Humanity is still exchanging Real and Meaningful Correspondence that is not so superficial?  Can it be resurrected from the Grave I Wonder?

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Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian 

Faded Memories

Sometimes when I look back thru my Photo Archives the Memories are so faded as to be virtually forgotten over Time.  And yet some very Old Memories are still quite fresh by comparison, even if what was captured was so long ago one would think it would have been a more faded Memory.   What makes some things stand out so as not to be forgotten... and others fade into oblivion?

I'm not even talking about important Milestone Moments, that would make sense that they would stand out and not easily be forgotten.  I'm talking about those insignificant things, that for whatever reason, are seared into Memory quite poignantly.  While others just fade away, never really to be remembered until perhaps an Image prompts a recollection, however vague.

There are places I recall more vividly, no matter how much time has passed... and other places that I can barely recall at all.   The same with people... and with things... and with Moments.   Some are unforgettable for whatever reason... and others just are so forgotten that even looking back in Images, I just can't recall that person, that place, that thing, that Moment frozen in Time and now erased apparently from my Memory Banks.

It is interesting to me what I tend to remember vividly and what I've apparently found to be unforgettable enough to always remember it no matter how much Time has passed.   And equally interesting as to what has just become a blank, apparently not significant enough to be stored away to come back to Memory.  Even more interesting what Friends and Family vividly remember that I don't... because for them, it was somehow unforgettable.

We just never know who, what, where will impact us in such a way as to be remembered... or forgotten as Time marches on.    And those faded Memories, well, it doesn't bother me much that they slipped my Mind, I don't expect to remember everything, every detail, everyone... forever.   But because as I'm getting Older I'm becoming more forgetful, I've been intentionally practicing my Remembering just to exercise the ability.

And I can dredge some long forgotten stuff up without even a visual prompting and it's so random what I do recall and what I can't recall at all.   But the Photo Archives do help the Process of recollection... oh, yeah, Wow, I forgot about that.   Sometimes I even see it now thru a completely different perspective and filter than back then.

Especially with my Photography... I have a Method to know which ones I've already Shared and which I haven't.   And sometimes I do Wonder, why didn't I Share that one, I rather Like it?   Did I just forget it was there and move on... or didn't I Like it so much back then?   Because after all, things I used to Like in the Past I don't necessarily still Like and things I didn't Like I now do.  This is why I can't always be counted on to Like something Forever, it's just too long and I can definitely fall in and out of Like.  

But there are the abiding Likes and Loves, things I suspect I won't fall out of Love or Like with... and that can be quite random too sometimes.   My Attachments can be very random, so can my Detachments.   Sometimes I'm even Surprised at what or who I am finding myself so easily detaching from or so strongly attached to.   Do you find that to be the case also?   In this Season of Life I'm becoming more detached than attached, part of the Aging Process I guess?

A lot just doesn't matter so much to me anymore and priorities have definitely shifted.   I'm embracing that wholeheartedly as a Good thing actually, having less matter so much has been quite liberating and Calming.   If it doesn't matter anymore then you don't have to Invest so much of yourself into it, whatever "it" is.   Being Vested in too many things is tiring and can be consuming, so liberating myself from being so Vested is freeing and more restful.

Now if something doesn't work out I often just move forward quickly and without wasting any time or energy upon it anymore and without giving it any further thought.   It becomes one of those faded Memories very fast because it just doesn't matter enough to categorize and store in my Mind.   That does Free your Mind in many ways, not having so much on your Mind.  Perhaps even my Mind storage was used up and I had to dump some Data to make room for new Data, and what is still Important or relevant, I dunno?  *LOL*

I know that if something or someone is no longer relevant then I just don't hold onto the thoughts, good or bad, and not thinking about any of it is just Fine.   I've also been practicing a lot of Mindfulness as well, living in THIS Moment and not giving much thought to Past Moments or what could be Future Moments... and that's working out quite well too.   Living fully in this Moment really helps your range of Emotion stay in check and actually remain more Balanced and mostly Positive.

And even if during this Moment you are having to Deal with and confront something unpleasant, being Mindful also helps you not to relate it to any Past Event nor instill any Fear about it as it could relate to the Future.   Right here, right now, I can usually handle most things as they come if I have to and when I have to.   And the majority of the time, things have a way of working out some kinda way... and in hindsight, not being scattered always was best for a desirable outcome.

And in this Post I'm Sharing some Images from Archived folders that had become faded Memories of what I chose to capture thru the Eye of my Lens and just never used or Shared... until now.   Strange, because Today... I rather Like all of them and found them worthy enough to be Blog Fodder for a Post.  Some go way, way back to an incredibly long time ago.   Why were they forgotten or discarded, who knows... I certainly don't!  *Smiles*  But Today, we'll Enjoy the belated Share of them since they're now relevant to the Topic of the Post and mebbe were just waiting for it?

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Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian 

Fabric Porn

Yes, you read it correctly... Fabric Porn... I don't know how else to describe it... my Visual Obsession and insatiable Love Affair with Vintage or Antique Fabrics, Trims and Fibers!!!   Surround me with mounds of them and I'm in ecstasy!  

Visually anything with Old Fabrics will draw me in like a Moth to a Flame.  Even if only a small swatch of tattered remnants remain, I will Lustfully want to procure it and add it to my stash... my Fabric Porn stash, which is considerable.  Everyone has their Kryptonite, mine would definitely be Fabrics!

Start layering them and I'm a Goner, the Less is More mentality definitely does not apply for me when it comes to luxurious Fabrics!   More is more... and sometimes too much is never enough, Visually I can handle a lot of layers when it comes to Fabric Creations!

It is an incredible Temptation to me anytime I discover an Antique Fabric piece that blows me away, regardless of price point.  I have been Lusting after this Antique French Theater Curtain at a Shop... like Forever!  I desperately want to Own it, right now I'm satiating myself with just fondling it during rare visitations!  *LOL*  If someone else were to buy it I'd be devestated, so it's super Secret location won't be disclosed!  *Smiles*

There are pieces in my Collections that I Saved up for so long it was ridiculous.  One time a Gal bought something I'd been Saving up for a very long time and years later I was still so Fixated that when she was ready to Sell it I had to not let it get away again!!!  Usually I won't pay the End Of The Rainbow Price, that time I had to suck it up and Pony Up so I wouldn't have double the regret of it getting away twice!

I still have that piece, I will probably Die Owning that piece and I might just come back to Haunt whoever Owns it after I'm gone!  *Winks*  Hey, you've heart of Spirit Attachments to Stuff, well, I totally 'Get It', there are just some things you'd like to be able to take with you into the Afterlife!  *Smiles*

Now any Family and Friends reading this are probably Wondering what the Hell is it so they don't end up with it and risk a Haunting!?   *Bwahahahaha!*  NO, I don't want it, YOU take it, she said she's coming back to be with that shit eternally, we shouldda just buried her with it!!!   *LOL*  Kidding aside, mebbe I just will and won't be able to help myself, I just dunno til' I hit the Pearly Gates without it!?!  *Smiles*

Or mebbe my version of Heaven will just have a ridiculous abundance of it all so I'll easily be able to detach from my Earthly stash, I dunno?  I just know that even simple Fibers, all bound up together, make my Heart flutter!   I will likely be weaving Fiber Creations I am determined to learn how to construct, into my Dreads!!!

Source: Etsy and Pinterest

But until I figure it out and what Style I want to Create them in, I ordered one Fiber Dreadlock extension from a Talented Etsy Vendor that I saw first on Pinterest, that will have Cute little Charms woven into it.  I just can't afford to buy several so necessity is therefore the Mother of Invention... it happens.  I'd rather just buy a bunch, but you know, damned Budget constraints!

Same with Beading of Fabrics, I know how to do it but I'm a lazy sod when it comes to tedious handwork like Beading.  That's why the Elders never could teach our Generation these dying Lost Arts before going into the Afterlife.  We were a lazy bunch not willing to learn the Old Ways of doing things and so a lot of that skilled level of Craftsmanship is becoming Forever Lost over Time!

  

Just like Antique Millinery, which I'm totally Obsessed with, the Modern versions suck compared to the Real Deal Vintage and Antique pieces!   They just can't hold a candle to the Quality of Fabrics nor Workmanship.   I have never met any Antique Millinery that I didn't have a Love Affair with and wanna take Home with me!  *Winks*

Now there are some types of Fabrics I'm not as Infatuated with as others, just like any other Love Affair you do have your preferences and you're quite aware of what they are.   For me it's Antique Velvet, Metallic Trim, Old Silks frayed and tattered to Perfection, hand dyed Seam Binding, Old Lace preferably Tea stained, Exotic Tapestries, Vintage European Feed Sack Materials, Victorian Crazy Quilts, Old Hemp Burlap, Colorful Fibers, Retro Tablecloths and intricately Beaded or heavily Embroidered pieces... DIVINE!!!

But if well done by a Fabric Artist, then I can fall in Lust with almost any combination of Fabrics and Trims that constitute Fabric Porn.  *Winks*  The Design of a piece is almost as crucial as what it's made out of.  Sometimes if the Design is Perfection I can Forgive a multitude of lesser Fabrics and Trims that might have been used in the Creation of it.

And of coarse I have my preference of Artisans and Designers that I happen to like certain bodies of Work of.   I have Collected certain Lines of any Creative Genius that blew me away every time with their Aesthetic of certain Collections they Showcased during specific periods.   I am always Open to discovering something or someone New, but I have my Staple Aesthetic that I gravitate to solidly and that is my own preferred Style.

I can't always be swayed with Fads and what is Trending or Fashionable right now, if it's just not Me and I know it's deviated from what I happen to Love and Lust after I'm just not interested, regardless of who Created it or how Good it looks on someone else... usually some frail Waif or Sprite of a Model.   And shit, they can look Good in damn near anything, right?!  Doesn't mean I would! *LOL*   But the Fabrics, they tend to abide... and if I like what something has been Created with then I might Invest in it just to deconstruct it and make it into something else that suits me more and is more my Style.

Yes, I have cut up and cut into things just to Create something different with them!  *Gasp!!!*   I know to some that seems like sacrilege, like Painting Antique Furniture, but tho' I do have respect for many things and can't bring myself to do it to all things... there are times when the End Result was so Worth It as to be the Right thing to do in my particular case anyway.

I also have not been beyond buying something I knew wouldn't fit, just to Display it as a piece of Fabric Art, like a Fine Painting.  To me Fabric Art can be just Enjoyed Visually and doesn't have to always be worn to be a good Investment.  I have never had Buyer's remorse from buying any Fabric Art I Own.

I am always on the Lookout for those Orphaned pieces, those tattered remnants that are no longer a part of something, those cutters and Fabrics too damaged to Salvage, but which can Create Wonderful Fabric Art pieces when incorporated into a New Creation.   No piece is too insignificant, too small or too far gone not to be worthy of use in the right Project.

I find it very Inspirational and Uplifting to surround myself with Beautiful things of all kinds actually so I don't mind having amassed a lot of them.  If you truly Love something and have a deep Appreciation for it, then you really can't go wrong surrounding yourself with whatever it is or however much it is.  My Saturation Point for Fabrics so far has known few bounds.

I've also Enjoyed years of Creating Fabric Art, both to Keep, to Give Away as Gifts and to Sell... kind of in that order actually.   Initially I made some to Keep as a practical measure, if I make it then it's usually way cheaper than buying a OOAK Artisan piece Created by somebody else.   Then if close Friends and Family really fell in Love with my Fabric Art, I then began Gifting pieces.  And finally, when random Strangers or people I knew who wanted to Buy pieces asked me if I would do Commissioned Pieces for them, I did that for a time.

I found I didn't very much like that last part tho', the Selling of my Fabric Art... because nothing stifled my Creativity quite like Deadlines or feeling pressured to Perform, to Create Art for the sake of Selling and Profiting from it.   I thought I'd be Happy making Bank off something I just Loved to do whether I got paid or not for it... and having it be in high demand was flattering for about a minute.  But I found I have an aversion to being Creative for a Living because you have to be "On" all the time!  That was exhausting and took the Joy right out of it for me!

In fact I Hated it so much I just quit Creating for a very long period of time just to be able to say, No, I don't do that anymore, Sorry, not Creating those now.  But I secretly missed it, the Creating of it part, not at all the Selling of it part.  So if and when I begin again I just want to do it exclusively to Feed my Soul... to revel in the touch and the visuals of the mounds of Fabric Porn I have and which await being chosen perhaps for a piece being Created.

They never have to belong to anyone or even be seen by someone other than myself actually.   They don't have to even be used, tho' I suspect I will use some.   And those stashes of Fabric Porn that never, ever make it into any Creation, well, they can remain in their Luxurious Raw State of Being.  I will not Enjoy them any the less for just being piled around, draped over or stashed away just for my own Enjoyment and Visual or other Sensory Pleasure.

Yep, we all have our Kryptonite and for me it is mos def Fabric Porn my Friends, what is YOURS?!??!   It's Okay, your Secret is Safe with me and my Supporters here in The Land Of Blog so you can Come Clean!  *Winks*

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Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian