Sometimes you think a project will be fantastic. And then it is, but takes two months longer than you'd scheduled for. Last Tuesday, the signed pages finally arrived on my doorstep (after
this fiasco, I was despairing of them ever arriving!). I had all the rest of
the chapbook assembled--I just needed to sew it all together, basically.
Four hours later, voila!
One hundred poetry chapbooks, printed and bound by me! (Buy yours
here!)
And only seven weeks late.
That Wednesday, I took a short break from the chapbook to greet two very special guests: Dave and Beth from
Hot Metal Services, who very kindly drove all the way from Tennessee to fix big metal machines in the Northeast. They had a day off, so after they were done with
Shelley's Vandercook, they took the drive up to Montpelier to attend to
Lucy.
The diagnosis: dirty, but in great condition. Beth took out the tiniest screwdriver ever, and dug out all the gunk in the gear teeth. Dave measured the rollers (exactly 2-1/2", thank goodness!), adjusted the ink drum belt, and answered all of my questions about funny noises and dust. Lucy is now 100% shiny metal from top to bottom--and in perfect health!
...just a quick note to say hi, and remind you about the seminar I'm offering tomorrow at Letterpress Things: Choosing the Right Paper. I have samples from several different papermakers and paper mills, lots of swatchbooks, and a pretty concise guide to the best (and friendliest!) paper peeps in the US.
There'll be a sign-up sheet at the front counter--just choose the session you want (9:30-11, 11:30-1, and 1:30-3) and meet me there! Cost is only $10, which covers the paper samples. Bring your questions!
