The blog since 2013
261 posts since September 2013 by Nathaniel Cerf: how to start collecting, what happens at the repair bench, inks under the sun, fake Montblancs, and the pens of presidents and writers. "It is a space dedicated to pen lovers old and new."
Big Bad Ed By Art Cerf From here to eternity. Autumn closes in on Covid for Big Bad Ed. Ed Brevington was a big man, a hard man, a tough and loud man. He spent his days in backbreaking labor as a roofer. He spent his nights in bars, looking for anyone who would take…
From Zoom to Eternity By Art Cerf What type of mushroom is this? We found it growing in a Connecticut forest. It has nothing to do with the story. We just like catching your eye with pictures we like. In olden days, Henry Prichard might have been a traveling engineer or linguist. But now, he…
Death & Mrs. Brock by Art Cerf Who knows what lurks just outside your door? Could be death…or just a Fowler’s toad. Matilda Brock, all of 90, sat in her nursing home room, enjoying the sunbeam coming through the window, as winter reluctantly gave way to spring.” Suddenly at the door, hooded death appeared. “Where…
The God-like Surgeon By Art Cerf Here’s a photo of a barn before a rainstorm. It has nothing to do with the story. We just like to show off some photography. Montgomery Vandergriff knew he wasn’t God, but he felt he’d make an excellent understudy. Excuse me. That’s Dr. Montgomery Vandergriff, internationally-renowned surgeon with enough…
Our new international insured rates from FedEx are about as bad as finding a dead fish in your bed, but you’ll love having your pens arrive in about a week, once again. We think these are alewife fish or shad left behind with the tide. Good news, bad news. Our international orders have been taking…
Greetings from Gales Ferry, home of the Yale Regatta. Here’s hoping you have a funny, sunny Labor Day. Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope this finds you and yours doing well, staying safe and hopefully not bored out of your minds. But if you are bored and you can handle watching another movie or two,…
The Undertaker By Art Cerf Having nothing to do with this story, here’s a Revolutionary War memorial to the patriots massacred at Fort Griswold in Groton, Conn., by British soldiers under the command of the traitorous Benedict Arnold. Businesses across America were crashing but not Buddy Seldon’s. You see, Buddy was a mortician, inheritor of…
Time seems to drag on forever when waiting for a pen in the mail. Packages to central Europe are now traveling by ship, so expect several months of lag time. Further shipping delays to central Europe have prompted me to check in once again with the United States Postal Service. A shipment to Switzerland is…
Something Old by Nancy Bach Kenelmcombe, Gloustershire, 21 December, 1869 “Esme, stop squirming like a toddler, else I shall very likely stick you with a pin.” This is a picture of a cat lying in the sun. He has nothing to do with the story. I just wanted to share because cats rule the internet.…
We have a guard toad, so watch out. He might spray you with toxins. Nature lover that I am, I love having an “American toad” living on and near our front porch. Greetings from Gales Ferry, Connecticut! What a crazy, unpredictable journey life is. My fiancé found her dream job, and I sure wouldn’t say…
Howdy, Gang! We’re taking a bit of a holiday and will be mostly out of touch until around July 15. Nobody’s sick. Nothing bad is happening in our little pen world. We’re just gearing up for a new adventure, which we’ll share soon. In the meantime, updates are on hold and orders won’t likely ship…
Queeg the Insidious by Art Cerf This is a pretty yellow flower I shot on the forest floor of Rib Mountain in Wisconsin. It has nothing to do with the story. I just thought it was pretty and eye-catching. Far beyond our view in a space ship cloaked by Neptune, an alien race looked down…
