Initial Reactions

My love of letters began in first grade at Ricardo Elementary school in Ricardo , Texas where Mrs. Trussell drilled but didn't kill my enthusiasm for handwriting ,or more importantly, collecting letters together to create words. I have loved that ever since.

Initially, however (no pun intended), I became enamored with my initials as they dangled on engraved charms on the gold charm bracelet my mother gave me. That charm bracelet still sits in my jewelry box .

I was captivated by my mother's initials on her King Ranch bag- the original rope bag in canvas- as she attended her own version of Ya-Ya sisterhood gatherings, playing bridge, going hunting, cooking at friends' houses, or having great ranch parties with Ray Price records playing on the record player.

I loved writing initials on my book covers and all of my blue cloth covered notebooks. Remember those? Those notebook covers became works of art.

In boarding school, letter writing was my main connection home, and I adorned my letters with sealing wax and my initial stamp. I secretly thought it looked Elizabethan, even imagining my letter in the stacks of ordinary mail at the Encino post office.

My roommate from Mexico City gave me an initial ring my sophomore year in high school , and I later fell for every dangling James Avery initial, cross, or dove that existed.

In college , I did most of my doodling in the margins of my notes while daydreaming in class, this time including my sorority insignia and college initials.

My sweet girls indulged my obsession by using monogrammed lamb blankets at the livestock show, bless their hearts. For Heather's wedding, I made a white damask tablecloth for the cake table with a big 'H' I made with a glue gun and white silk roses.

These things make me laugh and shake my head.