Rachel
I’m Rachel — probably obvious from the name of my blog. I took my first baby steps into the fountain pen world in early 2016, thanks to my husband, Jim. I was captivated by ink, then fell in love with pens. In 2017, I truly fell down the rabbit hole.
My favorite hobbies are writing, stationery, and reading. But, I also enjoy needlepoint, crochet and knitting, video games, and food.
I have ADHD and anxiety, but I mostly do OK.
I write about a lot of different topics, and while I started my blog for books, it’s now rather heavy on the stationery posts.
Home is in southern Maryland with Jim and my furbabies, Athena, Dante, Floofenstein, and Ritz.
Jim
I’ve mentioned Jim in many of my posts. You may know him as Pensloth on Instagram or Reddit. He is responsible for my current fountain pen interest.
Jim is a nib scientist. He makes stacked and experimental nibs with an eye to using them for art. He also makes superb watercolors.
One of these days, I’ll succeed in convincing him to write a post.
Ritz and Dante
Ritz and Dante are COVID babies, born to a feral mom in mid-April 2020, possibly even on my birthday. They are brothers, and delightfully different. Ritz is a thief without equal and Dante is a neurotic sweetheart. They have an amazing bond that’s a joy to see. I call them the Kittenses — because they were the youngest in our family for quite a while and because we brought them inside when they were kittens — or the Boys.
Athena
Our formerly outdoor girl, Athena, was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in December of 2022. I documented her treatment through April 5, 2023, and am now documenting her life after treatment. She was a proud, independent girl outside, with no desire to come inside, until her illness left her too sick to protest. Now, our little kitty goddess is a proud indoor girl who runs away from open doors.
Floofenstein
Floofenstein is the newest member of our family. We rescued him after he was injured in a fight with something outside. He wasn’t feral, but he also didn’t have a chip, so he’s ours. We are helping him learn to love the cushy indoor life, even though he has FIV.
Posts about Floofenstein and FIV
Sandy
Sandy was my first cat. I adopted him in 2010, and we had nearly 13 marvelous years together. He was a sweet, brilliant boy, and I miss him dearly. We lost him on March 29, 2023, to a heart attack. He still visits sometimes.
Bumbledore
Bumbledore was a rescue from King Street Cats in Alexandria. He was found in Anne Arundel County with BB pellets in his thigh. He blossomed from a little lump of fur terrified of people to my familiar and an amazingly loving friend to everyone. We lost him to cancer on January 14, 2025.