This picture is from 1908, and shows a woman by a typewriter. The picture was a marketing photo from Remington Typewriters. I would guess that the notepad was a dictation pad. It was fairly common for the boss to "dictate" the letter to a secretary, who would then go and type it up.
Domestic Update:
I have not mentioned the greenhouse in some time. I am pleased to report that it is pretty much finished. By "pretty much", I mean that the plumber and electrician still need to come out one more time to get the heater and radiant floor heat system finished. I have gone ahead and started trying y hand at growing things. You can see in the picture above that things are off to a good start. The big green plants are cucumbers which are growing extremely fast. The smaller plants closer to the camera are tomatoes. In the buckets in the corner, further back, I have a watermelon, a jalapeño, and two bell peppers. I am trying different things to see what works the best. Hopefully, I will see some blooms fairly soon.
