The Letter

Messenger of Sympathy and Love
Servant of Parted Friends
Consoler of the Lonely
Bond of the Scattered Family
Enlarger of the Common Life

Carrier of News and Knowledge
Instrument of Trade and Industry
Promoter of Mutual Acquaintance
Of Peace and of Goodwill Among Men and Nations.

    -Charles William Eliot


I had never read this poem, but I found it when looking up another subject for another post. This poem is actually posted outside the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. I have never been there but I am dying to go.

I wonder if the poem still holds the same truth that it did when it was written. Seems postal communication is becoming more and more antiquated as the years continue on. Still I like to think that written communications mean more now than ever.

Project Postal

In looking for some interesting things to write about here to jump start the revitalization of this blog I came across a curious news article. It is about something called Project Postal.

It is about a gentleman (pictured above, photo credit to Michael Tracy) named David Tracy. He bought an old postal Jeep and prepared it to make the 1,800 mile journey from Michigan to Moab, Utah. How crazy is that? I will certainly be following his journey on Instagram. I mean who wouldn't want to drive an old postal vehicle across the country?

Post Office Box

Just a quick post letting everyone know I have gotten my post office box! If you wish to write to me the address is:

Therealpenthief (AKA Misty Davis)
PO Box 268
Redmond, OR 97756

I look forward to seeing happy mail there soon!!

Postal Service Creed

Pictured above is the James A. Farley Post Office in NYC. Just above the pillars you can see the inscription that all of us know as the United States Postal Service Creed.

"Neither snow nor rain not heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

Did you know, however, that this is actually not an official motto or creed of the USPS? I had no idea until I was researching the previous post about sending birds to deliver messages. This creed was actually originally used as a description of the courier service in ancient Persia. It is said to originally been written by Herodotus (c. 484 BC- 425/413 BCE).

"It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed."              -Herodotus, Histories (8.98) (trans. A. D. Godley, 1924)

It is kind of curious how things like that become so well known even when they are not officially recognized by the organization. I am sure there are plenty of other examples like this, but I cannot think of any more at the moment. Have any of you actually seen the James A Farley post office? What did you think of it?

Not Quite the Raven of Westeros

In honor of the premier of the final season of Game of Thrones I thought we would look into the history of having birds deliver important messages. In the show (and the books) there is a lot of talk about sending ravens to deliver messages of war. However, ravens (from what I have read) were not used to deliver such messages no matter how badly fiction wants it to be true.

Pictured above is by far the most famous homing pigeon Cher Ami. She is famous for delivering a message from an encircled battalion even though she was quite wounded during WWI. You can see in the photo above that she is missing her right leg. She was also shot through the breast and blinded in one of her eyes. Yet she still managed to deliver her message:

"We are along the road paralell to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake stop it."

 Seems she followed the motto "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" a bit more seriously than most.

While most pigeon post went out of fashion shortly after the first world war it is said that some pigeons are still being used for sneakernet purposes. But that is surely a post for another time.

If you're a Game of Thrones fan I will be curious to know what you think of tonight's premiere. Leave me a comment below, but be mindful of not spoiling it for anyone else.

A Long Time Coming

I have decided after much deliberation to bring this blog back from the dead. In the past few months I realized how much I have missed it. Blogging and writing to all of you gave me something to take my mind off the "real" happenings in my life. And lets all face it, sometimes you just need an escape. 

In the past few months I have actually semi reconnected with a few of you and it has felt amazing. It made me realize that on some level all the effort I put into blogging and letter writing hasn't been forgotten. I have been dabbling for a couple months with sending the occasional postcard through Reddit. However, I had not actually taken to full on letter writing/ exchanging until just recently. 

Today (or rather yesterday) I received a wonderful letter from a former snail mail associate Jenny. I cannot tell you how much the letter brightened my day (even if some of the topics weren't the happiest). Somehow letter writing can be very cathartic and I am looking forward to that benefit. 

Look at how adorable the card is!! Before I opened it I was confused by the thickness of the envelope. But once I opened it I realized why. The embroidered design adds a bit of thickness, but it was not enough to add any additional postage. 

I should also point out that it was the first time I have received a letter sealed with a wax seal in what seemed like forever!

My fiance Johnny was pretty funny when he handed it to me. He told me I got "fancy" mail because of the seal. I have to admit it does add a bit of appeal doesn't it? I honestly was surprised it made it all the way across the country without getting damaged in transit. I think I will have to invest in a wax seal kit myself so I can seal some of my own missives. 

If you have stuck around through this first (probably clunky and awkward) post I hope you will join be again soon. My mind is brimming with ideas of what to write about. Though I am always up for suggestions as well. I noticed quite a few of the blogs I used to follow are no longer being updated. Has everyone moved on to just updating Instagram?

Until next time my friends!

Does Anyone Still Read This?

Long story short I’ve been dealing with an illness and I’ve had an insane amount of down time because of it. I was curious if anyone still reads this? I’ve thought about revisiting the blog, writing new posts and even jumping back into the letter writing world. Sad as it may seem I wasn’t even sure where to start. If you still follow and read this leave me a comment. I’d sure like to know if the letter writing world is still active.