Brief History of Collection Box Colors

Did you know that letter collection boxes were no always blue like the ones above? I guess I am not surprised that they weren't always blue, but I was surprised at the various colors they used to be!

Collection boxes were first introduced in 1858 and were a variety of colors. There were red ones and green ones. The red ones were "important" (isn't all mail??). Red collection boxes were visited each hour by a postal worker to collect the mail and get it on its way. The green ones were (presumably) checked at a longer interval.

By 1909 all collection boxes were painted a deep green color. This was the first time that all boxes were painted to match. In 1913 however, boxes were painted in a bright red color so they would stand out. The problem was that people confused them with fire boxes and emergency equipment were also red. Once again the boxes were painted green.

This lasted until the dark green gave way to olive drab. The War Department gave the postal service a surplus of the olive drab paint which was then used as the standard color until 1955. On July 4, 1955 the Postmaster General ordered all boxes to be painted red, white, and blue. Very patriotic I must say.

The patriotic design lasted just under 20 years when the Postal Department was reorganized into the USPS that we know today in 1971. During this reorganization they designated a blue color for our collection boxes. The blue color is still in use today and at the time of this writing there is no indication that it will change.

Do you remember the boxes being different colors? If so I would love to hear about it. Drop me a line or a comment on the blog.

Ellsworth Kelly Stamp Release

Today is the anniversary of the release of the first Forever Stamp in 2015. So it seems only fitting to release a stamp on this day, and what could be better than these colorful art stamps? Ellsworth Kelly was a prolific artist mostly known for his abstract style. You can find his art in many places throughout the world including the Empire State Plaza where you can find his sculpture "Yellow and Blue" (seen below).

Will you be buying these stamps? I think I will. I can see them pairing quite nicely with some mail art. 

Mail A Letter Online???

Ok...I feel like this defeats the purpose...but here goes. Did you know you could type out a letter on your computer and pay strangers to mail (and probably read) it for you? Starting at just $1.52 you can have them print the letter, address the envelope and mail it anywhere in the world. I'm not going to lie, I am highly tempted to try it. But that would require paying to mail myself a letter. I just feel like that takes the personal aspect out of doing it. I mean...the whole point to writing letters and sending mail is to connect with people in a way that is unlike our modern times. So I guess you can say I don't understand the need for this service. However, if you would like to try it out please feel free to click this link. 

Am I the only one who finds this service completely absurd?

Informed Delivery?

Have any of you signed up for the Informed Delivery service that is offered by the USPS? I just requested my verification (by mail of course), but this has be curious if anyone else is using this service?

No Postage Necessary...

...if mailed inside the United States. I am sure you all are familiar with this phrase, but in case you are not here is an example of where to find it.

This is a form of Business Reply Mail. Essentially the business asking for an answer will send you the envelope with essentially prepaid postage. When the business gets your reply their local post office calculates the postage that is due for delivering that piece of mail (and all others) for that specific business. 

After noticing this in the corners of my envelope I got to thinking recently about how much money a company has to spend to get replies from consumers. I know a few people think its fun to send these envelopes back empty, just to "stick it" to the company itself. However, did you ever think about putting a stamp on that envelope? Stick with me...what if the envelope is coming from a charity asking for a donation. Even if you agree to donate and send that reply the charity has to pay postage on it. If you attach proper postage you not only donated but also saved the charity a small amount in postage. Every little bit helps. 

Have you ever attached postage to envelopes like this?

Mail Call Monday

Dropped more goodies in the mail a few days ago. Hoping to make more people smile. In the pile was one card in particular that I enjoyed writing above all others. I was asked to help encourage a young girl who doesn't particularly like school by praising her passing the third grade. As well all know positive reinforcement is always a good thing. Needless to say I always enjoy sending mail, but sometimes there is one or two letters/cards that are more meaningful to write.

What did you send this week?

Stamp Sunday: Wild and Scenic Rivers

I am sure many of you probably snagged these stamps when they released on the 21st. I unfortunately forgot they were coming out...which meant I forgot the stamp ceremony. *eyeroll*. The most disappointing thing about this is that the stamp ceremony was in Bend, Oregon. This is just 15-20 minutes drive from here. I wanted to attend, but again...brain fog got the best of me.

Anyway, the Deschutes River is featured in this set (far right, third one down). The Deschutes runs through my town and the neighboring ones. You can float the river in summer time and watch a myriad of water fowl and other animals drinking or swimming in the river. The Deschutes allows us to irrigate the farmland that is all around this area, so without it we would be completely lost.

My local post office did not have the stamps when I asked. I was told they only received 10 sheets upon the release. This further shows I will have to visit Bend for my stamp needs. OR wait for them to arrive from USPS online store.

Are any of these rivers close to you?

Where Did My Week GO??

I honestly had planned on writing posts as soon as I returned from my trip this past week, but I was feeling under the weather and I had some craziness going on at work. I feel like I am allowed to take a bit of time away as I want this blog to be fun. If it becomes work then I probably will not enjoy it as much. Anyway, let me tell you about my trip!

We were stopped at a red light in Salem Oregon and I loved the color combos (and subjects) of this painted wall. I must say I have seen more wonderful murals out in the wild on the west coast as compared to the midwest.

The weather was good for our trip for the most part and even though it did rain a little we were still able to visit a few of my favorite shops while on the coast. We went into a store called Astoria Hardware (that I of course forgot to take pictures of....next time!) that has lots of vintage hardware, books, furniture and more. I didn't purchase anything from there this trip but I know there are a few things that I will pick up if they are there next time.

From there we stopped by the Astoria Post Office and Customs House.

This was as good a picture as I could capture without crossing the street and possibly drawing some odd stares. The outside of the building is what I would consider very typical of post offices I have been to back in Ohio. You could tell the building has been there for quite some time.

The inside was gorgeous. It was clean and friendly and almost a bit regal seeming. One of the big differences from the inside of other post offices I have been to was the marble. It was everywhere in this post office. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside room. *sigh* Add that to my list for next time.

The post office boxes themselves have a very vintage feel to them. I love the numbering on them and in my opinion are much better aesthetically than the gray box that I now get my postal love in. Oh well. We can't all get our mail in beautiful boxes like that.

This post office also had lots of stamp variety. Which is amazing! I am telling you I wish all post offices did! My local post office doesn't carry much variety, even when the stamps are released here (that is for another post though). I picked up another sheet of the intercontinental railroad stamps as well as Scooby and Cactus Flowers stamps. The lady who helped me was warm an inviting and even gave me a glassine envelope so my stamps wouldn't get damaged.

I went to another post office in Seaside proper and they didn't have as much variety for stamps, but I did pick up the Little Mo stamps as well as a copy of USA Philatelic. The lady working the counter was not as friendly (quite honestly she seemed like she hated her job). Overall, I would go to either post office again as the Astoria one is beautiful and the one in Seaside is near other shops I frequent.

Before we arrive and as we are leaving we always stop at a convenience store called Snack Jacks. I think I take a picture of this set of dilapidated po boxes every time we pass them. There is something about the weathered blue and red that I just love.

Do you look for postal items when you travel? I think my new favorite thing is visiting the post offices and seeing what they have to offer. I will be doing that again in a few weeks on a trip to Arizona to see family. :)

More Soon!

Stamp Sunday

CIPEX Souvenir Sheet US #948

Issue Date: May 19, 1947

I am not sure where I found these stamps, though I am pretty sure I didn't pay much for them. ( I am a bargain hunter after all). They were issued at the Centenary International Philatelic Exhibition in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first every postage stamps released in the United States. The two stamps featured are actual postage and were valid for mailing (and I suppose still are) though I could understand why no one used them. 

It is interesting to note that the first postage stamp released in the US wasn't actually released until July 1, 1847. So technically these released just shy of the actual 100th anniversary, but who is actually nitpicking?

Have you ever seen these?

Weekend Trip!

Caution this post is not mail related! I am leaving today for a long weekend to the Oregon Coast. We usually go a few times a year and this will be the first trip of the year for us! I am super excited! I haven't looked for postcards or any supplies for mail art there so I will be visiting shops with new eyes! Keep a lookout for a post about the trip. If you are interested in a postcard from Seaside or Astoria please let me know (leave me a comment below) and I will do my best to send some off. :)

Enjoy your weekend! More soon!

(pictured above are some sea lions that take over the piers in Astoria each year)

This Date in Postal History: Airmail

The first official flight of the United States Airmail Service was done 101 years ago today. There were flights before that time, (some by balloon), but they aren't considered part of the official airmail service that was offered by the Post Office Department (precursor to the USPS).

Above is pictured a cover that was carried on that first trip sporting the 24 cent Jenny stamp. This first trip was between Washington D.C., Philadelphia and NY. George L. Boyle, a pilot with the US Army was selected to fly the first northbound leg which did not end as anticipated. After takeoff he got disoriented and ended up flying south. Eventually he landed in Waldorf, Maryland and busted a prop on his plane. The mail from that trip had to be trucked back to Washington. Torrey Webb and James C Edgerton were successful in their flights south and flew Boyle's mail to Philadelphia on May 16th (the next day).

Domestic Airmail service in the United States ran until 1975 when it was officially ended by the Post Office dept. After those first few dodgy flights Airmail hung around for 57 years giving us lots of neat stamps, envelopes and labels that we use on our mail art today.

I suppose this just goes to show that sometimes things don't start off how we would like them, but through perseverance they can be something good.

Tracking Salmonella Using Postmarks

I am sure many of you are aware that you can actually mail some forms of animals, though not like in the picture above. But did you know that they are now piloting a program that helps cut down the amount of time between a salmonella outbreak and finding the origin of the outbreak simply by looking at a postal label? Pretty neat huh?

The problem with the way hatcheries have been mailing chicks in the past is that they drop ship them. Meaning the labels that are typically affixed do not actually contain the right information about where and when that particular set of chicks was shipped off. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been running a new set of procedures. They have been testing the bedding and lining of boxes and taking detailed pictures of the postmarks on each box. The postmarks on the packaging allow them to efficiently trace those boxes back to the hatchery of origin and allow for the MDHHS to find the source of an outbreak quicker. This allows them to contact that hatchery and it gives farmers increased time to take action and therefore mean less people get sick as a result.

Who would have thought that something as simple as a postmark could save lives. If you want to read the original article about this process you can find it here.

Mail Call Monday

So I definitely spaced and did not take a picture of my incoming mail but here is a picture of my outgoing mail! So many wonderful things going out in the post. I like to think they bring smiles to the faces they are heading to.

I still have one more letter to reply to that was not in this pile, but then I am all caught up again. Being on top of the mail is definitely a wonderful feeling (especially with a long weekend planned this weekend). Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

More Soon!

Stamp Sunday: Mother's Day Edition

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there! Did you know that Mothers Day was invented by a lady named Anna Jarvis in 1908 and was made an official holiday in the US in 1914. Anna was not very happy with the commercialized path the holiday took and eventually attempted to get the day removed from the calendar. There is a longer history of the day which you can read about here.

The stamp above was released in 1934 and pictures and famous painting by James A Whistler, "Portrait of My Mother". I was quite disappointed when going through my stamps that I did not have a copy of this one to put on the card I mailed to my mother. Maybe next year.

How are you celebrating the day?

Stamp Release: Transcontinental Railway 150th Anniversary

I should have posted this yesterday, but of course I did not have my ducks in a row. How unlike me... Anyway, I had to work yesterday so I sent Johnny (who had the day off) to try and get me the newest stamp release. He was certain that our post office would have them and was shocked when I told him our closest post office (the only one in my town) is incredibly basic when it comes to the stamps they carry. If you want flags they have you covered! I know Johnny doesn't fully understand my stamp obsession, but he was legitimately upset when he came up empty handed. He was insistent that after I got off work we drive to the next town over (Bend) and find a post office that carried them. (I needed to run to Target anyway so it was in that general direction).

I went into the post office where I was greeted by a very unwelcoming lady who insisted I look at the case first to see if they stamps I wanted were available. So I appeased her and looked at the case then turned around and asked the gentleman at the counter for the Transcontinental stamps, the NY Stamp show stamps and the Marvin Gaye (Jons request) stamps. This postal employee was much nicer and even told me he expects the railroad stamps to sell out.

The stamps are far more beautiful than I thought they would be. I tried to capture the glistening gold on the stamps in that photo and I am sure I utterly failed. Regardless now I am thinking I should have gotten more than one sheet. (thank goodness for the USPS website).

Of all the stamps that have been released in recent times I must say I feel like these are the prettiest. Did you pick up these stamps yet? What did you think?

Highway Post Office First Trip

In yesterday's post I shared my finds from the local flea market. Well today I wanted to show you some more of those covers I had gotten. While putting the covers in order I realized I had a small portion from 1941. It wasn't until after I had sorted everything that I realized what made the ones from 1941 different. The cancellation did not say, "First Day of Issue", rather they said, "First Trip". Now I have read and researched a lot of things regarding the mail, but I had never come across a FDC like this before.

Upon a quick google search I discovered that there was something called the Highway Post Office which was a bus that traveled between two cities and a worker would sort mail enroute. Pretty neat huh?

The First Trip issue was the only mail carried on the HPO during their first trip, which is why the special cancellation. I did some digging and I was able to find a picture of one of those buses as seen below.

Can you imagine seeing one of those babies driving down the road? I love the colors used on the bus and the clear detail on the front designating it for US Mail. The HPO ran from 1941 to 1974 and was originally thought to take the place of the railway mail service. This was not the case, however, as the railway mail service outlasted the HPO by 3 years. 

One last interesting picture I found while searching was this one of FDR dropping mail in the Highway Post Office bus drop slot. 

Wouldn't it be neat if they revived the HPO for just one round trip around the US collecting stamped letters and cards to be sent to others? I would certainly find the time to drop a few pieces of mail in that slot. What about you?

Flea Market Finds!

I have lived in Central Oregon for almost 4 years now and I had never been to the flea market. It is nothing like the large ones I remember going to in the midwest. It is smaller in size (maybe 25 vendors in total), a third of the vendors were selling new items like signs or baked goods and a good portion of the others were selling...junk. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

I did however find a few great finds that made the drive to the fairgrounds worth it. Above you can see some stamps I purchased for $10 a sheet. I didn't even bother haggling because I knew the Janis Joplin and Elvis stamps were priced below face value (as they are forever stamps and cost $.55 a piece) and the Marilyn stamps were selling above that on eBay. The space stamps were just there for the taking I suppose. I have used those stamps before but I wasn't overly concerned with the value, I just knew they were stamps and I like stamps.

After purchasing the Marilyn stamps (I later returned to that booth to get the rest) I walked around looking at the tables HOPING I would find something worth while. I was looking over a table filled with a random assortment of items when I looked over and saw a stack (131 in fact) of First Day of Issue envelopes. There was a price tag on them of $3. Naturally I assumed (based on some other highly overpriced items) that it would be $3 for each cover at which point I would dig through and pull the best ones. To my astonishment though they were actually priced for the whole lot. The lady selling them must not have realized what she had because when I asked to verify the price she lamented it was for all of them as there were no letters inside. I couldn't pull the three dollars from my pocket quickly enough!!

After going through them at home I realized there were quite a few duplicates, but all of them are from 1940 with an exception of perhaps 20 postmarked from 1941. Even in the shape they are in (which admittedly is not great) they could have easily fetched $.50-$1 a piece. Somewhere the postal gods were smiling on me.

While I do not think I will attend that flea market again I hope to seek out others in the state and perhaps try my luck again sometime. Have you ever found a really good find at a flea market?

USPS Store Finds

Do you ever look at the USPS store? I found myself looking at it recently (after all I have missed a bunch of stamp releases) and came across these charming pouches and bags that are made from actual USPS bags. Quite a neat way to upcycle if you ask me. There are multiple types of bag styles you can find. Pictured above is the small coin pouch, but there are also cosmetic bags and even totes.

While I do like the style of these products I must say the price tag is a bit off-putting. That small coin pouch (roughly the size of a 3x5 notecard) is $14.95, while the larger totes (13x6x16) retail for $59.95.

If you were creative enough I was able to find some cheaper options on eBay that you could certainly turn into your own work of art. There are also some really neat leather options, both on the USPS store and eBay, however they are far pricier than the canvas.

Would you consider purchasing one of these?

Election Mail

One of the many things that changed when I moved to Oregon is that I no longer have to stand in line at a polling place. Oregon does elections by mail, meaning everyone votes this way. It is different than the absentee system I had when I lived in Ohio. All of our ballots are mailed to us and we have the option to mail them back in or there are convenient drop boxes for us to deposit our completed ballot. I must say part of me loves the change. I mean I love sending mail, but I feel like I miss out on the experience of voting in person. I will say getting a ballot in the mail is still better than getting bills so I will take it!

Do any of you get to vote by mail?

Mail Call Monday

My mail call this week included two wonderful postcards (the stamps from yesterdays post were on them), two wonderful letters from Kelly and Angela and my voters information pamphlet. The postcards were fun to look at and I completely enjoyed reading the letters (responses coming soon ladies!), but I must say the voters info was the most boring thing I received this week. 😉

Short post today as I would like to take time to reply to those letters as well as other bits of mail laying around. More soon!

Stamp Sunday

I completely failed at blogging the second half of this past week. Somehow work got in the way of me having the time to blog. So because I did not have the proper amount of time to research stamps that I wanted to share I figured I would show you the stamps that arrived on a postcard sent through Postcrossing. Such a nice variety of stamps (someone must have known I have a stamp obsession). I must say I love that our postage is still usable at face value long after they have been sold. The highest denomination on this letter is 6 cents which was the cost of postage from 1968-1971. So the stamps are actually older than I am!

Do you still use vintage postage? If so, do you have a favorite place to come by that postage?

This Day in Postal History...

On today's date in 1957 the very first meeting of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee met for the first time. The stamp advisory committee "shall advise the post office department on any matters pertaining to the subject matter, design, production and issuance of postage stamps." This committee is made up of up to 15 members who were appointed by the Postmaster General. They are experts in many subjects including history, science and art.

The committee meets 4 times a year to review suggestions for postage stamp subjects. The postal service receives 50,000 suggestions for stamp subjects each year and according to their own website, each subject is reviewed. That means that each meeting of the committee they are reviewing an average of 12,500 subjects. Can you imagine that? I can't imagine being able to review that many subjects let alone being one of the members of a committee that gets to select the stamp subjects. Ultimately the decision of whether a subject will be used on US postage is up to the Postmaster General.

If you would like to write to them with a suggestion the address is as follows:

Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee

c/o Stamp Development

U.S. Postal Service

475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300

Washington, DC 20260-3501

One of the neat things about suggesting subjects for stamps is that they will only accept suggestions by mail. You can't even hand deliver a suggestion! I think that is very neat and quite rare in today's world.

Have you ever sent in a submission? I haven't but I am adding it to my to-do list! 

Mail Call Monday

This photo shows the mail I have received in the last week (happy mail anyway). One of those letters included stamps for me to use on letters I plan on writing. It was also the very first bit of mail to the Post Office Box. It felt awesome getting some mail in there. I must say I thought checking the PO Box would be boring (like checking my boring box closer to my house) but it actually was fun! I love opening it to see...could there be a letter waiting for me?

If you're expecting a letter, I should have it in the post before Friday. And if you're not expecting anything why not send a card or letter and I will return that kindness. We all need more happy mail in our lives. 

More Soon.

Stamp Sunday

Issue Date: September 3, 1957

This Special Delivery stamp is one of my favorite stamps. I don't know why. Perhaps it's just the fact that is shows mail on the front. I love the red color and the fact that it was printed on rotary press. Or maybe it is because uses techniques that I would have used in printmaking class in college. Either way this stamp is placed among some of my favorites in a stamp album. (I collect stamps, but I collect only those I really like.) 

Special Delivery stamps were pre-payments added to regular postage for an extra service. The stamp allowed immediate delivery of that letter within one mile of any special delivery post office. A post office was a special delivery office if it had free routine delivery service or if it were in a community with at least 4,000 people. 

Special delivery was first introduced in 1885 and in its first year became so popular that all post offices began to offer the service. Special delivery ran from 1885 until 1997 when the USPS officially terminated the practice. Above is just one example of special delivery postage that was issued. Overall, there are 23 special delivery postage stamps and 3 airmail postage stamps that were issued during its run. These postage stamps are not rare in used form as the service was pretty common though unused postage has a slight rarity. The USPS offered to accept the unused stamps back when the service was ended in 1997 because these special delivery stamps are not able to be used as regular postage (who knew?). Therefore, a lot of unused stamps went back to the USPS and I would guess they destroyed them. 

Do you have any Special Delivery stamps in your collection?

Stationery Find

Do you ever go hunting for stationery in off the wall places? Since I decided to get back into writing I realized that I have a SEVERE lack of stationery. At the height of my blogging/writing I had amassed a nice collection of envelopes, cards and all manner of stationery. I compiled that collection from months of searching and mostly stumbling upon those items in shops along my travels. Finding stamps to put on letters is an easy task. Finding stationery that is exciting...not so much. Unfortunately, the town I live in doesn't have a shop with such items. My only options are big box stores (which don't get me wrong, I shop in them a lot) but they do not tend to carry things that excite me in this respect.

Today I decided to bargain hunt the local Goodwill to see if I could find something interesting. (I love thrifting...something about getting a good deal is just incredibly satisfying.) I found that adorable Snoopy stationery set still sealed for $2. How could I pass that up? I also found a variety of sized envelopes for $1.50 and a set of super cute notebooks (pictured below) for $2.

There are actually three notebooks there. They are different designs but are what you might expect the Pendleton shirts would look like. I believe they are probably close to Moleskine style on the inside (I haven't even opened them yet how silly!). I think I may use one to keep track of addresses and the other...well who knows!

Anyway, am I the only one who attempts to find stationery that is not in a traditional box store or online? Where do you find your happy mail supplies?

Send a Card Won't you?

Hey everyone! I just stumbled across another cause that is looking for cards. The beneficiary of this cause is a little girl by the name of Eva. She is 11 years old and went through a kidney transplant in January. Since then she has basically been housebound. A family is collecting cards for her and will deliver them in person. Here is the address:

Culver's Attention: Eva
1912 State Route 256
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068

I will be mailing out a card today. Will you?

Postcrossing

I finally did it. I jumped into Postcrossing again. I had limited myself to only sending 5 of the 13 I could send at once...and then I accidentally hit the button one more time. Its quite addictive isn't it? Well I think I will try to limit the number of cards I send out through the site in the future. I love sending and receiving cards, but I would honestly rather spend my postage connecting with all of you! So no worries, Postcrossing will not cut into my stamp budget for my wonderful penpals!

Do you still Postcross?

Self Service Kiosk

Does your post office have a self service kiosk? Have you ever used it? I used one for the first time recently. Or at least its the first time I can recall using one. I decided to print some international postage (someone failed to order any on her last stamp order...) and it was surprisingly easy. I just touched the screen found the international postage option and selected how many. Within a few minutes I had postage printed without waiting in a line.

Biggest downside as far as I am concerned is that the postage isn't all that pretty. But in a pinch if you needed to mail something after hours at the post office or on a Sunday (which is when I will most likely make it to the post office) the kiosk may work for you! I also thought this may be the perfect way to avoid stares from the postal employees when I mail out frisbees or other odd "packages".

More soon!

Postage Release: Little Mo Forever Stamp

Today is the official release of the "Little Mo" postage stamp. Depicted on the stamp is Maureen Connolly Brinker who was known by the nickname Little Mo. She was a world class tennis star and the first woman to win all four grand slam tournaments in the same calendar year in 1953. Unfortunately, the following year she suffered an injury that ended her competitive career. And in 1955 she officially retired from the sport when she announced her marriage to Norman Brinker, a member of the Olympic equestrian team. (Also interesting to note the Norman went on to create the business concept known as the salad bar.) Maureen passed away, well before her time, at the age of 34 from complications related to ovarian cancer.

One of the things I really enjoy about featuring new stamp releases is getting to know more about the subjects portrayed. I had no idea who "Little Mo" was, other than she must have been good at Tennis. In my research, I learned so much more about the lady who made big enough impact to be immortalized on US postage. 

Did you know about Little Mo before this post? Do you plan on buying these stamps? I know I will be getting a few!

Monday Mail Call

Just as I have said I would do a post on Sundays about stamps, Mondays will be a Mail Call. Above is a picture of my most recent sent items. Mostly postcards, but there is a letter (with the John Lennon stamp) for a follower as well. Behind the mail you can see my mail box. Or well, the mailboxes, mine is actual #7 and that is hidden behind the mail. Quite boring right? I will have to snap a picture of the post office box to share on here the next time I pop into the PO. (It isn't pretty either I'm afraid). 

The postcards I sent were vintage ones I purchased on Ebay. I found a wonderful seller that wasn't trying to get an arm and a leg for them. I am slowly attempting to amass a collection of stationery so I have all necessary items on hand to reply and send lots of happy mail. I've even been thinking about starting Postcrossing again. Does anyone still do that? Anyway, I hope those postcards and letters arrive in their destinations soon. Closest one is going about an hour away here in Oregon, and the farthest is headed off to Switzerland. :)

I should hop off for now, I have more posts to research and letters to write. What did you send this week?  

Stamp Sunday

So I had decided that I would do a regular post on Sundays that highlighted stamps I was fond of. Well as it does sometimes, life got in my way of having a post ready for today. So instead I will be showing you my first stamp haul from the USPS website.

After uploading I realized that the photo shows most of the stamps upside down. If I had more time (it is Easter after all ) I would have flipped the picture for you. But I think you can still get the idea from this. I bought just under $50 in stamps to jump start my collection of recents to send. I will definitely be placing another order (my original cart was almost $150!) but decided to wait a bit and slowly add more to the collection. 

Short post for today, but I am curious...Do you purchase your stamps at the post office? Or do you purchase online? I prefer to pick them up at the post office, but mine doesn't seem to have much variety. (You know posters on the wall of all the pretty ones, but only carried the basics.)

Enjoy your Sunday! Happy Easter to those of you that celebrate!

Post Office Box

So as some of you may have read in a previous post I have signed up for a PO box. Normally I just received mail at my physical location, however here in Oregon I do not have a mail box at my house. (Sad I know). We have a centralized mailbox and to be honest that bums me out. When I thought about starting the whole letting writing thing again I decided I would do a post office box. Things have changed a bit since I wrote this blog before and I am not as trusting as I once was to post a physical address online. I am sure you all understand.

My question for all of you that have post office boxes is...How often do you check it? If I am honest I probably will not check mine but maybe once a week unless for some reason the amount of mail increases. My job is close to home so the post office (for much of my week) is considered out of the way. Lets face it sometimes when you are finished with work the last thing on your mind is driving out of your way to check the mail. (Maybe that will change with an influx of happy mail)

Anyway, it feels good to get back in the swing of writing. If you have made it this far with me thank you! I appreciate your patience while I figure out how to balance work/writing with everything else in life.

More soon my friends!

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!