A dark and stormy night

 As a new day dawns, it appears we have successfully endured the first hurricane landfall of this season.  Hurricane Isaias came ashore in the northern Gulf of Mexico near Navarre, Florida as a Category 2 storm last evening.  Through the night, here at home I have observed steady rain, sometimes quite heavy.  There have been brief periods of gusty winds, but nothing too severe at my location.  The remnants of the storm is projected to pass practically directly over my house in the next hour or two.  Rain is already slackening, and the wind gusts are slowly decreasing to moderately breezy conditions.  Power stayed on through the night without a flicker, though outages closer to the coast are numerous.  Indeed, as I drove to work yesterday morning, I saw large convoys of power crew trucks headed south to be on hand to begin the recovery process.  I've already made my daily report of rainfall to CoCoRaHS, the network of volunteer observers who contribute to national hydrological data.  At my normal report time of 6:00 am, I had collected 2.57" of rain from the storm.  (See "Current Helena conditions" on the adjacent toolbar for the latest readings of my home weather station.)  Light rain continues to fall, so that will increase slightly.  Even at this early hour, things appear to be clearing, raising the question of whether all the numerous event cancellations for today were necessary.  Sadly, today's Buck Creek Festival was cancelled altogether, when with hindsight it probably could have gone on.  But I don't mean any criticism of the organizers- always better safe than sorry; things could have turned out much worse.  I'm very glad we seem to have dodged this bullet.  And now I look forward to real Fall-like weather, which has not yet arrived in central Alabama.

Barometer, when a tropical storm passes over your head.

Rare card alert

 Today's rare card alert comes not from an obscure country, but from our familiar neighbor to the north, Canada.  But it was such a unique and interesting card it warrants a mention here.  The card comes from Toronto, and was sent by Postcrossing user Stampraider.  What's particularly unique about the card is the strip of simulated 35mm film that is embedded in it.  It is a transparent window in the card that appears like 35mm film, likely sent because I mention my knowledge of old-style analog photography in my Postcrossing profile.  The postcard insert is simulated, though: It is a positive image rather than negative, like an E-6 process Ektachrome slide.   It is in an impossibly wide format, far beyond the usual 35mm full-frame ratio.  Still, a beautiful and interesting card with some beautiful postage stamps, and I was very happy to add it to my collection.  Write on.

Happy Anniversary

 Today begins a new year of Postcrossing, after I concluded my 14th year of sending international postcard yesterday.  Yes, it's already been 14 years that I have been involved in the group of postal mail enthusiasts.  In that time, I've mailed 12,558 postcard and received 12,565 cards from random people all around the world.  This is enough for me to be ranked 25th of 84,000 Postcrossing members in the USA, and #1 among members in Alabama.  It's been an enjoyable and rewarding hobby that has given me a broader appreciation for lifestyles in countries worldwide.  Among the most frequent comment I hear from those who receive cards from me: "I knew of the Birmingham in the UK, but I didn't know there was one in the southeast USA also," or "Oh, Sweet Home Alabama- I know that song!"  It's been a wonderful 14 years, and I hope to enjoy a few more.  Write on.

The most popular card I've ever sent.

World Postcard Day

 Today is World Postcard Day, in which we celebrate the first use of the humble communication device, a simple small piece of paper.  Postcard history tells us that the postcard was first used on this day in 1869 in Austria, and soon grew to a popular and ubiquitous item in the pre-digital world.  Short messages and usually colorful photos could be quickly sent via postal mail, and were most commonly used by tourists to keep in touch with family and friends back home.  Such missives from travelers were eagerly anticipated and often collected as souvenirs of travel to exotic locations.  In today's digital age, postal mail and especially postcards have become an anachronistic curiosity.  But in 2005, the Postcrossing project was begun, and today members send nearly half a million cards per month, exchanging them with randomly assigned strangers all around the world.  Postcrossers who send a card on this day receive a special badge of participation on their personal profile page.  This year will be the seventh consecutive year in which I have participated, and I will be sending copies of the official World Postcard Day design.  Each card, as it is received, will play a tiny part in the legacy that began in Austria 157 years ago on this day.  Write on. 

Blog-versary

 And just like that, it's been three years that this blog has been...uh, blogging.  When I wrote the first post on this day in 2023, I really didn't have a solid idea what the blog was about.  I'd done one in the past focused on building a wooden sailboat.  But this one didn't really start out with a central theme, which I figured any blog really needs.  Those that publish "random thoughts" never seem to last, and aren't really that interesting, in my experience.  But as things developed here, I suppose if any theme has emerged, it has been an exploration of analog life.  Classic literature.  Postal mail.  Watercolor paintings. Postcards. Travel. Mechanical typewriters.  Things that are tangible, lasting, and real.  And every word written here is composed - and sometimes even carefully considered and crafted - by a real human being.  An unremarkable human being, sure.  But a real one, and not a pile of silicon microchips at a massive data center. So there's a theme for you: reality.  May it survive and prosper in the coming years.  Write on.

The Kellys and the O'Kellys

 Yesterday was the final book club meeting of the Trollope Society to discuss Castle Richmond.  So that means today begins the next book on the reading list, The Kellys and the O'Kellys, by Anthony Trollope.  This novel was written by Trollope while he was in Ireland, and was published in 1848.  The common themes of inheritance and debt are once again found in this story, which will be familiar to Trollope readers.

  

August Stats

 

A respectable month of activity in Postcrossing this August:  During the month, I sent 76 cards and received 65.  This month my ranking jumped to 25th highest Postcrossing member in the USA (with 83,875 members) based on number of sent cards.  Still #1 in Alabama.  Incidentally, the USA is only second most active among world countries in Postcrossing.  First place by a large margin is held by Germany.  The USA has collectively sent a little more than 118 million cards, while Germany has sent 160 million cards.  Germany has achieved this with fewer Postcrossing members; nearly 84,000 for the USA, and about 69,000 for Germany.  So per capita, German Postcrossers are nearly twice as active as Americans, sending 232 cards per member, versus 141 for Americans.  Germans end up sending 18.2 % of all cards on Postcrossing, while Americans send 13.4%.  But there is a glimmer of hope: in the last 30 days, Americans comprised 17.6% of all new members of Postcrossing, while Germans were just 6.3% of new members.  I wonder if this is new enthusiasm sparked by the newly issued Postcrossing stamp.  Just an interesting comparison. Write on.

Back to the beginning

 

While my painting abilities are still in their infancy, I thought it appropriate to go back to the beginning for subject matter.  For my third attempt, I chose one of nature's oldest plants, the fern.  These plants are one of the earliest vascular plants, being found in nature 423 million years ago in the Silurian period.  Without flowers or other complex structures, they should be easy to paint, I reasoned.  Well, judge for yourself.  I suppose one might recognize this work as a fern...

Let there be light

 For my second attempt at simple watercolor paintings, I turned to a popular subject: lighthouses.  For me, it's a fitting source of material as my favorite place in the country is New England where beautiful lighthouses abound.  Another connection is through my brief association long ago with the US Coast Guard, the agency long tasked with maintaining such aids to navigation.  So for this painting, I broke out a few additional colors of paint after the simple green leaf in my first effort.  And once again following the online step-by-step tutorial, I sketched the simple, stylistic lighthouse in pencil.  This work now attempted to incorporate some shadows and depth not found in the simple leaf, which I replicated with indifferent effect.  But I did gain some experience and begin to understand the application of watercolor paint to both dry and wet surfaces.  Certainly a learning experience.

A cultured life

 

Today, as I was enjoying the sack lunch I usually bring with me to work, I pondered the expansion of one of my long time hobbies - puttering in the kitchen.  I have always enjoyed the whole process of preparing the food I eat, and for some of it, that involves the harnessing of beneficial microbes.  Most longstanding of these is the sourdough bread culture I have maintained for more than 20 years.  Most weekends, I bake two loaves of sourdough bread for use throughout the week in everything from sandwiches to croutons for soup and salads.  The venerable sourdough culture I have carried for decades contains a mix of bacteria and yeast whose metabolic activities produce the leavened bread that I have exclusively consumed for many years.  Home fermentation activities have not been restricted to bread: on a sporadic basis, I have fermented cabbage to make sauerkraut, and though I haven't brewed in some time, one of my earliest hobbies was making my own beer.  Beneficial microbes have always been welcomed in my kitchen!

More recently, I have expanded these cultural pursuits.  I revived a yogurt maker that I'd purchased several years ago, and I've turned out a few batches of very tasty homemade yogurt.  I've stepped up my sauerkraut production.  And just this week, I sampled my first batch of fermented dill pickles.  These are classic full-sour dill pickles in the best NYC deli tradition.  So with my home baked sourdough sandwich, I had a fermented pickle which was delicious.  I expect to expand fermentations even further after reading a book that I received yesterday, containing info and recipes to produce all manner of fermented produce and beverages.  About the only area of microbe-driven food production that I have not yet tried is making cheese.  Something to look forward to!