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!

Ars longa, vita brevis

 As part of my daily doom scrolling, I recently happened to click on an ad link for an art supply store.  And naturally, my web pages were instantly full of all manner of similar vendors.  One product that caught my eye was for a tiny little portable watercolor painting kit.  This touched a poignant corner of my psyche:  I'm fascinated by the creative arts, yet long ago I accepted that I have absolutely no talent in that area.  In addition to so many other areas.  Nope, no athletic talent, no artistic talent- performing or creative arts, and no talent in business or any other human occupation.  And yet, I admire those who show ability in any of these endeavors.  My vacation earlier this summer took me to the Farnesworth Museum where I sat in awe of the works of the Wyeths - a whole family of gifted artists.  The cruel trick, of course, is that people with talent make it look so easy.  Shooting a fadeaway jump shot, painting a beautiful painting, acting in a play or playing a musical instrument- when done by experts, it looks so simple.  And in hawking watercolor paint kits, a multitude of online sellers play to my precise emotions and aspirations. 

So, with a firm self-knowledge developed over decades, I purchased one of these inexpensive kits.  Despite, I re-emphasize, having absolutely no artistic talent, I really would like to be able to create joyful little paintings.  So when the kit arrived, I daydreamed of the beauty I would create with it.  And a significant amount of joy was had via just the daydreams.  After several weeks of that, I decided I might actually try to use the kit.  A nice thing is that the particular vendor who provided mine, Tobios, does have some resources for abject beginners like me, to guide the first attempts.  Now, I don't know if it's possible to teach myself this craft, or if some more formal instruction would be necessary.  But today I made my first attempt, using the web page's step-by-step instruction.  The Wyeth family has nothing to fear from my artistic talents, but I did manage to produce a work that some astute observers might recognize as... a leaf.  From such humble beginnings, what will follow?  Stay tuned.

Coast Guard Day

 On this day in 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton convinced congress to fund the construction of ten small sailing vessels, revenue cutters, to enforce tax and customs fees in the newly created USA.  This was the beginning of a maritime law enforcement service that would directly evolve into today's Coast Guard.  Since then, the duties of the Coast Guard have changed and grown, and today it is also responsible for fisheries management, aids to navigation, lifesaving and rescue, and in wartime, various combat roles.  After the American Revolution, the US Navy was disbanded only to be re-created in 1798, so the Coast Guard is America's oldest continual maritime service.

Also on this day, some 175 years later, I was created.  So it is a coincidence that I myself had a short-lived and not entirely successful service in the Coast Guard.  For me, last year was a landmark birthday, but this year, as with most of them, I indulge in a bit of retrospection.  My life can no longer be called a short one, though I hope it lasts for a while yet.  I was born in the midst of the early space race- in the middle of the Gemini program, when the USA finally surpassed the USSR in manned spaceflight achievements.  And four-year-old me was around to sleep through man's first steps on the moon.  (My talent for sleeping through major world events as they happened is considerable, with Princess Diana's death and OJ Simpson's slow speed car chase just to name a few.)  My life has encompassed the space race, the Cold War, the Chernobyl accident, the digital revolution and birth of the internet, a major worldwide pandemic, and the utterly disastrous Trump presidency.  So it's never been dull.  And for more than the past 12 years (longer than Samuel Pepys), I've kept a daily personal journal to record and comment on world events, both large and small.  I wonder if it will interest some historian in, say, a hundred years.

Anyway, Happy 236th birthday, US Coast Guard!

July stats

July was a quiet month for Postcrossing, with just 61 cards sent and 71 cards received.  This brings my all-times totals to 12,432 cards sent and 12,426 cards received.  I'm happy to see that cards are getting through to recipients in Russia- 3 cards sent there this month and 7 cards received- so the sanctions seem to be truly at an end.  Despite my lackluster activity, I did move up in rank and now am 25th of more than 83,000 USA members in terms of total sent cards. (Still #1 in Alabama, too.)  As always, I'd intended to be more active in sending cards, but life seems to persistently get in the way of plans.  Here's to more Postcrossing in August.  Write on!

Bah, humbug!

 As a longtime Dickens buff and connoisseur of cinematic remakes of A Christmas Carol, I was pleasantly surprised this morning to learn that yet another movie version of the classic story will be released later this year.  This newest one stars Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, which at first struck me as unusual casting.  But after having viewed the trailer below, I am hopeful the talented actor can give a creditable account of literature's premier curmudgeon.  Coming in November- I look forward to it.

 

Turning 21

 In 2005, a couple of creative people had the bright idea to create a system that could connect people all around the world.  With some knowledge of computer databases they created Postcrossing, a project that facilitates the exchange of postcards between individuals who have never met.  Over the years, the system has grown to over 800,000 members in 207 countries.  Each month, this group sends nearly half a million postcards and have sent a total more than 87 million cards.  The distance they've travelled would cover 538,000 round trips between the earth and the moon.  I've been a proud member of Postcrossing for more than 13 years and have enjoyed every minute of it.  Happy birthday Postcrossing.  Write on!

June stats

 The Postcrossing stats for June are in, and during the month, I sent 85 postcards and received 79 postcards.  That brings my all-time total sent cards to 12,368, putting me in 27th place among the 83,000 Postcrossing members in the USA.  Still #1 in Alabama.  Good to see an active exchange of cards to and from Russia once again, after the recent resumption of USPS service to Russia.  Write on.

Semper paratus

 In a surprise announcement, the USPS will issue a new stamp to honor the 150th anniversary of the US Coast Guard Academy.  The new stamp will be issued at the academy in New London, CT on September 12.  This is of special interest to me because of my connection to the place: I was a Coast Guard cadet at the academy in the mid 1980s.  Yes, I had intended to embark on a career as a Coast Guard officer, doing noble work like stopping criminals and rescuing distressed boaters, though realistically it would have mostly been more mundane chores like painting navigational buoys and counting fish in fisherman's nets.  Not since the stamp issued in 2015 honoring the CG Cutter Eagle on August 4th, Coast Guard Day (and my birthday), have I been so eagerly anticipating a new stamp release.  My own Coast Guard career was cut short when I washed out of the academy after two years.  But in that time, I met many very fine people among my classmates and remain friends with a few of them.  Two members of my academy class of '87 went on to command the CGC Eagle.  One would eventually run the academy itself.  And the current top guy running the entire US Coast Guard is a former classmate of mine.  So with pride and nostalgia, I eagerly await this new stamp issue, and everything it represents.

Name calling

 On a web page posted by the Social Security Administration, it is possible to see data on the popularity of baby names throughout history.  So naturally I had to look into the numbers on my own name.  It turns out that when I was born in 1965, the name "Peter" for new babies was near its peak of popularity and was the 39th most popular name given to newborns.  This is only slightly less than its absolute peak ten years earlier in 1955, when it was the 35th most popular name.  In that year 11,003 new babies were named Peter, which was 0.526% of all newborn boys for the year.  Since then, however, the popularity of the named has waned, and in 2020 it reached its lowest point, when Peter was the 215th most popular name.  In the last two years for which data is available, the name has grown very slightly, and in 2025 it was ranked 187.  So perhaps the name of the apostle that was the favorite of Jesus, the rock upon which he built his church, will make a comeback.

The name Peter is at least more popular than one deeply unpopular name for newborns: "Donald". In 2025, the name Donald was the 690th most popular baby name, less popular than names like "Mohammad,” “Kash,” “Brandon,” “Maximus,”  and “Keanu”.

Back in the USSR

 It was about a month ago when I learned that the USPS had resumed service to Russia.  After years of sanctions and embargos, it was once again possible to send postcards from there from the USA.  Postcrossing first assigned me a Russian address on May 16, and several more in the days that followed.  Today I am pleased to learn the first of these cards has been received in Russia.  My card to Postcrossing member "Boring_Lydia" was registered a short time ago after travelling 5.077 miles in 32 days.  This opens up the 3rd most active country in Postcrossing to American members, and will provide more variety in the cards I send.  Write on!

Rare card alert- followup

 On June second, I sent my first card using the newly issued Postcrossing stamp to a recipient in the UK.  And today, after a journey of 4,217 miles and eight days, the card was registered.  Since then, I've sent many more cards with the new Postcrossing stamps, so Postcrossers all around the world are soon to see the results of years of work that resulted in these stamps.  A brave new era in postal mail.  Write on!

New month, new book

 Just two days ago, the final book club meeting of the Trollope Society was held to discuss Mr. Scarborough's Family.  And so now we turn to the next novel on this year's reading list:  The Belton Estate.  This book was first published in 1865.  Just as a violent civil war was coming to a close in the USA, Anthony Trollope wrote this book about a young woman choosing between two suitors.  Thorny issues of inheritance and measuring the qualities of two imperfect men are themes in this short novel by the prolific author.  I look forward to the book as the summer reading season begins.

Rare card alert

 After a long day at work and a harrowing commute in a severe thunderstorm, I arrived home yesterday to find my order of the new Postcrossing stamps had finally arrived.  And this morning, I sent off my first one!  As I've mentioned before, the USPS Postcrossing stamp comes after years of petitioning by Postcrossing members to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, the group that recommends new stamp designs to the USPS.  I had written my own letter to the committee several years ago, and never received any reply or acknowledgement, so I had come to believe it was a dead issue.  But then only a few weeks ago, I learned that a Postcrossing stamp issue would be at last released, as it indeed was at the World Expo stamp convention in Boston last week.  So today, the first maxi card (a postcard featuring the stamp image, an actual stamp with first day of issue postmark, and a matching stamp for international postage on the address side) went out in the mail today.  Hope you enjoy it, Richard in the UK!  Write on!

A beautiful day in the World Expo

 The long awaited announcement was just made in Boston at the 2026 World Expo of the USPS encore stamp issue.  And the winner is... *opens envelope*... Mr. Rogers!  The commemorative honoring Fred Rogers in 2018 will now be once again available starting June 1.  Mr. Rogers was such a beloved figure, and is entirely deserving of the honor.  But I still would have liked frozen treats to be available once again.  Regardless, write on!

Boston World Expo

 We are now just hours away from Boston 2026 World Expo, a multi day convention featuring all things postal.  This event has special interest, as the USPS will be releasing several highly anticipated new stamp designs, including the long-sought Postcrossing theme stamp.  The USPS celebrated 250 years of existence last year, and the USA will do the same this year, so many stamp issues are of a patriotic nature.  These include bald eagles, American bison, and treasures of the Revolutionary Era.  But what has held my attention more than anything else is the Encore Issue.  On Saturday, May 24, a special repeat release of some previous stamp favorite will be announced.  About a year ago, voting was open to the public to choose which design from a large selection will be chosen for re-release.  For myself, I chose the frozen treats scratch and sniff stamp, which smelled like delicious ice cream.  The chosen design has been a closely guarded secret, and I've not heard any rumors as to which former stamp will once again become available.  The "stamp con" will undoubtedly be a great experience; I wish I could be there in person.  But I will be soon sending a whole slew of new stamps on postcard to recipients all around the world.  Write on!

Back on the list

As I requested a batch of addresses from Postcrossing this morning to write some postcards, I was surprised to be assigned an address for Russia.  Because of US sanctions, USPS mail service to Russia has been suspended for the last couple of years.  I have been receiving postcards from Russia, but could not send any postcard to Russia.  Until this morning.  Not wanting to waste time and expense, I have tried to verify this change.  A check of the Postcrossing Postal Monitor page, and the USPS Service Alerts page shows that Russia is no longer listed as a suspended destination.  But it seems to be a very quiet policy change since I can find no specific announcement of a resumption of Russia service by any reputable source.  So I guess I'll take a chance and write the postcard and I hope it reaches you soon, Nikolai in Leningrad.  Stay tuned for any updates.  Write on!

Blog to blog, redux

 Last December, I wrote about a blog that displays postal covers from around the world.  The blog's author, Daniel Mathieu, solicits postal covers from like-minded people: those with beautiful stamps and interesting postmarks receive extra thanks.  So back in December, I sent an envelope with the newly issued USPS Revolutionary War stamps.  Then a couple weeks ago during National Letter Writing Month, I sent another cover with brand new stamps depicting famous individuals of the Revolutionary War.  President George Washington was an obvious choice to use, in combination with the Marquis de Lafayette, a nod towards the important contributions of France in obtaining American freedom.  This time, in addition to a letter using my best Duolingo French, I included some photo postcards of my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama.  Daniel shows these in his post, along with some links to additional info for those who might wish to know more about Washington, Lafayette, the Boston Tea Party, Birmingham, or our Vulcan Statue.  Write on!