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!

Stamp out disappointment

 And now, the follow-up to yesterday’s Stamp Out Hunger charity food collection by the USPS. Our donation was ignored; not picked up, but was just left at our mailbox. The carrier even had to stop at our address and deliver a parcel to the front door which would not fit in the mailbox. There’s no way he missed seeing our donation.  Despite participating in this commendable effort for the last several years, our letter carrier simply did not collect our package of food. Was this his own personal decision? Or a choice by the local Helena Alabama post office?  I don’t know the answer to that. As I say, food has been collected in past years, and local media has mentioned the United Way in this area is participating in the food drive. I can say that on weekends, we have a different carrier than Shannon, our excellent usual weekday carrier. But on weekends, there is a substitute guy. And yesterday was not even our usual sub, but some guy I didn’t recognize. Did he not know about the drive? Did he make a personal decision not to participate? I realize being a mail carrier is hard work, and this food drive adds to the burden. But this represents personal laziness, or poor training and communication at the Helena post office.  It’s sad to see so many people’s good intentions can be stymied by one individual. On the other hand, the package of food that my wife carefully curated and specifically purchased for this food drive now stands ready for some other one in the near future, whether at a church, or some similar community organization.  It will make its way to those in need, and soon. 

Stamp out hunger day

 Despite some rain last night, the weather has cleared to that I can leave my contribution of non-perishable food items at my mailbox for today’s letter carrier to pick up. Hope you can do the same. Working together, we can help lessen at least one of the world’s problems. 

Stamp Out Hunger 2026

 Each year on the second Saturday in May, the US Postal Service, along with the National Association of Letter Carriers and local agencies, collect non-perishable food as part of their campaign to Stamp Out Hunger.  In my part of the world, this noble effort is joined by the United Way.  To do your part to help feed those in need, you can simply leave a container of non perishable food items at your mailbox on Saturday, May 9th.  Your donated items will be collected by your mail carrier and brought to local food banks for distribution.  The need for basic food items never goes away, and at this time of year when holiday donations have been depleted, any help is very welcome.  Collection day is one week away, so it's not too soon to gather some items to have ready for collection next Saturday.  Join me in this effort to make the world a little better place.

Letter Writing Wrapup

 Having just dropped a final letter in the mail this morning, I am happy to announce that National Letter Writing Month has been a success.  

• Letters written: 30
• Letters typed: 18
• Letters hand written: 12
• Domestic addresses: 28
• International addresses: 2
• Responses received (so far): 3
• Letters returned, undelivered: 1  (and then resent)
• Months until next Letter Writing Month: 11

It's been a fun month, but it's taken time away from my Postcrossing activities.  I look forward to more postcards in May.  Write on!

Bippity boppity bacon!

 I love bacon.  That is certainly not unique, but during the bacon craze of a few years ago, I really leaned into it.  It became a standing joke among family and friends that my bacon affliction was incurable.  References were often made to memes, novelty bacon themed products, and an endless stream of bacon-heavy recipes.  I can even recite from memory the entirety of Jim Gaffigan's bacon monolog.  In more recent times, my bacon ardor has cooled but not fully receded.  Alongside of all that goes my interest in history, and my attraction to author autographed books.  There is just something remarkable about a published book which has been physically touched by its author as they leave a personal inscription as a souvenir.  Try doing that with an audio book or a Kindle.  So when I recently learned that my local independent bookstore - which deals only in autographed books - was holding a book signing for a book devoted to the history and cultural significance of bacon, there was no way I could pass that up.

Yesterday afternoon, then, I was able to meet and briefly talk with Mark A. Johnson, a history professor who has recently published his latest book, American Bacon: The History of a Food Phenomenon.  Initially a little surprised that there was a whole book in bacon, I recalled other similar books that explore society's complex relationships with individual food items, like cod, coffee, and salt.  Johnson's book was a multiyear effort involving scholarly research and disciplined formal writing.  In talking with him, I found similarities in our authorships:  his book was peer-reviewed, just as my papers are in scientific journals.  I suspect his research involved more delicious investigation than mine, however.  This was an early stop on a book publication tour that is just beginning as Johnson continues with appearances at academic and culinary institutions around the country.  I look forward to reading his new book and wish his every success.

Letter Month midpoint

 In addition to it being Tax Day (don't forget to file your returns!), today is the midpoint of National Letter Writing Month.  I'm glad to report my goal of writing and sending one letter each day to family and friends has so far been uninterrupted.  The commonly given benefits of handwritten letters are that they are a pleasant and personal way to communicate with another individual.  In today's digital age, it is certainly unexpected and hopefully a pleasant surprise to receive such an old fashioned message; an actual, physical object, manually transported by a postal system that remains by far the world's largest.  But being a scientist myself, I must mention that there are actual biological benefits to writing letters.  It's science!  According to one scientific paper:

 Handwriting is a complex neurophysiological process integrating motor, cognitive, and emotional components. Beyond its functional role in communication, it carries cultural and psychological significance. 

 Handwriting develops more areas of the brain than keyboard or texting messages.  It contributes to enhanced memory development and greater engagement with the material.  It's also a classy, joyous, and affirming way to strengthen relationship.  It may take more time and effort, but that also has value in fostering a deliberate and thoughtful moment in what otherwise can be a frantic life. So in the remainder of the month, I will continue to improve my neural pathways, burnish my penmanship, and sustain my friendships.  Write on!