Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Send Me a Postcard, Drop Me a Line

Dear Friends,

Do you love getting snail mail? I certainly do! And I love sending it too, and anticipating the surprise on the recipient's face when he/she receives a totally unexpected piece of mail that isn't a bill or junk mail.

That's why I've signed up for A Month of Letters, a project begun by Mary Robinette Kowal. I used to be quite the snail-mailer, back in the early 1980s. I had several British pen pals, and got at least a letter a day at times. I miss those days.

Sure, I love Facebook, and getting e-mails. Sometimes there's a definite need for a quick response to a question and only e-mail will do.

But I also love getting real letters. And I adore collecting old postcards, some of which served much as e-mails or phone calls do today.

Postcards weren't just of the "wish you were here" variety. They were used to make arrangements for upcoming visits, to let a loved one know about one's health, or simply to inquire about a friend's life.

I've been collecting postcards all my life. One of the most interesting ones I have reads: "Dear Papa, Mama is feeling fine and looks better. We are going to Mag Smith's to-day. Had a big cave on Chestnut Street Sunday. No. 16 school went down and the German preacher's house and a number of others. Bertha."  



The card was mailed from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Mr. Dan Barth, Bay City, Michigan, and is (sadly) undated. I've always wanted to look up the old Scranton papers and see if there's a record of a school falling into what must have been a mine cave-in.

I've also created my very first Etsy Treasury, which features all sorts of goodies for letter-, card-, or postcard-writing. I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I've enjoyed creating it. Now...how to stop myself from buying some of those lovely items...



If you're feeling like stretching your writing muscles, sign up for A Month of Letters. And feel free to send me a postcard, drop me a line...anytime!

Stay well, stay warm!

15 comments:

  1. How exciting!
    another person playing along!
    This is going to be great!
    I am so looking forward to actually succeeding at this!
    ~laughing~

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  2. sweet idea...hope your mailbox brings you joy each day!
    -Jennifer

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  3. Illuminary, Thanks for stopping by! I think I'm gonna succeed at this, too.

    Jennifer, Well, so far I haven't gotten any letters from anyone...but there's still half of February left! tee hee

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  4. Sandra,first off, thank you so much for you comments on my post about "Not my usual post...". It's great to share these things with like minde souls and I could not let the opportunity go by without saying a personal thank you to you for your kind words
    Second - yipeee I am in your treasury how wonderful
    Third - I want to sign up for A month of letters too - going over there right now!

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  5. Dear Cathy--Thanks for visiting--I am very glad you did. And I'm happy you liked the treasury. I've got to make more of those--they're kind of addictive!

    I have something like 5 more letters to go--whew! It's been fun, but I'm glad it's only a month long. LOL

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  6. I loved your etsy treasury AND your letter and art to me! Thank you for including me in your project. Your card will soon be uploaded to my blog!

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    1. You're so very welcome, Lenna! I'm glad you liked the card!

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  7. i'm with you on the postcards, sandra! love 'em...actually
    snail mail is still my favorite way to correspond!
    great post! good luck with the challenge!
    elizabeth

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    1. Dear Elizabeth--Thank you very much for your kind comment, and for visiting!

      If you would like me to send you some snail mail (even though February is over), I would be delighted. E-mail me at sandral18706 AT yahoo.com and we'll set something up!

      Thanks!

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  8. thanks sandra, i'll be in touch!
    e

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  9. Hi, Elizabeth, I will e-mail you on Facebook!

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  10. There is just nothing better than mail art love! What a cool old postcard you have too. An absolute treasure! Thanks for sharing...

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting! I'm glad you like the postcard. It is one of my favorites. One of these days I'm going to the public library and find out all about that cave-in. It happens every now and then around here--lots of mining went on here.

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  11. Hi Sandra,
    I'm a little late on this comment but would love to correspond. Do you have any more room in your pen pal count? My web site is veronicaroth.com. :)

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  12. Dear Veronica, Thank you for dropping by. I am delighted that you would want to correspond with me. I will check out your web site and send you some email very soon!

    Take care,
    Sandra

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